Young Latin American talent building bridges in the UK

Young Latin American talent building bridges with the UK

A story by

An initiative of Schmidt Futures
and the Rhodes Trust

Reading time: 4 mins approx.

A group of young, talented people from Latin America, impassioned about projects that seek to change the world, gathered in London and Oxford for 2 weeks. The event? A residential summit that Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, organised with up to 100 of the world's most promising young leaders.

Latin American Winners created strong connections between themselves and top experts, scientists, CEOs, and thought leaders including Michelle Donelan, the UK's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology; Greta Thunberg, renowned climate justice activist; Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astrophysicist who revolutionised space science with her discovery of pulsars; and Yalda Hakim, award-winning international correspondent and one of the chief presenters at BBC News. This experience was a powerful representation of what can be accomplished with cooperation across a global network.

Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, is the anchor program of a $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to find and support global talent.

A competitive application process, involving interviews, peer reviews, expert reviews, and the creation of a social impact project, led to 33 Latin American Winners' selection since 2021, representing countries including Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.

Daira Velasquez Fonseca from Peru, a Year 1 Winner, created an organisation to empower Shipibo-Konibo Indigenous entrepreneurs through e-commerce and raising cultural awareness; while Sofía Valentina Islas Gómez from Paraguay, a Year 2 Winner, designed a cybersecurity and education website for teenagers in her community, teaching them about different risk situations online and providing studying techniques to help optimise their time and learning.

Latin American Rise Winners have also developed the Rise Latin American Union - ULatam, led by Gerardo Murga Montelongo and Allison Dominguez Fernandez. This group focuses on the 'three Cs:' Community, Cooperation, and Creativity. The Union’s aspires to improve Latin American quality of life through various means, like building youth access to personal and academic development opportunities.

 

Rise Global Winners from Latin America

 

Residential Summit 2023

During the 2023 Residential Summit, Rise Global Winners experienced an adventure that expanded their knowledge on topics from climate change to artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship, and met other winners from 47 countries. Expert-led workshops and group activities facilitated reflection and ideation of new solutions.

Winners' diverse backgrounds offered opportunities to share experiences, generating strong bonds and fruitful, strong friendships. With their shared heritage, and a common goal of making their region a better place, ULatam not only reflects these connections but also demonstrates how a supportive community of like-minded individuals can become a family.

As part of the scheduled activities, ULatam celebrated the Latin American spirit on “Union Day” in London. Starting over lunch at Las Iguanas, the winners met Freddy Nevison-Andrews, Press and Communications Manager at Canning House. Freddy and the Rise Winners discussed the history and present status of the relationship between the UK and Latin America, touching upon ways in which the regions can learn from each other.

Following this, ULatam made their own mark on the streets of London by showcasing the name of their union, as well as traditional symbols of their countries via a mural in the Leake Street Arches.

 

ULatam mural in London Leake Street Arches

These Rise Global Winners found the UK Summit greatly enriching. Looking to the future, connections made during the summit with experts, scientists, professors, and Rhodes Scholars will build over time, and there is hope that various projects might spark in collaboration between Latin America and the UK.

From sessions with leading professionals, collective brainstorming for solutions to the world's biggest challenges, and the home-like feeling of eating enchiladas with family, Latin America's Rise Global Winners had an experience full of learning and new connections during their time in the UK.

But the story does not end here… these changemakers left a mark during their visit, going beyond their mural and representing a bright future of cooperation between Latin America and the UK. Despite linguistic and cultural differences, these two regions are connected by a strong common goal: their will to use cooperation, innovation, and creativity to improve the lives of others both in their countries and throughout the world.

Learn more about Rise

References:

Peterson-Withorn, C. (Oct. 25, 2021). Inside Google Billionaire Eric Schmidt’s $1 Billion Moon Shot Plan To Fund The World’s Most Promising Teens. In Forbes. Retrieved from: link