International Studies & Programs

Global Voices: Reflections from OL Jonatan Beun

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Published: Monday, 14 Oct 2019 Author: OL Jonatan Beun

Jonatan Beun, standing on stage at the Global Youth Advancement Summit during his presentation of Food For All
OL Jonatan Beun, presenting his social venture Food For All, during the entrepreneruship competition at the 2019 Global Youth Advancement Summit

The Global Youth Advancement Summit was, without any doubt, a life-changing experience. Usually, most events and conferences focus only on the event itself but don't pay much attention to the previous weeks and the following weeks, which I think are fundamental if you want to have a memorable summit. The organizers of the GYAS understood this and successfully warmed-up participants' enthusiasm with an application where everyone could connect and chat with each other before arriving in East Lansing. By the time the Summit began, everyone already knew each other's interests, backgrounds and projects, so we didn't have to spend much time overcoming our initial introversion and could build stronger relationships right away. Moreover, we were each assigned a specific mentor according to our interests that counselled us before, during and after the Summit. Their advice and guidance was very helpful since they were experts in the field each participant was interested in. I have group chats with people I met at the GYAS and we keep talking to each other on a weekly basis, even months after the summit has ended. I think this is the best evidence that shows the success of the Global Youth Advancement Network on organizing the Summit. 

Another aspect that I valued about the GYAS was the diversity of participants and projects that were present. I've learned about different cultures, contexts and challenges in countries that I couldn’t even have located on a map.

It was like a three-day masterclass in how young people were addressing global inequities.

I was amazed by all the impactful ventures that everyone was working on in each community. Capio, a device that helped patients with Parkinson’s Disease to reduce their symptoms, designed by a group of Colombian young professionals; Laboratoria, a Peruvian organization that helped women to acquire digital skills; Grun Africa, a project that scaled up food based on beans with a high component of nutrients to address food insecurity in Kenya; among many others. When you find yourself surrounded by passionate, brilliant and resilient people, it inspires you to overcome your own challenges and work harder to deliver a positive impact to society.

After the Summit, when I came back to Argentina, I was appointed by the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers as Director for Capability Building and Innovation at the Government Lab of Argentina. Due to my current position, I had to press pause on my venture, Food for All, the project I submitted to participate at GYAS. In the beginning, I felt like I had failed the GYAN, my mentor, and even my fellows. A lot of people had invested time and effort to scale my project and I was "throwing that away." However, I recently realized that the objective of the GYAS isn't merely that participants succeed in the projects they presented. The key message of GYAS is that no matter what you are doing, you always need to keep in mind that there are people that don't have the opportunity you were given. Therefore, we have the duty to address global challenges, deliver a positive impact in our communities and aspire for a more equitable world. And the best way to do so is together.

OL Jonatan Beun
Director for Capability Building and Innovation, Government Lab of Argentina, Cabinet Office
Professor of Innovation, Torcuato Di Tella University
GYAS fellow 2019