Summit empowers teenage girls through workshops and discussions on advocacy, activism and leadership

Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI), an initiative of World Business Chicago (WBC), in partnership with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), will host 25 girls, ages 14–16, from Chicago and around the world, at the third annual Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit, in Chicago from July 21–28. The Summit encourages teenage girls to become active leaders in their communities and develop solutions to the challenges girls face around the world. It is the recipient of the 2017 Award for Innovation in Education from Sister Cities International.

“The Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit is a life-changing program for these young leaders,” said Andrea Zopp, president and CEO of World Business Chicago. “By connecting young women from neighborhoods throughout Chicago with their counterparts from our international sister cities, the Summit provides an enriching global education while developing an international network of young leaders.”

The 25 girls – 10 from Chicago and 15 from its sister cities – will work hand-in-hand, experiencing workshops, discussions and presentations on advocacy, activism and leadership, giving them the tools to be leaders who create positive change in the world.

The girls from Chicago live in Brighton Park, Humboldt Park, Hyde Park, Lincoln Square, Near North Side, North Center, Rogers Park, Roseland and West Ridge.

Chicago Schools Represented

  • Benito Juarez Community Academy
  • Chicago Waldorf School
  • Lincoln Park High School
  • Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School
  • Northside College Prep
  • Lane Tech College Preparatory High School
  • University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
  • Walter Payton College Prep
  • Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
  • Young Women’s Leadership Charter School

Sister Cities Represented

  • Amman, Jordan
  • Birmingham, United Kingdom
  • Bogota, Colombia
  • Casablanca, Morocco
  • Hamburg, Germany
  • Kyiv, Ukraine
  • Lahore, Pakistan
  • Mexico City, Mexico
  • Paris, France
  • Petach Tikva, Israel
  • Prague, Czech Republic
  • Shanghai, China
  • Toronto, Canada

“As the largest and most active sister cities organization in the U.S., CSCI is committed to strengthening ties between Chicago and its sister cities around the world,” said Leroy Allala, executive director of CSCI. “The Summit stands as the centerpiece of our global education programming, while promoting our mission to bring people from different cultures together under the banner of citizen diplomacy.”

During the week-long program, participants will have the opportunity to meet with women leaders in Chicago representing a diverse cross-section of industries.

Highlights throughout the week include:

  • Youth and Activism Panel featuring A Long Walk Home and March for Our Lives
  • International Diplomacy Discussion at Microsoft featuring diplomatic representatives of foreign governments in Chicago and the Highest Lord Mayor of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Councillor Yvonne Mosquito
  • Conversations with Women in STEM at Motorola Solutions featuring Dima Elisa, CEO and founder, VisMed-3D; and Juanita Garcia, CEO and founder, BIM for Better
  • Featured discussion with Women in STEM, an organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring girls to actualize equitable representation in the STEM fields; Women in STEM was founded by 2017 Global Youth Ambassador Ananya Asthana and is operated with fellow 2017 ambassadors Antoinette Raggs (director of development) and Ema Takahasi (director of community outreach), among others
  • Tour of the Field Museum with Emily Graslie, chief curiosity correspondent and YouTube influencer
  • Immigration and Migration Panel at the National Museum of Mexican Artfeaturing immigration experts and advocates
  • Women in Communications and Media Panel at ABC7 Chicago featuring Teri Arvesu, vice president of content, Univision Chicago Local Media; Amy Guth, president, Association for Women Journalists Chicago, and Leah Hope, reporter, ABC7 Chicago
  • Featured Discussion with Professor Yayoi Hisasue of Osaka City University, who has traveled from Chicago’s sister city of Osaka, Japan, for the Summit; 2018 marks the 45th anniversary of Chicago’s sister city relationship with Osaka
  • Women in Leadership Luncheon at Accenture featuring Joni Duncan, chief human resources officer, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; Liz Kammel Tilatti, co-founder and CEO, ZipFit Inc.; Dorri McWhorter, CEO, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago; and Tracey Seward, managing director, Accenture
  • Closing Ceremony at City Council Chambers featuring speakers and final project presentations from the 25 youth ambassadors

As a new addition, this year the Summit has an official Host Committee, comprised of a diverse group of Chicago’s women leaders:

  • Elizabeth Coolidge, UBS
  • Regine W. Corrado, Baker McKenzie
  • Lori Healey, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
  • Mary H. Houpt, Peoples Gas
  • Sandee Hurse, GCM Grosvenor
  • Nila R. Leiserowitz, Gensler
  • Lisa Ouzounian, Comcast-NBCUniversal
  • The Honorable Patricia Maza-Pittsford, Consulate General of El Salvador in Chicago
  • Raquel Realmo, SafeSpeed, LLC
  • Diana L. Sands, The Boeing Company
  • Dona T. Scott
  • Andrea L. Zopp, World Business Chicago

The Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit is sponsored by United Airlines, Motorola Solutions, Accenture, Comcast-NBCUniversal, SafeSpeed LLC, Baker McKenzie, Dona and Sam Scott, EY, GCM Grosvenor, JLL, Mesirow Financial, Microsoft, Peoples Gas, PNC Bank, The Boeing Company, Chicago Sky, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, Shoreline Sightseeing, and UBS.

Translate »