PANEL DISCUSSIONS
In addition to the speeches, we will organize two to four panel discussions with active, young and charismatic change makers who will share their success stories, setbacks and their future plans with the participants.
Their accomplishments will demonstrate that a smart idea, will power and determination can achieve a great deal – for oneself and for fellow human beings. The round-table talks will also offer you the possibility to ask personal questions and to gain first-hand insights.
We are proud to present the panel speakers who have already confirmed their participation:
Peter G. Kirchschläger - Co-Founder & Co-Director of the International Human Rights Forum Lucerne (IHRF)
Peter G. Kirchschläger has studied Theology, Judaism and Philosophy in Lucerne, Rome (Gregoriana) and Jerusalem (he graduated from the University of Lucerne in 2001), as well as Philosophy, Religious Studies and Political Sciences in Zurich (he graduated 2003 from University of Zurich).
He is co-founder of the International Human Rights Forum in Lucerne (IHRF) which he co-directs ever since its foundation in 2003. The IHRF draws every year globally renowned national and international experts to Lucerne to discuss issues concerning Human Rights. During its fifth edition in 2008, more than 70 panellists and over 1200 Swiss and international participants made of the IHRF one of the biggest and most respected Human Rights Forum worldwide.
Since 2004, he teaches at the Faculty of Economic Sciences at Zurich University, in 2005-2006 he received a research-scholarship at the University of Chicago from the Swiss National Science Foundation and in May 2007 he was assigned co-director of the Centre of Human Rights Education at the Teacher Training University of Central Switzerland – Lucerne (Pädagogischen Hochschule Zentralschweiz Luzern).
In 1997 and 2004 he won the Wings of Excellence ISC Award at the international St.Gallen Symposium. In 2002 he was named the New Entrepreneurs NETS-Laureate by the Gerbert Rüf Foundation and in 2003 his outstanding commitment was priced by the City of Lucerne. And as if such achievements were not impressive enough by themselves: in 2005 he published his first novel "Pateiros".
Markus Gander - Director of Infoklick.ch
Markus Gander studied music and sociology in Bern. As a youth worker in the community of Moosseedorf, he was troubled by the focus on teenagers with problems and deficits. He decided to start Infoklick with two other colleagues in 2000 to stimulate the potential in young people to engage in society by providing them with information, financial and in-kind support.
Today, Infoklick.ch’s 26 employees answer more than 30,000 questions submitted by young people to the website, support more than 400 projects and have 60 communities in Switzerland running their program “Youth with impact”. It links youth with similar ideas or issues, creates a network of engaged groups and has created a center for children and youth activities in Moosseedorf, close to Bern, where it offers meeting space and rooms for seminars. Currently, more than 10,000 young people are actively involved in projects with Infoklick.ch, receiving the financial and in-kind resources and support they need to convert their ideas into reality.
Anik Kohli - Youth Rep 2008/2009
Anik Kohli is 24 years old and currently writing her Master thesis on evaluations in development aid at the University of Zurich where she is studying Political Science and Economics.
Last summer, she and three other students founded the Model United Nations Team of the University of Zürich (MUN UZH) that prepares students to participate in UN Simulations all over the world. This commitment provided her with the opportunity to apply for Youth Rep and thereby to represent the Swiss youth for one year at the UN.
One and a half days a week, she is working in the secretariat of a research and consulting company where she did a six months internship in 2007. In addition, she is a co-trainer for Karate and teachestwo groups of children once a week .
Christelle Van Ham - Director Youth Venture France
Christelle joined Ashoka in January 2005 as an intern before finishing her Master's from HEC School of Management in Paris. Her thesis explored philanthropic strategy and evaluation tools.
She was also instrumental in making her university's international theater festival a participatory platform for student debate and exchange. Christelle grew up in a small French town, but her passion for diversity and foreign cultures led her to study in Paris, Dublin, and Ann Arbor (Michigan, U.S.), and to work in Germany, the United States, and France.
At Ashoka's global office in Arlington, Virginia, she worked on the Africa and Middle East teams, with Ashoka's global recruiting challenge, and with the search and selection of Social Entrepreneurs in the United States. Christelle is thrilled to be back in Paris to contribute to Ashoka's expansion in Europe, in searching for Fellows and developing Ashoka's youth program in France.
Nejeed Kassam - Founder and Executive Director of End Poverty Now & author of the High On Life Book
Message from Nejeed:
With parents from England, grandparents from East Africa, great grand parents from India, and ancestors from middle Asia, I am a proverbial mutt: a proud representation of Canada’s multicultural mosaic.
My name is Nejeed Kassam and, as you can probably tell, I’m originally from Canada. I am passionate about politics, poverty-alleviation, and tennis… and a whole lot of other things. Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of partaking in some incredible projects that have true global reach - including End Poverty Now, Networks for Change, and the High On Life Book.
It is an honour to be speaking at the EUforIA Youth Summit 2008 and I look forward to meeting and learning from many of the inspiring young conference attendees.