One Young World

August 1 2011 News Release

SKYLER ROSS, 17, TO REPRESENT
STAMFORD DEMOCRATS AT SECOND-ANNUAL
ONE YOUNG WORLD YOUTH SUMMIT IN ZURICH
Ross Selected for His Commitment to “Civil Discourse”  
And His Leadership Record

Stamford, Conn.—Aug. 1, 2011—The Stamford Democratic Party today announced that it has selected Skyler Ross, a 17-year-old Westhill High School senior as its delegate to the One Young World youth summit (called “Young Davos” by some media outlets) in Zurich, Switzerland, Sept. 1-4. Ross is the son of Abby and Howard Ross of Westover Road, Stamford, Connecticut.

The Stamford Democrats opened its competition, including essays and interviews, to young people aged 16 to 25 who live in Stamford or work there full-time. One Young World gathers the world’s youngest and brightest to ensure that their concerns, opinions and solutions are heard. Ross will be one of a handful of delegates from Connecticut; the U.S. delegation will total almost 100 and include students, young professionals, NGO workers and activists. One Young World anticipates about 1,600 youth delegates from around the globe.

“Not only is Skyler extremely bright and a natural elected and appointed leader,” said Jim Diamond, chairman of the Stamford Democratic City Committee, “but also his message about restoring dignity to civics in Stamford, in the United States and throughout the world has particular relevance today as we all struggle with the right values for good citizenship for a shrinking planet.”
 
“I’m really excited that the Stamford Democratic Party chose me to represent them,” said Ross. “I’m passionate about restoring civil discourse to both Stamford and American politics, which, in turn, will improve global communication and help resolve global issues. Civil discourse is honest, respectful, meaningful dialogue between people of all backgrounds to explore issues, clarify differences and make principled comparisons with the goal of creating common ground in seemingly divisive environments.” Read more about Ross’s philosophy on his OYW page: oneyoungworld.com/community/detail.asp?del_ID=6916.

Ross’s many accomplishments include participation in the Student Leadership Training Program, the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference and the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration National Youth Leadership Committee. He is the Westhill High School Class of 2012 secretary; president and founder of the local Junior State of America Chapter; and an editor of The Westword, WHS’s student-run newspaper.
 
In 2010, at the inaugural One Young World summit in London, a series of resolutions were debated and ultimately approved after discourse at these six plenary sessions: The Environment and Its Protection, Interfaith Dialogue, The Role of Global Business, The Changing Media, Global Health and Politics for a Positive Future. The resolutions arose directly from the results of a YouGovStone global survey of nearly 16,000 young adults aged 23 to 28 and were drafted in consultation with the James Martin 21st Century School at the University of Oxford. This year, Euro RSCG Worldwide again commissioned YouGovStone to conduct a survey, this one across 21 countries, of more than 9,000 people in their 20s, discovering their thoughts about many of today’s key issues in politics, religion, business, media, health and the environment. The sampling was purposely biased toward upmarket (urban) respondents who are more representative of the One Young World movement.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) led the 2010 U.S. delegation to the summit and served as a counselor at the summit. This year’s confirmed counselors include Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu; activist and musician Bob Geldof; Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank; HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel; footballer Clarence Seedorf; Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever; Oscar Morales, founder of One Million Voices Against FARC; author Fatima Bhutto; Ken Costa, chairman of Lazard International; Flavia Pansier, executive coordinator of the U.N. Volunteers Programme; Caspar Melville, editor of New Humanist magazine; and Alejandro Toledo, former president of Peru, plus a dozen others.

Diamond anticipates that Ross will return to Stamford and make school visits to present findings and the resolutions, with a focus on engaging middle school and high school students in youth empowerment. “Our commitment to the political process includes inspiration—and developing future leadership,” said Diamond. “Great candidates don’t just appear before you and announce that they are ready to run or to lead. You have to inspire them to want to be involved, to seek solutions to problems.”

Polly Rauh, a member of the City of Stamford Board of Education and the Stamford Democrats OYW Selection Committee, said, “As an educator and an active Democrat, I’m doubly inspired by the young people we met through our recruitment process. We look forward to our delegate’s report and involvement in the global initiatives of One Young World 2011.”
 
About One Young World
One Young World is the world’s premier global youth leadership summit, aiming to bring together delegates aged 25 and under from every one of the world’s 192 countries. One Young World 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 and Euro RSCG Worldwide, and Kate Robertson, U.K. Group Chairman of Euro RSCG, One Young World focuses on plenary sessions at which delegates are guided by a group of international luminaries including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof. The inaugural London summit took place in February 2010. The second-annual One Young World summit will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 1-4, 2011, and will gather more than 1,600 young people from every country worldwide. For more information, please visit www.oneyoungworld.com.
 
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May 12, 2011 News Release

STAMFORD DEMOCRATS TO SPONSOR DELEGATE TO

“ONE YOUNG WORLD” YOUTH CONFERENCE IN ZURICH

            May 12, 2011 STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT The Stamford Democratic Party today announced that it is holding a contest to select a delegate to the 2011 One Young World Summit. The Summit will bring together more than a thousand young people from all over the world to voice concerns and offer solutions to the world’s challenges.

Participants in the conference, which will be held September 1-4 in Zurich, Switzerland, include Nobel Prize Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus and many more.

“Those of us who are involved in the political process have an obligation to find and nurture leaders,” said Jim Diamond, Chairman of the Stamford Democratic City Committee. “They don’t just appear before you and announce that they are ready to lead. You have to inspire them to want to be involved, to seek solutions to problems. And in a shrinking world,” Diamond said,  “they have to recognize that we are all dependent on one another.”

The Stamford Democrats are holding a contest to select a delegate, whose expenses will be paid for by the Party. To qualify, applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 26 and either reside or work full time in Stamford. Applications are available on-line at http://stamforddems.com, and are being distributed to local high schools, colleges and to the major employers in the City.  Applications must be submitted by June 15, 2011.

The 2010 Summit, held in London, resulted in resolutions relating to the environment, interfaith dialogue, global health and others and were presented by summit participants to the United Nations. Last year’s U.S. delegation to that summit was led by Senator John Kerry and first grand daughter, humanitarian Lauren bush and included employees from many local companies.   

For more information contact:

Jim Diamond

Stamford Democratic City Committee

129 Wire Mill Road

Stamford, CT 06903

jamesddiamond@aol.com

203-739-0400