Shaping the future – global shapers gather in Beijing

A group of international youth gathered in Beijing this April for Social Impact Week to meet leaders of international organizations, interact with global young professionals from over 20 countries and get connected with an international community.

The group members, known as "Shapers", are of the Global Shapers Community, a network of young people aged between 18 and 30 working together to address local, regional and global challenges. Born out of the World Economic Forum, the Global Shapers Community has more than 14,000 members worldwide, spanning 517 city-based hubs across 150 countries.

Panel discussions were held under the theme of youth leadership, climate change and the power of Artificial Intelligence.

"I am happy to be here to learn the cutting-edge knowledge and the most advanced development on AI," said Aleksanyan Marine, an international student from Armenia studying in Beijing, after she participated in the panel discussion themed "Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence for Social Good".

"The reason why we organize this social event is to help young people with similar aspirations come together and to celebrate all the work that we're doing every single day. Those shapers are probably doing the initiatives that they're trying to achieve," said Alliance Niyigena, curator of the Beijing II hub for Global Shapers Community and investment analyst at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing.

"I think this is a well-organized professional event for young people who have similar interests to meet and network, while exploring how we can cooperate in the future to make some positive changes in our society," said Renata Penchova from Macedonia, who works as lecturer at the Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Shapers from over 20 nationalities participated in the Social Impact Week 2024, with 16 flying in from outside the Chinese mainland, according to Alliance Niyigena.

The Social Impact Week 2024, with its theme "The World in Beijing: Rejuvenating Impact", running from April 12 to 16, is the annual flagship event of the Global Shapers Beijing II Hub. It's a gathering that encourages collaboration between the global community and the Beijing Hub to work for the greater, social good, focusing on areas such as sustainability, wellness and wellbeing, and Beijing's global role. The Beijing I Hub is comprised of all Chinese members, whereas the II Hub is an international one with a mix of Chinese and foreign members.