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Allegany High School Student Selected to Participate in Global Youth Conference

September 29th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Genevieve Batman, junior at Allegany High School, was recently selected to participate in a global youth conference called YOUNGA as a U.S. youth delegate. YOUNGA is in its first year and is a companion to the United Nations General Assembly. Genevieve will join 1,500 youth and young adults from around the world, 30 of which will represent the United States at this conference.

                    YOUNGA’s youth mastermind sessions will be held September 28-29, 2020, followed by four weeks of specialize sessions with corresponding leadership training and then culminating with the Global Spectacular October 23-25, 2020.

Some of the guest speakers at the various sessions include actress, Meg Donnely; former CNN reporter, Yusef Omar; actor, Drew Ray Tanner; Down to Earth co-host, Darin Olien; CEO and founder of Mindvalley, Vishen Lakhiana; and singer/producer, Maejor. The concluding worldwide broadcast will feature singer, Pitbull, and his new single “I Believe That We Will Win” on stage with all of the youth delegates.

The YOUNGA conference will feature five main category topics: Future of Education and Work; Climate Action and Sustainable Living; Mental Health and Well-Being; Equality and Inclusion; and Peace and Justice.  As a result of COVID-19, this year’s conference will be fully virtual, and youth delegates will experience events through the 360° virtual reality platform known as Engage.

YOUNGA plans to continue until 2030, which coincides with the date for meeting seventeen worldwide UN Sustainable Development Goals. Partner companies and representatives include UNAIDS, UN75, Mindvalley, Girl Up, WWF, IBM, and the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

Genevieve was the first freshman at Allegany to earn a spot on the Varsity Mock Trial team. She is also a member of the school’s marching band, and was featured last season as a cello soloist.