NextGen Youth Leadership Summit

International advocacy is everyone’s responsibility. International advocacy may look different to

different people, but at the root it’s about respect. It’s about recognizing the fundamental rights we all

share as humans and working together to achieve those rights for all mankind. It’s about looking at

someone and saying, “while I may not agree with you or even like you, I respect you.” It’s about being a good neighbor.

As the summer draws closer, the first ever NextGen Summit draws closer with it! This amazing summit will give high school and college students the opportunity to listen to experts and get hands on experience in the field of international advocacy. Through this summit, BPSOS desires to equip the next generation of foreign policymakers and international advocates and spark the interest of those who see themselves serving in the international sphere.

The passion behind the NextGen Summit is to equip the next generation of American citizens to be a voice for justice, freedom, and human rights everywhere, from Vietnam to local American communities. Through engagement with speakers from the State Department, the United States Agency for International Development, and other agencies and non-profit organizations, students will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the fight for human rights throughout Vietnam and the world and will be able to make great connections with experts in the field. From the many speakers to listen to, the workshops to attend, the exciting simulation where students will lead a worldwide response to a human rights crisis, and the meetings with Members of Congress on Vietnam Advocacy Day, students will come away enriched and better equipped to understand the human rights abuses that prevail in places such as Vietnam. But most importantly, they will gain a better understanding of their place in the fight against such abuses.

The future of advocacy is up to us. Together we can learn how to advocate for the people whose rights are threatened by oppression. We encourage you to consider what your part in this campaign is and how you can better become an international advocate both in your community and abroad. For more information and to register for the NextGen Summit, visit https://www.bpsos.org/events-1/nextgen-youth-leadership-summit-2019.