"I want to create an "open space", a space where people can meet each other, exchange ideas and become active," says January Kristianto. The 28-year-old is a pastor in a congregation in West Java, Indonesia. Sitting next to him is Abiud Dikasa from the DR Congo. He leads his church's CEK youth ministry in Kwango province. "I never wanted to be a teacher - but when I return, I will start teaching English," he says. "Knowing the language is just hugely important for the younger generation." Minha Lee from Korea takes it upon herself, "I want to organize workshops on gender justice in my church and in other churches."
January, Abiud and Minha are three of 18 international youth ambassadors who spent more than two weeks together in Switzerland and exchanged ideas with each other.
The Youth Ambassador Program offers young adults from, Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America the opportunity to get to know each other, to explore pressing issues in a globalized world and to work together to find solutions.
Concrete actions on pressing problems
The Youth Summit during the Mission Week in Davos was originally planned as a public event, but because of Corona it was held as a closed event exclusively within the group of Youth Ambassadors.
The focus was on reflecting on what steps each and every individual can take to find solutions to the problems that are most important in their respective contexts.
It was evident from the discussions that the exchange in the culturally mixed group provided a lot of inspiration and plans. "It was very inspiring, I learned a lot, but I was also able to share my experience," says January. Soon, the young adults from Africa, Asia and Latin America will return home. In the coming months, they will receive delegations of youth ambassadors from Europe who will travel to Costa Rica, Tanzania and Indonesia. The exchange continues and the network grows.
