26 AMERICANS SELECTED AS MEMBERS OF TRANSATLANTIC NETWORK 2020; PROGRAM OF NEXT GENERATION LEADERS WILL TACKLE GLOBAL CHALLENGES.
Belfast, Northern Ireland (September 25, 2008) -- 100 outstanding young North Americans and Europeans will gather in Belfast on Sunday, September 28, for the Inaugural Summit of Transatlantic Network 2020, an initiative by the British Council to unite the next generation of global leaders and influencers and strengthen transatlantic collaboration on world challenges. The group includes 26 emerging American leaders drawn from a variety of fields that share a passion for revitalizing this important international partnership.
According to recent research commissioned by the British Council, strong majorities of Europeans and North Americans feel current transatlantic cooperation is largely ineffective and desire a closer transatlantic relationship. The study also found that people on both sides of the Atlantic agree on the most urgent issues facing the world; the environment, war and conflict, economic fairness, and religious and ethnic tolerance stand as top priorities.
In response, the Transatlantic Network 2020 was created to establish person-to-person connections among talented rising leaders from both continents that improve the international responses to these challenges. Endorsed by UK Foreign Minister David Miliband as “exactly the sort of project that will ensure the transatlantic relationship remains as strong in the future as it is today,” the program falls outside of traditional diplomacy and welcomes new voices beyond those that are typically heard in foreign affairs.
Jacqui Allan, who heads the Transatlantic Network 2020 program at the British Council says, “Where else would a Swiss-Norwegian ecologist, a Turkish journalist, a Dutch architect and an American Internet start-up executive be able to interact with one another in a professional setting? Transatlantic Network 2020 introduces the best and brightest young people from both sides of the Atlantic and helps channel their talents and energies into tangible results.”
The Transatlantic Network 2020’s 100 members, age 25-35 and from 22 countries in North America and Europe, are anticipated to be in positions of global influence in the year 2020 and reflect both continents’ changing demographics. They were selected through an open application process by the British Council and bring diversity of race, nationality, gender, income, profession, religion, sexual orientation, and educational background.
The 100 rising leaders selected represent a compelling range of backgrounds and interests. Among the members are a Los Angeles Police Department cop focused on gang violence prevention, the 2007 British Female Inventor of the Year, a Turkish journalist who writes on Islam and the Modern World, a Kosovo activist in post-war civil society projects, a scientist working on an HIV vaccine and the youngest elected member of the Welsh Assembly.
“The transatlantic relationship risks drifting further apart, jeopardizing our shared goals of a more peaceful, more democratic, and cleaner world. Transatlantic Network 2020 is about getting energetic young people to think hard about the potential this relationship has, and the future we can envision together. It's a vital project at a historic moment, and I'm honored to be a part,” says American member Amar Bakshi, a journalist and blogger from Washington, D.C., who has written for The Washington Post and Newsweek.
Sentell Barnes, a member from Mobile, Ala., comments, “Although I have traveled throughout North America and to Ecuador and India, this Summit will give me the opportunity to meet and interact with people from across Europe and North America. Each of the participants brings such a unique and important perspective to the Summit and I look forward to the many ‘spirited’ debates that will take place during the Summit.”
At the inaugural Transatlantic Network 2020 Summit, held September 28 – October 4 in Belfast and Dublin, the members will participate in a series of workshops, debates, lectures, and creative exercises under the theme “transatlantic conflict and cooperation.” They will meet with Irish President Mary McAleese, and will hear from UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband and Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief and founder of “The Huffington Post.” During the Summit, each member will develop an action plan, individually or as part of a group, that brings home best practices and ideas from the Summit to his or her own community and establishes goals for the coming year.
Member Angela Perez Brunete, a civil servant from Spain, says, “We have different views of the world but we can construct something together.”
American members of Transatlantic Network 2020 include: Amar Bakshi, Washington D.C.; Sentell Barnes, originally Mobile, Ala., now Washington D.C.; Jose Castellanos, Los Angeles, Calif.; Marcia Chatelain, Norman, Okla.; Zadi Diaz, Los Angeles, Calif.; Biagio Dull, Los Angeles, Calif.; Rebecca Fletcher, Florence, Mass.; Kristofer Harrison, originally Tyler, Texas, now Washington, D.C.; Molly Hellerman, originally Glenview, Ill., now Washington, D.C.; Pauline Herrera, Denver, Colo.; Noel Hidalgo, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Nicholas Hu, Rowland Heights, Calif.; Joe Hurd, originally Boston, Mass., now Mountain View, Calif.; Jeff Johnson, originally Cleveland, Ohio, now Washington D.C.; David Kirby, originally Newport News, Va., now Fairfax, Va.; Shawn Renee Lent, Chicago, Ill.; Daryl Niemerow, Los Angeles, Calif.; Arturo Ortega, La Puente, Calif.; Zeenat Rahman, Chicago, Ill.; Azita Ranjbar, originally San Francisco, Calif., now Fairfax, Va.; Maria Repnikova, Burlington, Vt.; Roey Rosenblith, originally Stanly, N.C., now Wisconsin; Reihan Salam, originally New York, N.Y., now Washington, D.C.; Stephanie Schierholz, originally Colorado Springs, Colo., now Washington, D.C.; Kimberly Shaw, Davie, Fla.; and David Travers, Los Angeles, Calif.
Events at the Inaugural Summit will be posted on the British Council’s website through blog postings, twitter feeds, videos, and photos. Beginning Sunday, September 28, please follow the updates at the Virtual Summit on www.britishcouncil.org/tn2020, or at the Network’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/pages/Transatlantic-Network-2020/8874393741, which has become an online hub for information and discussion on transatlantic issues.
British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our purpose is to build engagement and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide. Through our work in 110 countries worldwide we reach 86.8 million people. The British Council is registered as a charity (not-for-profit organisation) in England, Wales and Scotland and operates at arms-length from the UK government.
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