The Young Initiative invites foreign policy experts and guest speakers to campus to engage in discussions on international relations and the global political economy with students and faculty.

Upcoming Events

United Nations Week

With the William and Elizabeth Kahane United Nations Program, the Young Initiative supports the annual United Nations Week at Occidental College. We are passionate in maintaining students involvement and engagement in sustainable development. Our students choose topics that link Global Political Economy, Social Justice, and Sustainable Development.

UN Week 2020: Climate Change & Economic/Environmental Justice

Keynote speaker, Dr. Steven Were Omamo, Representative and Country Director for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Ethiopia, provided perspective and insights about the UN's work on Climate Change and Environmental Justice.

UN Week 2019: Gender, Sexuality and Collective Action

The keynote speaker, Ambassador Melanne Verveer spoke to students about gender in the Sustainable Development Goals.

UN Week 2018: The Power of Place

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a new partnership with Oxy to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

UN Week 2017: Through Refugees Eyes

Michel Gabaudan, President, Refugees International gave a talk on “The Global Refugee and Migration Crisis Under Trump: Where is the US? Where is Europe? What Can We Do About It?”

UN Week 2016: The UN and the US after Obama

Historian and foreign policy expert, Stephen Schlesinger reflected back on the history of the UN and predicted its future trajectory. Honorary Lloyd Axworthy, former Foreign Minister of Canada gave a talk titled: "Resetting the Narrative: Peace, Security, and the UN's Responsibility to Protect."

Young Events

Young speakers give students and faculty an opportunity to expand their understanding of global issues. The Young Initiative sponsors several speakers each academic year highlighting particular aspects of global affairs and the global political economy.  The Young Speakers program is devoted to highlighting the work and success of eminent international affairs experts and Oxy alumni in public service and academia.

 

Image for Brad Feld Visits DWA 151: Entrepreneurial Leadersh
Brad Feld Visits DWA 151: Entrepreneurial Leadership in the 21st Century

Brad Feld visited campus today to talk to DWA 151 about his work as an early stage investor and entrepreneur. Brad has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987.

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Image for Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Kinzer

Politics, Diplomacy and World Affairs, and the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs presents this Brown Bag Series.

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Image for Robert Fowler: A Discussion on Al Qaeda
Robert Fowler: A Discussion on Al Qaeda

During his 38-year-career in Canada's public service, Bob Fowler was the foreign policy advisor to Prime Ministers Trudeau, Turner, and Mulroney; the Deputy Minister of National Defense, Canada's longest-serving ambassador to the UN, the ambassador to Italy, sherpa for the Kananaskis G8 Summit, and the personal representat

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Image for Moi Enomenga, Amazonian Tribal Chief, Visits Occid
Moi Enomenga, Amazonian Tribal Chief, Visits Occidental

Moi Enomenga, tribal leader of the Huaroani peoples in the Ecuadorian amazon, visited campus on September 25, 2013 to speak about the current issues facing his peoples' region today. Enomenga was visiting the United States as part of a trip to appeal to the United Nations to protect the still-uncontacted peoples of the Amazon.

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Professor Jaimie Bleck at Occidental College
Navigating Mali's Challenges: Voices of the Urban Youth

On Monday, October 17, 2023, the Young Initiative at Occidental College hosted a thought-provoking talk by Professor Jaimie Bleck from the University of Notre Dame, centering on Mali's current crossroads.

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Global Change on a Local Stage

Written by Hannah Christensen and Melany Bennett

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Contact the John Parke Young Initiative on the Global Political Economy
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The McKinnon Center for Global Affairs