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It’s one of the largest and most prestigious economic summits in the world, attended by global heavy hitters and world leaders such as Xi Jingping, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Macron. Among the 2000 attendees at this year’s World Economic Forum is 26-year-old Canberran Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, who was selected as one of 50 young leaders from across the globe to go to this week’s event. While the forum is normally held in Davos, Switzerland, the pandemic has forced the five-day event which finishes tonight to be held online, meaning Ms Streeter-Jones has been attending sessions virtually in the middle of the night from her Belconnen home. “Fortunately I’ve got crippling insomnia, so this has been the first time that it has severed me well,” she said. “All the sessions are from 6pm until 6am.” This has been the third year Ms Streeter-Jones has applied to attend the forum as part of her role in Global Shapers, a network of people under 30 from around the world. While the year she was eventually selected was the year the forum was forced online, the Canberran said she was focusing on the positives. “The trip to Davos would have been phenomenal, but existing in a virtual environment meant it can be safer,” she said. “It means that I can maximise virtual participation and it can make it easier to network with other people. “That way you can see all the other participants as well and there’s no running back and forth between sessions.” The response to COVID-19 has been among the key topics discussed at this year’s forum, along with how countries around the world can recover from the pandemic. Ms Streeter-Jones said having large amounts of young people participating at the forum has been critical to developing paths forward. “Young people have been one of the hardest-hit groups by the crisis and young people have been absent from a lot of national decision making,” she said. “It’s important to look at the perspectives of young people but also allow them to have a seat at the table if we’re on the brink of inheriting these issues. “There has also been lots of discussion about climate and sustainability.” In addition to her role through Global Shapers, Ms Streeter-Jones also runs Raise Our Voice Australia, which works with young female and non-binary people from across the country to lead conversations in politics and foreign policy. She said the voices and young women and non-binary people needed to be included more in global discussions in dealing with larger issues such as COVID-19 and climate change. “The response to these issues can’t die with just one generation, young people need to be brought on board if they want these long-term goals achieved.” Ms Streeter-Jones has previously been named as ACT woman of the year, the youngest to achieve the honour, and has also appeared on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list for the Asia region.
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It’s one of the largest and most prestigious economic summits in the world, attended by global heavy hitters and world leaders such as Xi Jingping, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Macron.
Among the 2000 attendees at this year’s World Economic Forum is 26-year-old Canberran Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, who was selected as one of 50 young leaders from across the globe to go to this week’s event.
While the forum is normally held in Davos, Switzerland, the pandemic has forced the five-day event which finishes tonight to be held online, meaning Ms Streeter-Jones has been attending sessions virtually in the middle of the night from her Belconnen home.
“Fortunately I’ve got crippling insomnia, so this has been the first time that it has severed me well,” she said.
“All the sessions are from 6pm until 6am.”
This has been the third year Ms Streeter-Jones has applied to attend the forum as part of her role in Global Shapers, a network of people under 30 from around the world.
While the year she was eventually selected was the year the forum was forced online, the Canberran said she was focusing on the positives.
“The trip to Davos would have been phenomenal, but existing in a virtual environment meant it can be safer,” she said.
“It means that I can maximise virtual participation and it can make it easier to network with other people.
“That way you can see all the other participants as well and there’s no running back and forth between sessions.”
The response to COVID-19 has been among the key topics discussed at this year’s forum, along with how countries around the world can recover from the pandemic.
Young people have been one of the hardest-hit groups by the crisis and young people have been absent from a lot of national decision making.
Ashleigh-Streeter Jones
Ms Streeter-Jones said having large amounts of young people participating at the forum has been critical to developing paths forward.
“Young people have been one of the hardest-hit groups by the crisis and young people have been absent from a lot of national decision making,” she said.
“It’s important to look at the perspectives of young people but also allow them to have a seat at the table if we’re on the brink of inheriting these issues.
“There has also been lots of discussion about climate and sustainability.”
In addition to her role through Global Shapers, Ms Streeter-Jones also runs Raise Our Voice Australia, which works with young female and non-binary people from across the country to lead conversations in politics and foreign policy.
She said the voices and young women and non-binary people needed to be included more in global discussions in dealing with larger issues such as COVID-19 and climate change.
“The response to these issues can’t die with just one generation, young people need to be brought on board if they want these long-term goals achieved.”
Ms Streeter-Jones has previously been named as ACT woman of the year, the youngest to achieve the honour, and has also appeared on Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list for the Asia region.
