G7 YOUTH SUMMIT UK DELEGATION 2019
James Da costa
James is a social entrepreneur, passionate about the intersection between people, technology and social impact. He has built multiple social impact ventures as a co-founder of Mandala Group - specialising in building accessible mobile applications in disconnected areas of India and Kenya, including teleStory which has enabled over 5,000 enable illiterate parents to read to their illiterate children in India for the first time on basic mobile phones. James is also a Regional Director at Hult Prize Foundation, a leading global platform for social entrepreneurship.
James is a Forbes 30 Under 30, World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a board member to multiple non-profits. He is recognized as a thought leader in youth entrepreneurship and internet connectivity - he has spoken at UN Global Goals Week, UK Houses of Parliament, Osaka City Hall, TED-X, World Innovation Summit on Education, One Young World and Start-up Grind on this topic.
Abdulkadir is a fifth year UCL Medical Student interested in policy, particularly in healthcare, education and human rights. He co-founded a digital maternal and child healthcare delivery platform called Beba, currently serving as their Chief Operation Officer. He has organised and led several international projects; for example, a sanitation and hygiene project in response to the 2017 East African Drought and the development of a school in one of the most deprived areas in Somalia. He currently serves as the Chairman of Bright Centres, an award-winning centre supporting disadvantaged communities in London and the President of Somali Youth for Integrity (SYFI), a youth led non-governmental organisation. Along with these roles, he is also a UCL Global Student Ambassador and One Young World Ambassador. In recognition of his work, he has been awarded the ‘UCL Honoury Lifetime Membership award’ – the highest honours a student at UCL can receive.
abdulkadir elmi
anna harris
Anna Harris is currently a civil servant in the Welsh Government. She works in social policy and is interested in designing innovative ways to tackle inequality, having previously worked as an academic researcher in this area. Working with and for various youth forums in the past has equipped her with a firm belief that young people have the power to change the world, and that it is essential to give them the tools to do so, irregardless of their background.
Jennifer Okolo is a therapist and the founder of She Aspires- a brand based on a fledgling blog which asks young females to write, contribute and interact on a series of real-world real-time issues that affect them. Jennifer aims to create a unified army of strong, career-driven women who go on to inspire others across the globe. Her endless imagination and belief in working hard to make an impact does not go unnoticed and has brought the brand to where it is right now. Her background lies in Occupational Therapy and Graphics Communication- a perfect blend for the millennial woman who knows no limits to her journey.
She has been a part of various impactful campaigns such as the #mybodyvictory campaign which was shared across a range of news publications including the Independent and is currently a Be Real ambassador (a project created by Dove) which involves supporting young people to redefine beauty. Jennifer continues to be an advocate for the rights of women and is on a mission to change the world and force new ways of thinking into traditional spaces.
