The nonprofit, co-founded by Kate Robertson and David Jones in 2009, has been working around the clock to empower a nascent generation of decision-makers, Gonzales among them.
Gonzales, the founder of EqualReach and a former Amazon executive, arrived at the One Young World Summit expecting panels and PowerPoints. Instead, she discovered an unshakeable truth: Even those who swim against the current never truly swim alone.
“I was not expecting to hear Queen Rania of Jordan speak on the plight of the Palestinian people and make the case for peace, just a day before the new horrors and displacement across Lebanon began to unfold,” Gonzales wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Nor was she anticipating to “hear Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and a leading expert in artificial intelligence and winner of the Turing Award, Yoshua Bengio, discuss how humanity can use #AIforgood.” Trudeau and Bengio talked about how AI can be used to “to benefit society and enhance our well-being,” as stated in a One Young World Instagram post.
It was among her fellow Z Zurich Foundation scholars that Gonzales found her tribe. The Swiss charitable foundation focuses on inspiring young activists.
Gonzales added that the “49 others in the Z Zurich Foundation scholar cohort felt more like family by the end and reminded me that while swimming upstream to build what you believe in is hard, we are never alone.”
Gonzales also posted on LinkedIn her gratitude for being selected as “one of 500 scholars chosen (from nearly 75,000 applicants) to attend the summit.
“What do you get when you mix the global impact of the United Nations, the joy of summer camp, and the camaraderie of the Olympics? One Young World,” she said.
A strong focus on Indigenous issues was another facet of One Young World’s Montreal Summit that Gonzales commended.
“A highlight of the day was a workshop on creating economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples via responsible procurement and supply chains, with striking parallels to the work we’re doing at EqualReach,” Gonzales added.
Kate Robertson Acknowledges One Young World’s Impact
None of Gonzales’ remarkable experience would have been possible without the leadership of Kate Robertson. “We’re honored to play a part in the phenomenal journeys of these motivated young leaders,” Robertson says. “Every single thing that these youngsters bring us over the years is always a thing that matters.”
Mentoring and empowering up-and-coming trailblazers such as Gonzales is just one of the reasons Robertson remains so passionate about the work One Young World is doing.
Through annual summits and year-round initiatives, One Young World brings together more than 18,500 ambassadors worldwide.
“These people are extraordinary,” Kate Robertson shares. As the founder of this global network, Robertson’s witnessed countless moments where individual change-makers discover they’re part of something greater.
The organization’s impact materializes through action, not just words. “The direct impact and measurable outcomes — those are what I always want to highlight,” Kate Robertson says. “The deliverables will truly be there.”
Throughout the year, One Young World sustains these connections through local ambassador meetings. Some countries meet every six to seven weeks, while others gather twice annually. Even in smaller nations like the Bahamas, these meetings draw significant attention and often include high-level participants.
One Young World Ambassadors Paving a Path for Hope and Change
One Young World’s social media platforms, from Instagram to TikTok, are a constant reminder of the mission the organization is on and the emerging minds carrying out that dream by taking day-to-day action.
Lawyer, author, and human rights advocate Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is the Inaugural Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People in Australia. At the Young World’s Montreal Summit, she spoke of her experiences growing up.
Removed from her own home at the tender age of 10, Turnbull-Roberts wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian how police officers and a First Nations case worker arrived to snatch her out of her bed. “The stolen generations has never stopped. I grew up in a community where my people continue to be disproportionately impacted by the law. Where state surveillance is all too common,” she shared.
It was that traumatic experience that led Turnbull-Roberts to dedicate her life to making sure that horrible scenario didn’t happen to other Indigenous people.
“In just six months, Vanessa has supported 55 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children who have been directly impacted by state-sanctioned child removal, intervened in adoptions without consent, and supported young people trying to access bail from incarceration,” One Young World shared on its Instagram page.
Turnbull-Roberts describes her work with One Young World as “fueled by the belief that silence is never an option.”
She was also one of five people to receive One Young World’s Campaigner of the Year Award, which recognizes those taking action through their work to implement positive global change.
“We must never be silent,” Turnbull-Roberts shared in a LinkedIn post. “I believe actions speak. Together, let’s break the silence and create a brighter, inclusive tomorrow for all. Healing our past, healing our present, strengthening our future.”