Do you ever wonder what it takes to engage young leaders from all over the world so they can enhance, accelerate, and scale their efforts to solve global challenges? Finding effective ways to empower and connect these individuals is crucial.
The Global Shapers community is a network of young people who are driving dialogue and change, while the Global Collaboration Village is a digital extension of the World Economic Forum. It uses immersive technology to enable impact. Both initiatives have among their core aims the goal of connecting and empowering young leaders to drive positive change in their communities and the world. The Village enhances this mission by providing an extended reality (XR) platform that features interactive experiences that can be accessed by diverse voices across geographical boundaries.
As both a Shaper and member of the Global Collaboration Village team, I’ve witnessed firsthand how both XR and the digital transformation of the World Economic Forum empower young people to drive meaningful change. I’ve taken part in events where participants have said that, were it not for the Village, and the way it allows people from around the world to exist in the same environment, understanding decisions on a more empathetic level, and connecting data on issues like Arctic warming to real-world impacts, would not be possible.
Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Participation at the World Economic Forum
When it comes to transitioning from the concept of empowering young leaders to making it a reality, a crucial aspect is ensuring inclusive access to influential platforms, regardless of geographic distance or technological proficiency. Through the Village, we can give everybody a chance to be part of, not just observers of, the Forum’s mission of improving the state of the world, as we did with the climate realities session at Davos. This session was a milestone because it was the first time the World Economic Forum had hosted a discussion where all attendees joined from outside of Davos, while the speakers were onsite.
Enhancing Human Interaction Through XR Technology
Immersive technologies enhance human interaction and collaboration. Inside the Village, XR technology fosters real, meaningful connections. A recent study found that remote work using virtual reality resulted in a 58% greater sense of closeness to colleagues, showing how these technologies strengthen human connections even across distances. By providing platforms that enhance communication and collaboration, the Village ensures technology brings people closer together, empowering collective action and shared experiences.
XR Technology at the Forefront During Global Shapers Annual Summit
During this year’s Global Shaper Summit (#GSAS24), Shapers in locations as far flung as Nigeria and Jamaica are invited to remotely participate, rather than just observing, enabled by the Village’s co-presence capabilities, that create the sensation of being present with others in a virtual space despite physical distance. This inclusivity ensures that geographic boundaries for the Shapers who did not make it to Geneva are overcome, allowing full and equitable participation and interaction as if they were there in person.
The practical application of these collaborative efforts will come to the fore when we facilitate the Initiative Deep Dive session, which includes both on-site and remote curators who are leaders responsible for guiding and coordinating the activities and initiatives of their respective hubs. We aim for this session to result in collaborative guidelines on how over 500 hubs worldwide can use the Village as a key platform for engagement, extending towards the Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos and beyond.
The Village: A Catalyst for Shaper Initiatives
Beyond inclusivity, the Village is more than just a technological advancement; it is a powerful tool that can accelerate the impact of Shapers’ volunteer-led social initiatives. As young leaders, we often face constraints such as limited resources, geographical barriers, and lack of access to influential networks. The Village helps overcome these challenges by being a platform where we can connect, collaborate, and share our ideas on a global scale.
Following the Summit, the Village team plans to invite several Shapers to collaborate on showcasing their projects in the Village, thereby fostering a rich exchange of knowledge and experiences with participants outside their existing channels. This will enable Shapers to co-create solutions that are not only innovative but also grounded in a deep understanding of the unique contexts we each represent.
A Pivotal Shift Towards Global Impact
As our world becomes more complex and connected, it’s essential to find new ways to solve problems together. The Global Collaboration Village is a big step in this direction, using XR technology to create a fair and engaging global community.
By making the World Economic Forum more accessible, the Village is not just helping us tackle challenges but also changing how we work together to find solutions for a better future.
This platform is crucial for giving young people the tools and chances to lead social change and achieve better results for everyone and the planet. By using these innovations, we get closer to our mission of improving the world.
The Global Collaboration Village is a World Economic Forum initiative, in partnership with Accenture , and powered by Microsoft Mesh
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