25 Events in 2025: EMpower at the Skoll World Forum

What if we stopped treating youth leadership as the exception and started funding it as the norm?

That was the provocation EMpower brought to a powerful side event at this year’s Skoll World Forum, co-hosted with the Oxford Martin School’s Future of Development. In a conversation that spanned funding models, power-sharing, and bold experimentation, our Vice President, Adam Heuman, made the case for putting philanthropic capital directly in the hands of young people.

We began with the journey of Seema Dosad—an EMpower alum who went from being part of our Adolescent Girls Community in 2012 to a leader in our Girl Advisory Council. Her story, shared in a moving short film, reminded us that real change happens when young people are trusted, resourced, and heard.

With brilliant insights from Ramatu Bangura (Children's Rights Innovation Fund), Linda Weisert (Children's Investment Fund Foundation), Swatee Deepak (Shake the Table), and Christine Burkhart Global Fund for Children), and expertly moderated by Christian Meyer (Oxford Martin School), the discussion reimagined what youth engagement can—and should look like.