MSU’s Global Youth Advancement Network will be hosting its inaugural Global Youth Advancement Summit at the Kellogg Center on June 11-13, 2019.
GYAN serves as a coordinating platform for research and international development activities related to the education, entrepreneurship, mentoring and leadership training of youth and adults between the ages of 10 and 35.
The summit provides an opportunity for MSU faculty, staff, students, alumni, partners and donors to come together in support young people 18–35 years who are addressing and developing innovative solutions to the grand challenge of global inequity.
Importantly, the summit provides a platform for young people themselves to lead sessions as solution providers rather than just beneficiaries. The participants (called delegates) will exchange ideas, showcase innovative products and services, pitch their business ventures and build genuine networks that will enable them to collaboratively define their future in a way that is equitable, just and sustainable.
Approximately 200 people from 50 countries are expected to attend. The delegates will be selected through a competitive proposal process, which is currently open until Dec. 31.
To ensure that the summit is accessible to the world’s brightest innovators, irrespective of their financial status, GYAN is seeking partners that will provide scholarships to help offset the costs associated with participation (i.e., international or domestic airfare, ground transportation, accommodation and visa support). There are currently five guaranteed scholarships for each major region of the world (Africa, Asia and Oceana, Europe, Latin America and North America), and the number of scholarships available continues to grow with support from the MSU community and beyond.
MSU students are welcome to submit proposals. Faculty are invited to join the summit in a number of ways including as a mentor to a small group of delegates that are doing work in a similar field. For more information on the summit, please visit www.msuyouthsummit.com, or contact the GYAN office at GYANconf@msu.edu.