
Portland Shaper Travels to Geneva
YOUNG PORTLAND LEADER ATTENDS WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM MEETING IN GENEVA
ONE OF 350 SELECTED BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM TO ATTEND
Photo: Portland’s Meghan McCormick with 350 young global leaders meet at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland in August 2016
Photo Credit: World Economic Forum
Portland, ME (Monday, September 19. 2016) — Portland Global Shaper, Meghan McCormick, was invited to attend the Global Shapers Annual Curators Meeting along with 350 young global leaders representing 119 different countries on August 19-22, in Geneva, Switzerland. McCormick represented Maine at the four day conference hosted by the World Economic Forum. “During the opening session, I looked around in awe, observing how many significant cities and different countries were in the room and was impressed and honored that Portland, Maine had a seat at the table,” said McCormick.
The Global Shapers is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. It is a network of city-based hubs developed and led by young leaders generally under the age of 30. Each Hub identifies either one or more issues existing in their communities and designs projects that address them in part through public/private partnerships. The World Economic Forum approached Adam Burk, co-founder and director of the Treehouse Institute, in June 2015 to create a hub in Portland, Maine. Adam and Treehouse Institute were selected by the World Economic Forum because of achievements in community building, stakeholder engagement, established brand, and track record of success.
The Annual Curators Meeting 2016 brought elected leadership from each hub to the World Economic Forum to work with peers to understand the Global Shapers Community, the World Economic Forum and each Hub’s role in improving the state of the world. “We engaged in skills-based learning with peers and global experts in an intimate, innovative environment,” Meghan McCormick, Portland’s Vice Curator explained, “I collaborated with leaders from all corners of the world, from Nigeria, Romania, Columbia, Bangladesh and beyond. I shared some of the initiatives the Portland Hub is undertaking and was able to cross-pollinate ideas and solutions.” Throughout the conference, curators showcased the impact projects of their Hubs and McCormick gained core competencies and practical tips to take back to Portland. “It’s amazing how we were able to connect, share best practices and inspire each other to continue bettering our communities.”
Adam Burk, the Portland Hub’s founding curator offered his perspective that “Meghan’s experience at the Annual Curators Meeting strengthens Portland’s connection with the World Economic Forum global networks. It also strengthens our ability to lead here at home and in the world with access to best practices and more so an investment in Meghan as one of Maine’s up and coming global leaders.”
McCormick, 28, currently serves as the Program Director for Maine Campus Compact and is working with 18 campuses in Maine overseeing environmental stewardship programs, civic engagement efforts, and faculty/student professional development.