ALLIÉ: You mention institutional support. Are there other forms of partnership you are counting on? SEBASTIAN: Working on 1M2030 has helped me to understand what partnership really means. For an initiative like ours, they are such a powerful tool. We are only learning how to fully leverage that. Anything we are doing, we are doing it in partnership with others. From bringing 9 young leaders to speak at the UN in Geneva, to hosting online meetings with over 600 participants – all of this would be impossible without strong partnerships. The most important premise, perhaps, is that we see our youth - our 1 million, if you will - not as “beneficiaries” but as “partners”. We want to add value to what they are doing, and we want them to add value to what we are doing. Ultimately, this approach helps us to move away from terms such as “we” and “they” and to create a bigger pie for all involved. ALLIÉ: Today, so many of our global issues stem from a lack of sustainability. Sebastian, how will 1M2030 as a platform serve as a sustainable resource for the youth leaders you support? SEBASTIAN:
In 2015, the governments of this world decided on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Most of what we are doing at the UN is linked in some way to the SDGs. 1M2030 is no different, and indeed, “2030” is prominently part of our name. The SDGs are a very useful framework. Just to give you a very concrete example, they make it much easier for us to communicate what our vision is. However, often times I ask myself… Are the SDGs themselves sustainable? And what is next? What comes after the SDGs? What do they leave behind? In short, what is the legacy of the SDGs? The name of our initiative is ‘One Million Youth Leaders Beyond 2030’ and not ‘By’ 2030. From the very beginning, while walking through the streets of Kathmandu, we realized that we wanted to take ownership of what comes next. We want the youth to be changemakers of the present, and not just symbols of futuristic hope. At the same time, we are building a movement that carries the SDGs beyond 2030. One million youth, from all corners of the world, from the biggest cities to the smallest villages. Whatever the legacy of the SDGs will be, they will stand ready to move beyond. ALLIÉ: Building a foundation for this next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs with support both behind the curtain and in front of it at centerstage is an honorable endeavor. How can the general public get involved? SEBASTIAN: I invite all readers to visit our website (www.1m2030.org) and have a look at what we are doing, and what we are aiming to do. We are really just at the beginning, and have been growing organically since the official launch at the European UN Headquarters in September 2019. I invite you to visit the website, to follow us on social media, and if you like what we are doing, consider buying us a coffee (i.e. donating) or contacting us for a corporate sponsorship. There are many ways, for all generations, to make 1M2030 yours. We regularly reach out through our mailing list and social media with concrete opportunities to get involved. Just this month, we offered a chance for youth to be interviewed by Emmy Award winning journalist Barbara Harrison. We are also creating a new UN Podcast entitled ‘Coming Up Next’ and issued a call for youth to be featured in the opening theme. We also just launched ‘1M2030 Stories’ – a weekly featured article written by a young leader, and anyone can apply for that. Those are just some of the things you can do to get involved. 62 AWARENOW / THE AMERICA EDITION
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