284P_Emerging Young Leaders about the future of cities

What is The Future for Cities?

Are you interested in how emerging leaders see the future of cities? What do you think about youth engagement for better urban futures? How can we utilise challenges as opportunities?

Panel discussion with emerging leaders to share their vision for the future of cities. The panellists, Jarrett Lash, Mathilde Boulogne, Gabriel Monteiro and Yuv Sungkur talk about the fears and opportunities they see regarding the future of cities, community engagement, sustainability, youth involvement, and many more. So let’s start with a proper introduction.

Jarrett Lash is the Township Planner for Upper Merion Township, PA, where he leads long-term economic and community development, including managing private sector projects through the land development process. Upper Merion is home to the third-largest mall in the U.S. and the historic Valley Forge National Historical Park. Jarrett also served on the Montgomery County Homeless Task Force and the Youth Housing Coalition's Youth Advisory Board. Previously, he was a founding member of RSL Homes, focused on affordable housing development through modular construction. He holds a B.A. in International Politics from NYU, with global study experiences in Paris, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi.

Mathilde Boulogne is a master's student in international relations at IRIS Sup, currently working as a Public Relations Officer at the Paris Peace Forum. She has a passion for youth engagement, children’s rights, and education, actively participating in initiatives such as TheirWorld. Her international experience includes attending education summits and completing an exchange semester in Mexico, where she developed a strong interest in the Afro-descendant cause in Latin America. Mathilde is dedicated to amplifying the voices of French overseas youth and is eager to connect with like-minded individuals working toward these goals.

Gabriel Monteiro is a dynamic professional with a legal background and two years of expertise in ESG. As an ESG Analyst, he helped 170 companies enhance their sustainability efforts, produced two GRI Reports, and exceeded stakeholder engagement goals by 146%. As a Consultant for Brazil’s largest energy company, he assessed 35 international sustainability standards and produced a 40-page Due Diligence Report. Currently completing his Master’s in International Law and Global Governance at the University of Leeds, Gabriel specializes in sustainable reporting frameworks, including EU Taxonomy and GRI, with a focus on their legal relevance.

Yuv Sungkur is a passionate Mauritian youth climate advocate, focused on addressing climate change's impact on Small Island Developing States. Pursuing a master's degree in Global Environmental Governance, Yuv has spoken at major international summits, including the 16th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY16) in Glasgow and the Transforming Education Pre-Summit in Paris. He is also the president and co-founder of Food Water Hygiene (FWH) Mauritius, a youth-led humanitarian NGO providing basic necessities to those in need. Yuv is committed to bridging the generational gap in climate action through youth engagement and advocacy.

Connecting episodes you might be interested in:

• No.177 - Interview with Amelia Gaskell about the young generation's role
• No.290 - Interview with Jennifer Borrero about youth hosing in the US

What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ are also available.

I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.

Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠