Knovva Academy

Dear friends from Boston summit and future participants,

As an alumni, first of all, I would like to thank al the chairs, moderators, staffs, fellow ministers and heads of state from making this experience remarkable. This is my third summit, the first being in Argentina, second in Beijing and the third in Boston.

There is a reason behind me joining these summits. It is not purely because of the conference environment or that fact that it strengthens the resume, but because of the friends I made. These friends are spectacular people, some are ambassadors leading the summit, some are staffs organizing the whole event, and others are students from all over the world. For example, Adelene Jeneid, an ambassador who I met in all three summits. She inspired participants with her welcome speeches, and gives great guidance to participants during workshops. Another would be Neilson Lam, Becca Shuman and Bill (William) McGinty. These three staffs helped me whenever I needed them, brought us participants on spectacular field trips, and above all, bundled us with wonderful memories to bring home. Also, a great thanks to the wonderful photographers Danny Yu, Kit Castagne, and Hugo, for recording these remarkable moments at the summit.

To returning alumni, it would be a good opportunity to sign up as ambassadors to help guide and flow the summit, as for fresh new participants, it would be a great opportunity for you all to get a better glance of the world and a taking a closer step to being a global leader!!

This is my second time attending a Knovva event, the first being the Beijing summit. Knovva Academy offers a learning focused and nurturing program that allows each individual the opportunity to grow. Knovva educators and guest speakers work hard to open and expand the minds of the students in a safe atmosphere. The staff is sure to establish a healthy and open minded environment from day one so that every student can equally enjoy their experience. Students learn together, grow together and create long lasting relationships that are unique to the program experience. I still speak to people I met in Beijing and Boston alike. I’ll never forget how gentle and careful the students and staff were in handling each other. Everyone was open hearted and even the shyest of people left the program with a new found confidence. I walked out of the program not only with new knowledge on the summit’s topic of focus, but knowledge about world cultures and languages and friendships that I would not trade for anything else.

Today, the world is like never before open to new possibilities and you do not need to pay a cent for them. The only crucial thing is your desire. I was convinced of this by my personal experience. Recently I came back from the Model G20 Task Force 2019 in Tokyo, that became, without any exaggeration, a life-changing experience for me.
The Task Force is a conference organized by Knovva Academy, Boston-based company, where twenty motivated teenagers from all around the world developed policy proposals for G20 countries (20 the most influential countries), became diplomats for twelve days and worked with real politicians on the international arena.
It is the only program in the world that invites high school students to actively participate in the Y20 Summit, the youth-engagement group of the G20, where youth discusses global issues and designs solutions to them. We experienced diplomacy in-action when we worked with Y20 delegates and real representatives of world organizations: World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
By joint effort, we independently wrote a position paper on current global issues:
- Future of work
- State of global teens
- Business and the environment
- International trade
I was working on the latter and represented our team’s final proposals.
You would think such a remarkable experience had to cost exorbitantly for me. Actually, no, I went to the Task Force virtually for free: Knovva Academy provided me a full $5,000 scholarship and covered my flight tickets.

What did I learn during the Task Force 2019 and how did it contribute to my future?
- The sole thing that matters about a person is his/her personality, not nationality. Before going to the Task Force, I had been biased about other cultures; not anymore. At the Task Force, there were 20 teenagers from 12 completely different countries: China, the USA, Japan, Australia, Greece, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt, Columbia, the UK, and Ukraine. I learned about all of them during deep conversations with other fellow delegates. Varying cultures and governmental rivalries did not prevent us from becoming strong friends who still communicate every day after the summit. I understood that all national animosities are somewhere at the top, at governmental offices and embassies, not among ordinary people because we long for the same ideals of freedom, peace, and prosperity.
- The pivotal step in my career as a diplomat. In the future, I want to become a world-class diplomat, one of the reasons why I applied to the Task Force. Eventually, the program met my expectations and became my first step towards the implementation of my goal, as I developed policy proposals with other delegates from 12 different countries. I worked in International Trade team of four people, and we oft disagreed with each other. However, we learned how to find a common ground between our at first seemingly differing views and reach a consensus, generating new, better ideas. In addition, as diplomats’ routine dictates them, I dedicated myself to networking during the Y20 conference. I was holding conversations with the representatives of world organizations, learning about their fascinating experience. I am so happy to recall my interactions with World Bank representative who is originally from Ukraine but lives in Washington DC; or conversations with International Monetary Fund representative about Ukrainian tariffs on cars; or World Trade Organization representative’s explanation about peaceful settlement trade disputes to prevent trade war; or UNESCO representative’s stories about waterways and current preservation of cultural heritage in Crimea. Afterward, we exchanged contacts and agreed upon me sending all of them the Task Force's position paper for an expert review. These interactions both established strong connections between us and aspired me even more to become a diplomat.

My conclusions: I could never imagine I would be qualified to go to Japan, for 12 days, to a real diplomatic conference, for virtually free, while being only 16.
I did not do something special for that: I filled out an application, gave an interview and then got accepted to the Task Force. And I believe everyone can accomplish this; it is only the measure of one’s motivation, initiative, and spirit. Moreover, during the Y20 Summit, from my own and other 19 teenagers’ experiences, I understood that age is just a number in one’s passport and definitely not a measure of one’s abilities. We engaged in cross-cultural discussions with both older delegates and representatives of international organizations. If we can take part in such high-level events, then why should not we, teenagers, be active in expressing our opinions in our communities and directly impacting our own future?

The Model G20 Task Force is a travel-abroad program that focuses on international diplomacy, in addition to cultural enrichment. Unlike EF Tours or other study abroad programs, the Task Force focuses on developing connections among students through collectively working on international policy recommendations and influencing the global policy-making process. There is a set goal, which helps students focus and discover nuanced things about each other by working together, while still having enough free time to just make friends. In addition, the lodging, food, and tourist exploration opportunities are still abundant and great for bonding.

The Task Force program builds a family. By the time I left, I had become quite close with several people on the trip and got to know everyone very well. In addition, I built professional connections with young policymakers from around the world, which I anticipate will come in handy and provide many opportunities as I develop my career. Beyond that, the empowerment that comes with the experience of influencing global policy-making as a teenager is so intrinsically inspiring that it will motivate me for years to come.

I cannot recommend this program enough, particularly to anyone with an interest in global politics, the environment, business, social issues, or creating change in general. It is truly a life-changing experience.

I attended the Model G20 Youth Leadership Summit as a Lead Ambassador. I previously participated as a student in the 2018 Boston Model G20 Summit and the 2018 Argentina Task Force. As a Lead Ambassador, I led student workshops, helped students negotiate multilateral agreements, and delivered the closing speech of the conference. While it was a great experience for myself, I noticed that many other students were building the same connections that I built in Boston: lasting friendships that they would maintain even on opposite sides of the globe. The genuine friendships that can be made in a matter of days at a Model G20 Summit continue to amaze me.

Unlike most travel/study abroad programs, Model G20 Summits have a focus. They bring hundreds of international students together to simulate a G20 conference, assigning every student a country and ministerial role that they adopt for 3 or more days. Over these days, they negotiate deals with each other, often in highly informal settings that blend conversations about their daily lives back home with high-stakes negotiations that require extensive research into their assigned countries' economic and social conditions.

As a Lead Ambassador, I was able to see students forming these bonds, and I was happy to see that the quality of the conference had not changed since I previously participated in it. Personally, I grew close with the other Lead Ambassadors and had a great time seeing what it's like to teach/run a classroom. The experiences provided by Knovva, be it as a student-delegate or a Lead Ambassador, are honestly life-changing and build people both personally and professionally.