Youth at the WEF

Another world

When he arrived in Zurich, it was snowing. It was the first snow he had ever seen, Harvy Liwanag said, his eyes gleaming. Every day now he posts pictures of the Swiss Alps with their snow-capped peaks for his family and friends on Facebook. They live in the Philippines and are thrilled. "Every pictures gets a minimum of 100 likes," he said with a laugh.

Dinner with the Secretary General

Liwanag is in Davos at the invitation of the World Economic Forum. He is one of the representatives of the world's youth at the meeting of powerful business leaders and politicians.

Liwanag's schedule is already full. He will have dinner with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and meet former US Vice President and climate advocate Al Gore, engage in discussions with the World Health Organization and much more. It's a chance to sit at the table with people he's wanted to talk to for a long time.

"We Filipinos suffer the consequences of climate change. Just think of Typhoon Haiyan. I'm looking forward to discussing these issues with Al Gore," he said confidently. Liwanag sees himself as a representative of the less developed countries, and he wants to give them a voice.

How the other half lives

Liwanag is a physician and researcher for neglected tropical diseases at Ateneo de Manila University. The poor are the main victims of these infectious diseases.

"We are representing the youth at the World Economic Forum - and are raising questions," he said. "The people here often don't know the reality on the ground - what it means not to have a toilet."

Looking for new ideas

Klaus Schwab met with the 50 young participants. Schwab is the founder of the World Economic Forum, and also the initiator of the "Global Shapers Community." This is a network of people under 30 working in their home regions, who are supported by the World Economic Forum's headquarters in Geneva with contacts and logistics. After only three-and-a-half years, there are more than 400 of these hubs, regional centers with over 4,000 members. Membership is by nomination; candidates must show that they are working to improve things in their region.

"More than 50 percent of the world's population is under 30 years old," Schwab said at his meeting with the young participants, and made it clear that he expects them to provide impetus and new ideas.

An important voice

There's no shortage of ideas. Adam Lowy has flown in from New Jersey, where he founded the organization "Move for Hunger" a few years ago. He had noticed that a lot of food was thrown away when people moved. This angered him because there are people in the US who do not have enough to eat. So together with his parents' moving company, he organized the collection of food, which is then distributed centrally via food banks. Today, "Move for Hunger" (https://moveforhunger.org) is a nationwide organization and Lowy has become a sought-after speaker.

It makes him proud to be in Davos. "We will be able to grow personally and sit in sessions where we have a voice," he said.

Role models

Lowy hopes to meet British entrepreneur Richard Branson at the World Economic Forum. He admires Branson because he never gives up and always has new ideas. Adam also wants to leave something behind. "When I am gone I want to be sure that I created something that had an impact on the world," he said. He says Global Shapers (www.globalshapers.org) is an important network for him and the others. They can exchange information and ideas and meet again in their regions.

From Venezuela to Davos

Andres Gonzalez-Silen has come from to Davos from Venezuela. Like the others, his flight and accommodation were paid by the World Economic Forum. Now he sits in one of the conference hotels in Davos and reflects on the difficult situation in his homeland. "Eighty percent of our people live in slums," he said. "They have no access to medical care."

Gonzalez-Silen is also a physician. After studying medicine he went on to earn a business degree. Today he employs over 200 people in Venezuela. He has built an health-services network in Venezuela (www.grupov.com.ve). Doctors offer online advice or make house calls on a scooter. Patients can take out an insurance policy to cover this service. But Venezuela is struggling with high inflation. "The official inflation rate is 64 percent but everybody knows it it is well above 120 percent," he said. "That makes it difficult to establish a successful business."

Stepping out

But here at the World Economic Forum, Gonzalez-Silen wants to look ahead. He has meetings with representatives of major Latin American companies. "This is a network for life," he said, putting his jacket on as he prepared to brave the Swiss snow. "You see new opportunities and move ahead. That's great."