Students Inspire at Virtual Global Exchange

November 17, 2022

On Wednesday, students from Brazil, Greece, Uganda, Indonesia, Mexico, Vietnam, Hungary, and Nigeria participated in the first-ever Virtual Global Exchange from BASF and JA. Following a six-month mentorship with BASF volunteers for the national winners, this virtual initiative gave students the opportunity to showcase group ideas; create a forum for learners to share their processes, challenges, and successes; and announce the next steps of their promising projects.

Over the course of the one-year project, which culminated in the November 16 challenge, students developed competency relevant to 21st-century employment; raised awareness for communities about the societal consequences of climate change; and explored the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development to identify ways business, communities, and individuals can address these consequences and support fair sustainable development.

The Global Exchange challenge, part of the Young Voices for a Sustainable Future initiative, asked students to imagine innovative solutions to current business- and community-related problems, as well as challenges caused by climate change and the transition to a sustainable economy and society. During the event, we heard incredible things from students:

  • They’re most concerned about pollution of the air and water, as well as waste production and management

  • Their ideas involve education and community engagement and are highly digital

  • Their projects tackle local issues and are often scalable into global solutions

One BASF mentor said, “If we manage to generalize this support to young people, the chances that the next generation is better and that a just transition happens, are much higher.”

With so much ambition and motivation, there’s no doubt these students are beginning a great journey, and we’re honored to work with BASF to provide them with the resources they need.

Special thanks to BASF, the volunteers, and the JA staff who made this partnership and this event such a success.

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