Young Changemakers Advocate for the Global Goals at Cannes Lions

Generation17 Young Leaders recap their experiences at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and how they harness creativity and innovation to deliver positive change.

From left to right: Tafara Makaza, Nadine Khaouli, Kristian Kampmann

Samsung Electronics invited three Generation17 Young Leaders to attend the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity to build meaningful connections and collaborate on new ideas with the global, creative community. Samsung was joined by Kristian Kampmann (Denmark), Nadine Khaouli (Lebanon) and Tafara Makaza (Zimbabwe). These Young Leaders engaged in industry-leading conversations and networked with business leaders from around the world, expanding the reach of their work while calling on the creative community to help build a better, more sustainable world.

The Young Leaders encouraged business leaders to leverage their power and influence to mobilize widespread action for the Global Goals. By the end of the week, they were energized by the creative industry’s potential to help them lead the next wave of change.

Here’s what the Generation17 Young Leaders had to say:

Q: You were featured as a panelist on the main stage session hosted by Samsung in partnership with Project Everyone and Karmarama (part of Accenture Song). What was the most memorable part of your experience?

Nadine: Being the only Lebanese speaker at the main stage in Cannes was the most rewarding experience of my life. The most memorable part was when I asked the audience to start by taking small steps to support youth advocating for the Global Goals. My fellow Young Leaders and I immediately started to receive follow requests on our social media pages. These actions showed that my words and message of empowerment resonated with them.

From left to right: Will Hodge (Chief Strategy Officer at Karmarama – Part of Accenture Song), Benjamin Braun (Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Europe), Nadine Khaouli (Generation17 Young Leader), Loyiso Madinga (Comedian), Gail Gallie (Co-Founder of Project Everyone)

Q: Who were some of the speakers at Cannes Lions that inspired you the most?

Kristian: I really enjoyed the conversation with Malala who spoke to the power of girls’ education in such an authentic way. I also loved UNDP’s “Don’t Choose Extinction” panel! It truly showed how smart campaigns can amplify the message of the Global Goals to reach new, global audiences.

Q: What did you find most rewarding about being together with other Generation17 Young Leaders?

Kristian: Meeting the other Generation17 Leaders was SO inspirational. I learned a lot from their personal stories, experiences and organizations. Understanding the impact that they have in their communities gave me ideas for how to accelerate my own work and made me optimistic about the future!

Nadine: Aside from the main stage panel, the most rewarding part of the experience was finally having the opportunity to meet Kristian, Tafara, Samsung and UNDP colleagues face to face! I have new friends and amazing colleagues now that are all doing such incredible work.

Tafara: My trip exposed the reality, and the value, of Generation 17. By meeting the Young Leaders and the Samsung team, I was able to see the scale of the network that I am a part of, and it made me appreciate the rare opportunity I have to learn and leverage this network to grow my initiatives.

From left to right: Benjamin Braun (Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Europe), Tafara Makaza, Nadine Khaouli, Kristian Kampmann, Jessica Tarlov (Vice President, Research & Consumer Insights at Bustle Digital Group)

Q: What about your experience at Cannes Lions inspired you the most?

Kristian: Meeting business leaders from around the world showed me that while there is growing recognition about the importance of the Global Goals, there is so much untapped potential. Samsung has come such a long way, but others need to catch up.

Tafara: My voice matters. There were people on the other side of the table willing to listen to what I had to say and to support my journey to build and scale my initiatives.

Nadine: Nothing can stop us from dreaming big and aiming high! Being at Cannes Lions among the largest and most powerful creative businesses in the industry gave us more power and more motivation to elevate our voices through technology.

Elevating the Voices of Young Leaders
The United Nations has long recognized that young people play an important role as agents of change to drive positive impact for the Global Goals. Too often, however, they are excluded from the decision-making process and lack access to the resources needed to scale their work.

With less than eight years left to achieve the Global Goals, in partnership with UNDP, Samsung launched Generation17, an initiative to support a group of inspiring young leaders dedicated to innovating for humanity and mobilizing global communities to help achieve the Global Goals. Through its efforts, Samsung is working to amplify the voices of these young changemakers and empower other brands to play their part in creating impact.

From left to right: Tafara Makaza, Kristian Kampmann, Nadine Khaouli