INAUGURAL 2020 YOUNGA FORUM TO CONVENE GLOBAL YOUTH COMMUNITY, WORLD LEADERS AND A-LIST STARS FOR FIRST-OF-ITS KIND VR GLOBAL SPECTACLE

• YOUNGA is a pioneering global youth takeover of the United Nations using VR/XR technologies to connect young changemakers directly with decision-makers to co-create solutions for a better world.

• Founded and organized by BridgingTheGap Ventures, YOUNGA will host A-list speakers from around the world, from WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN Undersecretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild-Drummond toCara Delevingne and Siyabulela Mandela, with performances by global superstars Pitbull and Julianne Hough.

• The forum will adopt a unique live mixed reality format as crucial fireside conversations take place between influential leaders and young changemakers.

14^thOctober, GLOBAL: BridgingTheGap Ventures,an organization developing and supporting youth-led innovation and youth talent development,has announced their list of esteemed speakers for the premiere of the YOUNGA Forum, streamed live to the world in a ground-breaking virtual reality format on the 24^thOctober, to mark the United Nations’ 75^thanniversary.

The inaugural YOUNGA Forum will stage a virtual youth takeover of the United Nations connecting 1,500 YouthDelegates across 100+ countries withkey decision-makers. 

Confirmed high-level speakers include: 

• World Health Organization Director-GeneralDr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Undersecretary-General and UN75 Special Advisor Fabrizio Hochschild-Drummond; 
• actress, modeland Co-FounderMyEcoResolutionCara Delevingne;
• Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi;
• actor (Riverdale) and musician Drew Ray Tanner;
• actor and ONE Campaign Ambassador Calum Worthy;
• actor(POSE), singer and LGBTQ+ advocate Dyllón Burnside;
• Co-founder ofBorn This Way Foundationand mother to Lady Gaga, Cynthia Germanotta;
• human rights activist Siyabulela Mandela;
• high-level speakers from UN Foundation, UNAIDS, The World Bank Group, Artists for Amazoniaand many more.  

The global broadcast will see a series of intergenerational fireside chats and keynote remarks take place across six thematic VR locations to raise key discussions on ways to create a more inclusive, sustainable world, mobilizing greater connectivity between today and tomorrow’s generation of changemakers. 

Key thematic tracks of the Forum include advancingClimate Action and Sustainable Living, Equality and Inclusion, Future of Education and Work, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Peace and Justice. 

As well as several engaging topics pertaining to the sustainability of people and the planet, YOUNGA will stage breath-taking performances by headline acts.Grammy award-winning rapper, songwriter, and record producer, Pitbullwill perform his new single ‘I Believe That We Will Win’and Emmy award-winning dancer, actress, singer and Founder of KINRGYJulianne Houghwill deliver a keynote talk and immersive KINRGY performance which is a unique expanded fitness experience inspired by the elements.

The live, immersive virtual reality Forum will be streamed to millions and delivered using cutting-edge virtual reality technology, producing a world-first experience that brings audiences up close and personal to performers and speakers like never before. 

The VR experience, hosted by the ENGAGE platform, will include an ‘avatar mode’ which enables participants to virtually interact with one another. The innovation behind the VR technology is synonymous with the key theme of the Forum — the future youth want, the action we need. 

To ensure the platform is fully inclusive for all, people from across the world will be able to stream the programming on social media sites and OTT video platforms through KNEKT TV such as Apple TV and Roku. 

The YOUNGA Forum is the initiative of BridgingTheGap Ventures,a Canadian youth-led, and women-led social enterprise founded by accomplished youth mobilizer and esteemed female entrepreneur, Kelly Lovell. Renowned for its unique commitment to bringing about greater interconnectivity between industry leaders, key policymakers and next generational talent, BridgingTheGap Ventures strives to usher a new era for humanity built around pillars of access, inclusion, new perspectives, unity, action-oriented impact and innovation.

Through their 2020 Youth Delegate program, they have upskilled over 1,000 youth delegates—providing free access to 35+ hours of leadership and advocacy training and guided mentorship sessions with high-level decision-makers and UN officials.

Speaking ahead of the world premiere, Kelly Lovell said: “YOUNGA is an incredibly importantconvening of influential young changemakers and high-level decision-makers to build a better future, utilizing emerging technology to connect people from around the world in an immersive, borderless event experience. 

“The Forum relates directly to our mission in both bridging opportunity gaps and providing meaningful experiences for young people to develop as leaders and contribute to inclusive innovation and sustainable development.We are living in aworldwhere the voice ofyouth can be more powerful than ever beforeand we believe now is the right time to form a connecting pathway between them and the decision-makers fromkey bodies and organizationsthat have the power to lead change. In doing so,we can create unity and sustainable impact that can reverberate around the world”.

YOUNGA is proud to be supported by strategic partners such as the global communications partner,The World We Want, apurpose-driven global social impact enterprise launched to unlock the collective strength of people, ideas, networks and technologies to accelerate the pace of progress towards achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Event experience partners include VR education and corporate training platformENGAGEby VR Education Holdings PLC, globalcommunity of educators and trainersin virtual and augmented reality Educators in VRand XR pioneersBurrCastleXR.

Tickets for YOUNGA Forum are available at youngforum.com/attend. To view the full list of confirmed speakers, visit youngaforum.com/speakers

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Tickets for YOUNGA Forum are available at youngaforum.com/attend