Trinity Welcomes One Young World Delegates

Posted on: 14 October 2014

The One Young World Summit taking place in Dublin from 15 – 18 October will see 1,300 young leaders from across the world debate, formulate and share innovative solutions for the pressing issues the world faces including the topics of Sustainable Development, Youth Entrepreneurship, Climate Justice and Peace and Reconciliation among others.

Trinity College, as one of the official partners of the Summit, will host two break-out sessions on campus, one on youth entrepreneurship and one associated with the Science Gallery as follows:

The Ultimate Destination: An Irishman’s Mission to Mars

Dr Joseph Roche, Research Projects Co-ordinator and Education Learning Manager at Trinity’s Science Gallery, is aiming to be one of the first humans to set foot on Mars in 10 years’ time. Having first announced its plans in 2003, a Dutch non-profit group known as Mars One is attempting to achieve what the leading government space agencies of the world have failed to do, that is, making it actually possible to become an interplanetary species within the first half of the 21st century.

Joseph Roche made a name for himself in Ireland as one of the final 705 candidates remaining from more than 200,000 across the world who could find themselves a part of the first four-person crew to take part in the Mars-bound programme and go down in history.

Joseph will share his plans on the Mission to Mars and engage with One Young World delegates speaking on the endless possibilities open to them and how they too, can become future leaders who can make history.

Societies to Society: How Universities can play a role in Youth Entrepreneurship

The Dean of Research, Professor Vinny Cahill, will welcome One Young World delegates at an interactive session with the finalists of LaunchBox 2014. LaunchBox runs a 3-month accelerator programme open to teams of Trinity students (undergrad and postgrad) with an early-stage business idea. This unique incubator provides coaching, expert advice, seed funding and access to space and facilities needed to test out and launch new ventures. The programme aims to support students in developing investor-ready ventures. Supported by the Trinity Angels, a network of Trinity alumni and friends, LaunchBox offers an innovative combination of practice and education.

These finalists will share their ideas and experience, and then delegates will have an opportunity to test the products, interact with the finalists and see how they can work towards identifying how to utilise their skills in developing their entrepreneurial ideas.

One Young World is a non-profit organisation that gathers together the brightest young people globally, empowering them to make lasting connections to create positive change. Their annual Summit is attended by young leaders from global and national companies, NGOs, universities and other forward-thinking organisations as well as world leaders, acting as the One Young World Counsellors. Counsellors attending this year’s Summit include Bob Geldof, Mary Robinson, Ellen MacArthur, Kofi Annan, Paul Polman and Martin McAleese.

Trinity is also sponsoring four delegates to attend the Summit from a range of disciplines and a number of students have signed up as volunteers at the Summit. As part of the One Thousand Welcomes Tour, delegates will be brought on a tour of the campus and given the opportunity to visit the Science Gallery and Book of Kells in Old Library. The Trinity Orchestra will perform at the closing ceremony which should make for an upbeat and lively closing to the Summit. 

After each Summit, the delegates, known as One Young World Ambassadors, work on their own initiatives or lend the power of the One Young World network to those initiatives already in existence. Of those in employment, many return to their companies and set about creating change from within, energising their corporate environment.