Frequently asked questions

We are One Young World, empowering and developing young leaders to build a fair, sustainable future for all. 

Our annual One Young World Summit brings together young leaders representing 190+ countries and 250+ organisations, to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity. 

Delegates spend four life-changing days of networking, and knowledge-sharing. Together we raise the bar for what social impact we can make individually and as a community.

Throughout the Summit, Delegates are counselled by influential political, business, and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Ariana Huffington and Professor Muhammad Yunus, among many other global figures.

But this is just the start. Every leader who attends our Summit becomes a One Young World Ambassador and a valued member of our global community. This is a lifelong membership to one of the most incredible networks in the world, with access to mentorship, events, speaking engagements and funding opportunities.

We are the global community for young leaders. Together, we are One Young World.

Our annual global summit is scheduled to take place in Belfast during 2-5 October 2023. 

Find out more on our Summit page.  

• Counsellor: a world-renowned leader, or high profile individual who speaks at our Summit, sharing their insights and using their spotlight to inspire our Community to take action. Counsellors include Justin Trudeau, Meghan Markle, Professor Muhammad Yunus and the late Kofi Annan. See more Counsellors here.
• Delegate: a young leader who attends our Summit.
• Ambassador: a young leader who has attended a complete One Young World Summit Summit. All Delegates become Ambassadors at the Closing Ceremony. 

The annual One Young World Summit is at the beating heart of what we are about. For young leaders, the Summit is the landmark event of the year. It is a chance for the individuals responsible for shaping the future of our world, to come together to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity. 

The Summit is the ultimate place to be inspired, share learnings, and make lasting connections with other young leaders from around the globe. 

Delegates participate in four days of speeches, panel discussions and workshops about how, together and individually, we can take action to create a better world. Together we raise the bar for what it is possible to achieve as leaders, individually and collectively. 

At the Summit we also celebrate this unique opportunity to be part of such an incredible global community with exciting social events and unforgettable opening and closing ceremonies. 

The Summit agenda topics are decided through a global consultation process. We ask our network of Ambassadors to tell us which issues matter the most to them and the big global challenges they want to solve. 

Our main speakers are inspiring young leaders. Every young person attending our Summit has the opportunity to apply to be a speaker by filling out an application. 

Counsellors and guest speakers are selected by our Board of Trustees. 

One Young World is funded through a wide range of partnerships with companies, universities, government departments, NGOs, philanthropists and foundations. These organisations/individuals support and fund One Young World by partnering on a wide range of opportunities. Learn more about our partnerships here.

You may have noticed an increasing use of pronouns in email signatures, online meetings, and social media accounts, including ours at One Young World. This might be unfamiliar if you haven't often considered gender diversity or the LGBTQ+ community.

So, why do our colleagues share their pronouns in their email signatures?

People frequently refer to each other using pronouns, and often when speaking of someone in the third person, gender is implied, such as “he” or “she”. Some people prefer to be referred to as they/them/theirs, or something else. 

Sharing our pronouns is a way to show respect and create a comfortable environment for everyone to express their identity. By encouraging our people to share their pronouns, we hope to promote a more inclusive world for transgender and non-binary communities.

Nominate yourself 

You can nominate yourself to attend the Summit as an independent Delegate. The fees to attend a One Young World Summit can be found on our Pricing page. You can pay this fee yourself or find an organisation or individual to sponsor you.

Ask your organisation to sponsor you

Many of the world’s leading businesses, universities and foundations partner with us to send delegates to the Summit. If your organisation is interested in partnering with us, please contact us: [email protected].

Apply for a scholarship 

We offer a range of scholarships to help individuals (aged 18-30) who are not sponsored by a partner organisation to attend our Summit. If you are selected for a scholarship, you will not have to pay to attend. To apply for a scholarship place, you will need to complete an online application form. Check out our available scholarships. 

Returning Ambassadors 

Ambassadors are eligible to attend each One Young World Summit as a Returning Ambassador for a discounted fee, which can be found on our Pricing page.

You are eligible to apply for a scholarship if you: 

• Are aged 18-30 at the time of the Summit
• Can provide evidence of your commitment to creating positive change by addressing a local issue and/or global issue]
• Can demonstrate evidence of your leadership skills or abilities 

We receive thousands of applications every year but we only have 440 places. 

We recommend you check out our top ten application tips before you submit your application, to give you the best chance of success. 

Good luck! 

The fees to attend a One Young World Summit can be found on our Pricing page.

Delegate tickets include full access to the Summit, catering during the Summit days, accommodation (shared, private or no accommodation - depending on the chosen package) and ground transport between Summit venues. 

Travel costs incurred from travelling to the Host City are not included in the Delegate fee.

Registration codes are provided to Delegates who have been approved to attend a Summit. Once your place is confirmed, you will be automatically sent a registration code via email.

Delegates who participate in the annual Summit tend to be aged between 18 and 30 years old. 30 is not a hard limit, however, and we absolutely do still welcome Delegates that are older. 

We are not able to accept applications from those who will be aged under 18 at the time of the Summit.

Since 2010, One Young World has helped over 500 businesses to support and develop young leaders by providing the tools, the network, and the platform to address the most pressing issues affecting the future of our world.

One Young World boasts the largest corporate footprint of any organisation in the third sector. We partner with 190+ global businesses, NGOs and educational institutions. 

Leading companies from every sector choose to make One Young World an integral part of their global talent development, retention and attraction. Many increase their level of involvement each year, demonstrating their ever-growing commitment to young people. 

Companies sending delegates to our Summit include: AstraZeneca, Audi, BMW,  Credit Suisse, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Dior, General Electric, IKEA, Johnson & Johnson, KPMG, Holcim, L’Oréal, Novartis, Reckitt, Siemens, Swarovski, Unilever and Verizon.

More information about our partners can be found on our Partners page.

The most popular way to partner with One Young World is to send a Delegation to the Summit. However, just as no two organisations are identical, no one partnership with One Young World is the same and we have a wide range of packages available. If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact us: [email protected] and a member of our team will guide you through the next steps.

One Young World Host Cities are culturally vibrant, youthful in spirit and forward-thinking cities that are already involved with or are looking to invest in sustainable initiatives that empower young people. We select Host Cities through a competitive bid process that analyses a wide range of qualities and capabilities.

We are currently accepting enquiries from cities that are interested in bidding for the 2025-2030 Summit series. To set up an introductory call or a meeting at our London office, please contact Amy Waters at [email protected]

Our formal bid process involves the following stages:

• Submission of an intention to bid letter
• Invitation to attend that year's One Young World Summit, with a tailored programme for Candidate Host City guests
• Submission of full bid documents
• Site inspection visit from the One Young World team, followed by submission of any final refinements to the bid documents

Further information about the Host City deliverables can be found in our Host City Guide.

Every leader who attends leaves the Summit as a One Young World Ambassador and a valued member of our global community. This is a lifelong membership to one of the most incredible networks in the world 

Our global Community is a community like no other. When we say global, that’s exactly what we mean. Our Community comprises young leaders, corporate partners and supporters from every single country, spanning every industry. We are activists, humanitarians, world-leaders, business-leaders, thought-leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and innovators. 

We are united by our desire to make this world better through ethical, empathetic leadership. We are united by our belief that every challenge has a solution, if we are bold and courageous enough to take action, even when the odds feel stacked against us. Together we are evening out those odds, and making our shared vision a reality.

Ambassador projects have directly impacted over 35.8 million people since 2010. In 2021 alone they generated over $558 million social value. 

Learn more about our impact.

Coordinating Ambassadors are selected from our Ambassador community who volunteer their time to lead, engage with, and connect the Ambassador Community in their region. 

They work to sustain the momentum after each Summit, organising events, tracking the impact of individual Ambassadors and making useful connections between them. 

Learn more about our 2021 - 2022 Coordinating Ambassadors here.

The Community Team based at One Young World HQ are the gateway to the Ambassador community. The Team is supported by over 30 regional Managing and Coordinating Ambassadors across the globe. 

Wherever you are in the world, there is a Coordinating Ambassador in place to connect you with other Ambassadors, organise local events, track your impact, and facilitate opportunities in your region.

Ambassadors often stay connected via regional WhatsApp groups, Linkedin, and Facebook channels.

If you would like to submit a blog post, please contact [email protected] with your idea for a blog. Please be aware that we are unable to publish every submission we receive and all blog posts must be written in line with our guidelines which we will provide you with after discussion your proposed blog idea.