One Young World Bath (OYWB) returned for its ninth annual forum on Saturday 29 March 2025, bringing together young leaders and renowned experts to tackle today’s most pressing issues.

The forum welcomed around 150 attendees, reflecting the success of the event and the hard work of its organisers.

OYWB 2025 was a day full of insightful panel discussions, keynote speeches, workshops and networking opportunities, which gave attendees a chance to learn more about the chosen themes, ask questions and pledge action from the day.

Tackling important topics

This year, attendees had the chance to discuss and exchange ideas with leading experts from industry, academia, and the student community on three major themes related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs):

  • Violence Against Women and Girls
  • The Refugee Crisis
  • Artificial Intelligence

Co-Chairs and OYW Ambassadors, Sarah McLaren and Rebecca Rowney introduced the event. Opening speeches were given by the Deputy Mayor of Bath, Councillor Ruth Malloy, Professor Julian Chaudhuri, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education and Global), and Kate Robertson, CEO and Co-Founder of One Young World.

Kate highlighted the importance of all three themes in our present day and told attendees:

When you think about your purpose, make sure it counts.

Violence Against Women & Girls

The Violence Against Women & Girls panel opened the forum, with David Challen, a prominent advocate for survivors of domestic abuse, sharing his personal journey championing legal reforms around coercive control.

David emphasised the impact violence has on households and children and emphasised the importance of providing role models for men. During his speech, he said: “Conversations about masculinity should be done with women at our side.”

Later, the session’s panellists opened a lively conversation with the audience, in which the importance of actively involving men in these conversations was underlined.

The refugee crisis

The second panel discussed the Refugee Crisis. Raj Burman, keynote speaker, led an interactive session to dismantle stereotypes surrounding refugees. Raj said:

The most rewarding learning experience you'll ever have is stretching out your comfort zone.

Rossana Leal stressed the urgency of creating more inclusive institutions to address the systemic challenges those seeking asylum face, urging collaboration from policymakers, communities, and NGOs alike. “Education is power. Power is freedom. Freedom is a human right”, she remarked.

Artificial Intelligence

The Forum wrapped up with the final session on Artificial Intelligence.

The keynote talk, ‘Is AI a force for good?’, was provided by Angelika Sharygina and was followed by an interactive panel that highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the dangers of AI, whilst ensuring regulations don’t prevent innovation.

“We will see a lot of breakthroughs in AI ... it is our duty to educate ourselves”. Adam Mackay concluded the session by comparing AI to fire, emphasising its revolutionary potential: “AI could be as life-changing and significant as the discovery of fire. Stay agile. Jobs will still exist, but the job descriptions will change”.

As part of each theme, attendees were invited to take part in workshops. These were an interactive way to explore the themes in more detail and actively engage with the issues.

The forum ended with Oliver Showell and Miles Pemberton, Co-Chairs and OYW Ambassadors, who officially launched the OYW Delegate positions in Munich this year (applications are open until Sunday 20 April 2025).

There were also performances from Bath Indian Dance Society, an Arabic band and the Poet Collective, as well as lunch provided by the Bath Community Kitchen. The event was sponsored by Art-Ai, Royal Commonwealth Society Bath and District Branch, Centre for Developmental Studies at the University of Bath, Upper Canada UK, Ember Snacks and Two Tribes.

Full panel listings

  • The refugee crisis
    • Raj Burman (Keynote Speaker): Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Student Action for Refugees
    • Rebecca Rowney (Session Chair): BSc (Hons) International Development with Economics student at University of Bath
    • Rossana Leal (Panellist): CEO, The Refugee Buddy Project Hastings, Rother & Wealden
    • Dr Katharina Lenner (Panellist): Lecturer in Social and Policy Science, University of Bath
    • Abdullah Rafiq (Panellist): Humanitarian, Security and Conflict Analyst and One Young World Ambassador
  • Violence against women and girls
    • David Challen (Keynote Speaker): Domestic Abuse Campaigner and Writer
    • E-J Roodt (Panellist): CEO and Co-Founder of Epower - a personal safety app which is designed to protect women
    • Peter Clarke (Panellist): Passionate about creating sustainable changes, Business Development Manager at FearFree
    • Neisha Hussain (Panellist): Advisor at Mission 44 and Plan International UK
  • Artificial intelligence
    • Catriona Gray (Panellist): political sociologist specialising in AI ethics and governance, and Lecturer at the University of Bath
    • Miles Pemberton (Session Chair): Computer Science PhD student at University of Bath and One Young World Ambassador
    • Adam Mackay (Panellist): Head of AI Research and QA Systems
    • Angelika Sharygina (Keynote Speaker): Policy Advisor, AI Researcher, Educator, and Founder in AI and Information Integrity
    • Ethan Waisberg (Panellist): Academic Foundation Doctor, University of Cambridge