One Young World x BUILD Series | 5 August, NYC

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Justina Nixon-Saintil, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, Verizon

Justina Nixon-Saintil is the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Verizon. In this role, Justina leads the strategy, development, implementation and measurement of Verizon’s philanthropic initiatives. Her specific area of focus is designing and launching innovative technology-infused programs in under-resourced communities to close the digital divide and prepare students to be college and career ready. 

Under her leadership, programmes such as Verizon Innovative Learning schools, Verizon Innovative App Challenge, and Verizon 5G EdTech Challenge were established and scaled to reach, engage, and impact millions of students. Justina is especially proud of the STEM programs developed in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and community colleges that focus on minority males and rural girls, both under-represented in tech fields.

In 2018, Justina led the creation of a strategic 3-year plan that resulted in a multi-year $300M commitment to scale Verizon Innovative Learning and bring 5G access and related education content to schools across the country. 

Justina earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo and her Master of Business Administration from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. She is a board member of the Princeton Area Community Foundation and an Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow. She was recently recognised by City & State CSR as a Responsible 100.

Saad Amer, Founder & Director, Plus1Vote

Saad Amer is the Founder of Plus1Vote, a platform designed to turn citizens into community activists and increase voter turnout. Partnering with MoveOn, Alyssa Milano, and the Women’s March, Plus1Vote achieved several million impressions on social media in the two weeks leading up to the 2018 midterm elections. Saad and team aim to mobilise an even larger campaign the upcoming 2020 presidential elections.

Outside of his work at Plus1Vote, Saad is an accomplished environmental scientist, photographer, producer, and activist. He has co-created Harvard University’s Sustainability Plan, published a paper on the evolutionary genetics of French Polynesia and has spoken at the United Nations’ Commission for Social Development. He is a member of the UNESCO Youth Working Group and the National Parks Conservation Association’s Next Generation Advisory Council.

In addition, he is the founder of Saad Amer Design, a sustainability-minded design hub that works in photography, video, and graphic design. Saad's work has been published by National Geographic, Vogue Italia, Bund Magazine, and a number of other publications. He has produced and hosted educational videos for PBS' NOVA, and his graphics have been featured on PBS NewsHour, NBC, and more.

Saad is a recipient of a Congressional Artist Award from the U.S. House of Representatives and a First Place Prize from Samsung’s Solve For Tomorrow Environmental Video Contest. He has also exhibited his work at galleries in New York and Boston.

Saad graduated from Harvard University, where he studied Environmental Science and Public Policy with a minor in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. 

Ousmane Ba, Founder & CEO, Girl Child Project

Ousmane Ba is the Founder and CEO of Girl Child Project, an organisation that seeks to provide opportunities for girls to access education in West Africa and beyond. In addition to his work with Girl Child Project, Ousmane is currently leading peacebuilding initiatives in Guinea to promote youth engagement and active citizenship.

Ousmane graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science and economics. He has since dedicated his career to promoting children’s rights and equal opportunity in education for girls.  

In 2015, Ousmane was appointed a Global Youth Ambassador for A World at School, a movement launched in 2014 by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown. In 2016, he was selected to co-lead the #safeschool campaign at the UN General Assembly. He addressed the Assembly on the global state of girls' right to education the following year. In 2017, Ousmane was appointed a Peace Ambassador by the European Commission and One Young World.

Aminka Belvitt. Founder & CEO, Wofemtech Solutions. Founder, ForUsGirls Foundation

Aminka Belvitt is a Digital Marketing & Strategy professional, a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum, Founder & CEO of Wofemtech Solutions Inc. and the Founder of the ForUsGirls Foundation. She founded the ForUsGirls Foundation as an organization to develop the leadership skills and capacity of young people living in Canada, United States Jamaica. Since 2015, ForUsGirls has positively impacted almost 5,000 girls. The Foundation provides mentorship, leadership, empowerment and skill-based development for marginalized girls, helping them become a community and aspire to be global feminist leaders in all areas of society. It does this through three local programs: C for Coding; SDGs Young Global Leaders Program and, "Be Fierce & Daring". C for Coding is a 10-week web development program, SDGs Young Global Leaders is a 7-week, followed by a 6-month mentorship, professional and entrepreneurial training program where participants create a social business to support 1 of the 17 Global Goals. "Be Fierce & Daring", is a weekly 13 unit mentorship and leadership programme in local schools and community spaces. This programme covers a wide range of topics including entrepreneurship, digital literacy, career planning and web development. ForUsGirls tailors its programmes towards helping girls from underprivileged backgrounds, empowering them with knowledge and skills that are otherwise difficult to access. 

At the One Young World 2016 Ottawa Summit Aminka was selected as one of 9 Emma Watson Gender Equality Scholars by Emma herself to participate in the "Defying Stereotypes" panel. After attending the One Young World 2016 Ottawa Summit, ForUsGirls Foundation became international, bringing the programme from Canada to Jamaica. ForUsGirls sponsors five primary schools in rural Jamaica to help increase the opportunities available to the children studying there. Graduates of the ForUsGirls leadership programme have gone on to receive academic excellence awards and win higher education scholarships. ForUsGirls also runs a Tech Summit in New York City called ‘A NEW REALITY’, where girls from marginalised communities are encouraged to think innovatively to solve problems. The first edition was in August 2018 and the second edition was May 2019 collectively attended by 300 girls. ForUsGirls also runs summer camps to develop the leadership capacity of young girls, and to encourage them to take up STEM subjects at school. The organization proudly partners with local organizations and schools in Harlem, Bronx, Brooklyn and New Jersey for its New York events and programs.