Indian social innovator urges global leaders to invest in youth

Davos, May 25 (PTI) Indian social innovator Ashraf Patel on Wednesday called upon global leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to invest in youth leadership at scale by trusting in their abilities to address the most complex challenges being faced by the world in terms of inequality, conflicts and ecological challenge.

Speaking at a session on 'Transforming through Trust' here, Patel said, "Young people once trusted and brought into key and significant intergenerational decision making and dialogue spaces, not only bring alternative perspectives, but can help us challenge together, the status quo, bring out new innovations, entrepreneurship and spur tremendous social change action by being the change they want to see in the world.” Patel, Co-Founder of Pravah and ComMutiny, was recognised by the World Economic Forum and Schwab Foundation as the Social Innovator of the Year 2022.

As a part of the Annual Meeting, 15 social Innovators from across the world were celebrated for their efforts to transform the world.

Civil society is being represented at the WEF Annual Meeting by more than 200 leaders from NGOs, social entrepreneurs, academia, labor organizations, faith-based and religious groups, and over 400 media leaders and reporting press.

It has also got 100 members of the Forum's Global Shaper and Young Global Leader communities participating.

Patel has been working in the area of youth development for over three decades as the Co-Founder of Pravah and ComMutiny - The Youth Collective.