Co founders at Dragon School 2009
YGLs teach respect and humanity as one solution to world problems at the London youth conference

LONDON, ENGLAND – February 10, 2010 – One Young World, a youth-driven nonprofit focused on finding solutions to issues of global proportions, received a course in Global Dignity lead by Young Global Leaders (YGL) His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Operation HOPE Founder and bestselling author John Hope Bryant and Philosophy Professor Pekka Himanen during its inaugural summit this week.

The gathering, held February 8th through 10th is the first youth leadership conference to bring together leaders age 25 and under, from 192 countries around the world. During the meetings some 1,000 youth focus their attention on finding solutions to such issues as Global Health, Political Leadership, The Media and The Environment. The delegate’s discuss world issues in forums then draft resolutions focused on creating a better tomorrow. ONE YOUNG WORLD decision makers of the future are mentored at the conference by the decision-makers of today such as Nobel Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Global Humanitarian Forum President Kofi Annan, musician and activist KBE Bob Geldof and U.S. Senator John Kerry during the three day event.

In an effort to share the five principles of dignity with a new generation of leaders, HRH Crown Prince Haakon, Professor Himanen and Bryant used their session to advance Global Dignity and its power to inspire and encourage respect for every individual.

During the meetings, the co-founders announced plans for Global Dignity Day 2010. They encouraged the youth of the world to become a part of GDD 2010, by signing up at www.globaldignity.org. Global Dignity Days began in 2008, with 30 countries and some 60 YGLs participating in the initial celebration. This year more than 52 countries around the world plan to participate in the simultaneous celebration. Since its inception, the three co-founders of Global Dignity, in conjunction with the YGL, a subsidiary of the World Economic Forum, have seeded positive change by conducting Dignity Day sessions and reached almost twenty-thousand individuals worldwide.

Operation HOPE supports Global Dignity through HOPE Global Initiatives – HOPE’s international division that lends support to programs and projects globally, which uplift the underserved. “We are proud to promote, advocate and advance Global Dignity at the One Young World Summit,” said Bryant. “By formulating a globally shared dream with the leaders of tomorrow we will help spread the message that we need to empower each individual worldwide to believe in his or her fundamental right to dignity, respect, and freedom, to make their own decisions in life.”

One Young World, nicknamed Young Davos by some media outlets, is the world's first global youth leadership summit. It combines the social power of the Internet with the energy and ideas of global youth to address the most challenging issues of today. Founded by David Jones, global CEO of Havas Worldwide, and Kate Robertson, group chairman of Euro RSCG, One Young World focuses on plenary sessions led by a group of international luminaries. The event is open to the entire globe and people of all ages through online streaming and real-time updates.

Watch the YouTube video from the co-founders at One Young World here.  

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About the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs)
Established in 2004 by Professor Klaus Schwab, The Forum of Young Global Leaders (www.younggloballeaders.org) is a unique, multi-stakeholder community of the world’s most extraordinary young leaders who dedicate a part of their time to jointly address global challenges and who are committed to devote part of their knowledge and energy to collectively work towards a better future. Together, they engage in the 2030 Initiative, a comprehensive Endeavour, to understand current and future trends, risks and opportunities both at global and regional levels, formulate a positive vision for the world in 2030 and put forward concrete strategies and workstreams to translate their vision into action.

About Global Dignity (GD)
Global Dignity is an autonomous, non-profit and non-partisan project linked to the 2020 process of the World Economic Forum’s Forum of Young Global Leaders, where young global leaders from politics, business, academia, and civil society have joined together to work for the improvement of the state of the world and people based on five principles of dignity. Co-founded by Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen, University of Art & Design Helsinki and Visiting Professor at Oxford University, and John Hope Bryant Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE, in December of 2006. Its mission is to implement globally the universal right of every human being to lead a dignified life. For more information on about Global Dignity, see www.globaldignity.org

About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Operation HOPE is America's leading nonprofit social investment banking and financial literacy empowerment organization. With more than 400 private sector partners, 1500 nonprofit organizations and schools, and 100 government partners in 69 major U.S. cities as well as South Africa, HOPE has raised more than $500 million in its pursuit of educating, assisting and inspiring the next generation of global stakeholders. Through international initiatives and its three principal programs, Banking on Our Future (teaching school children about money), HOPE Coalition America (Mortgage HOPE Crisis Hotline, 1-888-388-HOPE, financial emergency preparedness and disaster relief), and Walk-In HOPE Centers (loans, computer literacy, understanding banking principles), Operation HOPE has delivered services to more than one million low-wealth individuals and assumed the responsibility of piloting the Silver Rights Movement towards making free enterprise and capitalism relevant to all underserve d communities. To learn more about HOPE, visit www.operationhope.org or read our blog at www.operationhope.org/blog.

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