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.

 

Michel Gabaudan: President, Refugees International
Michel Gabaudan spoke in the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs at Occidental on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017 and was the keynote speaker for Occidental’s 2017 UN Week.
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Image for Gregory Treverton: Global Trends
Gregory Treverton: Global Trends
On Tuesday, Dr. Gregory Treverton spoke about the future of global dynamics, citing a paradox in the trajectory of globalization. As globalization continues to evolve, forces fight against it, yearning for situations of the past. 
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Image for Judge Nguyen: From Oxy Gown to Judge's Robe
Judge Nguyen: From Oxy Gown to Judge's Robe
On Thursday, February 2, 2017, the Honorable Jacqueline Nguyen visited Oxy to discuss her journey from Oxy on graduation day to her current position as a Judge sitting on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the second guest in the ongoing Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series, hosted by both the Young Initiative and the Politics Department.
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Globalization & Its Discontents: "Governing the Internet in a Global Age", Dr. Rinalia Abdul Rahim
Dr. Abdul Rahim is the founder of Compass Rose Sdn Bhd, which provides strategic advice and solutions towards enhancing performance, learning and impact. CR helps organizations, networks and communities find the key direction to success and value creation through knowledge, technology and innovation. The consultancy collaborates with a worldwide network of experts and field leaders in providing...
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Jay Solomon: "Iran & the Nuclear Deal: Appeasement or Diplomacy in Action?"

Jay Solomon is an expert in international diplomacy, nuclear weapons proliferation, counterterrorism, and Middle Eastern and Asian affairs. Mr. Solomon was the first American journalist to uncover the secret meetings between the U.S and Iran, leading the official coverage on the nuclear negotiations for the Wall Street Journal from 2012-2015. Mr.

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Image for Philipp Schonrock: Colombian SDGs Planning & Imple
Philipp Schonrock: Colombian SDGs Planning & Implementation

             This past week, Philip Schönrock Director of CEPEI (Centro de Pensamiento Estratégico Internacional) in Bogotá Colombia visited Occidental to speak for the SDG Speaker Series. His talk primarily focused on the role of governance in development and specifically the role Colombia played in creating and implementing the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

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John Marks: Can Sports Bring World Peace?

            John Marks, the founder and former president of Search for Common Ground, visited Oxy on November 21st and led a discussion titled "Can Sports Bring World Peace?" As a world renowned international conflict management programmer, Marks has aided US diplomatic missions in an effort to ease foreign tensions and reduce conflict risk.

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Dennis Altman: Governments, international organizations, the UN and queer rights

        Brought here as part of  the "Can the United Nations Empower Social Change?" series; Mr. Altman’s talk primarily focused on the threat to life that queer bodies face globally, examining why sexuality and gender identity have become so politically contested. In his attempt to provide an explanation, he highlighted two paradoxes present in the international system.

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Laura Manley: Open Data for Sustainable Development

 On Tuesday, Nov. 1, the Young Initiative welcomed co-founder of the Center for Open Data Partnership Laura Manley to campus. Manley’s presentation focused mainly on targeted group work, where students were asked to create teams to analyze some of the challenges facing the use of data to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 

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Carmen Chu '00 Reflects on Her Journey to Public Service

Carmen Chu graduated from Occidental in 2000 and returned to campus Tuesday to share the story of her path to public service. She is the first speaker in a series hosted by the Young Initiative and Politics Department titled, Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series.

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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