One Young World and United Way Worldwide Partner to Support Young Leaders in Delivering Positive Change

Montreal (September 3, 2024) – One Young World is partnering with United Way Worldwide to send a 10-delegate cohort of United Way leaders to the One Young World Summit (9/18-9/21).

This is part of a year-long programme for ten young leaders working to create more equitable and resilient communities where everyone thrives. Specifically, improving the health, education, and economic mobility of every person in every community they serve.

The partnership with One Young World will build the participants’ leadership skills, grow their professional network, and expand their worldview so that they can gain a deeper understanding of how to become more impactful leaders.

The United Way delegates who will be joining the programme include:

Ashwini Sonar, Mumbai, India: Passionate about women and child development, Ashwini has dedicated her life to advocating for their rights, especially regarding health equity, literacy, education and employment opportunities.
Emily Slasynski, Edmonton, Canada: Emily believes in championing people by fostering inclusive and impactful environments, and through powerful community building, she aims to build a brighter future for those around her.
Fahim Haque, Montreal, Canada: With over a decade of experience in philanthropic development and community mobilization, Fahim has strived to create a positive impact on the Montreal community, showing exceptional leadership skills.
Jocelyn Clayton, Tulsa, USA: Through her remarkable marketing and communications skills, Jocelyn has helped her team raise over $50 million while raising awareness of United Way’s mission across social channels.
Kg Banjoko, Nistawoyu, Canada: Kg is the Founder of United4Change, Canada which fights against racism and colonisation while empowering marginalised communities around her.
Leiza Hermosillo, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico: Leiza handles campaigns at United Way Chihuahua, and has created a positive impact by connecting with several donors and raising awareness for United Way’s causes.
Link Kabadyundi, Toronto, Canada: Link serves as the Director of Communications and Engagement at Findhelp | 211. Driven by social impact and community values, Link aspires to positively influence communities around him through his unique and inspirational ventures.
Jennifer McEathron, Fredericton, Canada: Jennifer is the Director of Community Impact & Engagement at United Way Maritimes. Her ever-growing love for community-building and social work has manifested into her outstanding work for those around her.
Robert Mills-Lamptey, Accra, Ghana: Being at the forefront of economic empowerment, crisis relief, sustainability, and antichild trafficking in Ghana, Robert’s endeavours have impacted several communities and improved the lives of many.
Veronica Torres, New York City, USA: Devoted towards creating global health equity, Veronica has been lauded for her efforts to improve healthcare access and her advocacy for the development of health infrastructure, especially for at-risk communities.
The ten participants will also attend the annual One Young World Summit taking place in Montreal between September 18 – 21, where they will also have the chance to meet distinguished global leaders, connect with like-minded individuals from across the globe, and increase their knowledge to push forward the work they are doing to support local communities.

Each year the Summit brings together 2,000+ of the brightest young leaders from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact.

Summit delegates participate in four transformative days of speeches, panels, networking, mentorships, and workshops. They can give keynote speeches to share their platform with global leaders and some world’s media platforms.

Ella Robertson McKay, Managing Director, One Young World, says:

‘’It’s a great honour for One Young World to partner with United Way Worldwide for a second year. We share many values and are unified by the mission to engage young people and encourage them to make a positive impact on their local communities.

“The One Young World Summit provides young leaders with the knowledge, skills, and the right platform to affect meaningful change in their fight for more sustainable, inclusive and prosperous societies, and we’re excited to welcome the United Way delegates.”

Angela F. Williams, President and CEO, United Way Worldwide, says:

“Our future is reliant on the next generation of leaders which is why United Way Worldwide is honored to be part of the One Young World Summit,” said Angela F. Williams, President and CEO of United Way Worldwide.

“The young leaders at this year’s summit have the creativity, passion, and solutions-oriented mindset to tackle today’s most pressing problems and build a better future. I am eager to work alongside all One Young World leaders, especially the ten newly announced United Way delegates from around the world, to accelerate social impact and build a world where all people thrive.”

Dan Clement, President and CEO, United Way Centraide Canada

“We are proud to support the participation of the 5 Canadian delegates at One Young World being held in Montreal next month.

“Already, these ambitious young leaders are making a huge impact on their communities. Their experience at One Young World will provide them with a unique opportunity to make connections, create partnerships and expand their creativity so they can accelerate their contribution to a strong and equitable future for everyone living in Canada.”

Media enquiries:

One Young World - OYW@wearesevenhills.com
United Way Worldwide – kimberly.torguson@uww.unitedway.org 
About One Young World
One Young World is the global community for young leaders. Its mission is to create a fair, sustainable future for all, by supporting the development of young leaders who are taking action to solve the world’s big challenges. It builds young leaders’ expertise, elevates their profiles and inspires them to increase their impact.

One Young World offers an unrivalled platform to affect change at a global level. ​With a network of more than 17,000+ Ambassadors, innovative ​initiatives led by the One Young World community have directly impacted 50.42 million people globally since 2010. For every $1 invested, One Young World Ambassadors deliver $16 of social value.

In 2023, Ambassador projects provided 6,015,680 meals to people experiencing food insecurity, mitigated of 173,643 tC02 through clean energy and secured $1.66m in investment to create sustainable industries.

Its annual Summit brings together the brightest young leaders from every country and sector who are working to accelerate social impact ​across the globe. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as President Mary Robinson, Dr Jane Goodall, and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, amongst many other global figures.

To date, Summits have taken place in London (2010,2019), Zurich (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Johannesburg (2013), Dublin (2014), Bangkok (2015), Ottawa (2016), Bogota (2017), The Hague (2018), Munich (2021), Manchester (2022) and Belfast (2023). The next Summit will take place in Montreal in September 2024.

About United Way
United Way brings people together to build strong communities where everyone thrives. As one of the world's largest privately funded charities, we serve 95% of U.S. communities and 37 countries and territories; our humanitarian aid supports 48 million people every year. Through United Way, communities tackle tough challenges and work with private, public, and nonprofit partners to boost education, economic solutions, and health resources. United Way is the mission of choice for 1.5 million volunteers, 6.8 million donors, and 45,000 corporate partners in thousands of communities worldwide in our second century of service. Together, we are building resilient, equitable communities across the globe. Learn more at UnitedWay.org. Follow us: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.