The road to Global Changemakers began in 2007 when the Greenwich 7, the youngest ever delegates to sit on a WEF panel, took part in the "Wisdom of Youth" session alongside HM Queen Rania of Jordan and Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Here they presented their challenge, the Global Fund for Education, on 26 January 2007. "Young people are more closely involved with education than anyone else - so we need to tell the world what has to be done. Challenging today's leaders is just the beginning of a shift in the power equation," said Armin from Switzerland. Simon, the Australian delegate, agreed. "The World Economic Forum is the sort of place where the rich and famous mingle with the rich and powerful, and where big announcements are often made. Letting six young people in is a radical and welcome move. Not only did we add our voices to the conversations at Davos, we have also been able to reflect our experiences from Davos out to the rest of the world."
The Greenwich 7 received an enthusiastic response from many of the participants at Davos. Their contribution created genuine interest among those who attended the event.
In January 2008, the programme (rechristened Road to Davos) again brought six young people to Davos: Gillion from South Africa, Juan from Argentina, Nick from Scotland, Rhadeena from Sri Lanka, Whitney from the United States and Yunan from China. Aged 16 to 19, the six were the youngest panellists ever at the WEF in Davos. Don Tapscott of the Globe and Mail wrote: "I'm feeling positively uplifted, inspired really. The panellists were extraordinary. These six were all natural leaders and as activists for social change, all educated, connected and multi-lingual...As far as I'm concerned, these are the most important people attending Davos."
This was followed by the rousing success of twenty youth representatives at the WEF Middle East meeting in Sharm El Sheikh. Again, the young Changemakers brought a memorable challenge to the regional and world leaders.
A particular success was their participation in the BBC Debate in Sharm, hosted by the BBC's Nik Gowing, where they held their own with the likes of Tony Blair and Ehud Barak. As Gowing commented: "It was an historic step.. The value that this sort of work has for the next generation is immeasurable. I think there is something big developing here."
