2023 NATO Youth Summit: NextGen Freedom & Security

On June 5, 2023, young people from NATO member nations and beyond joined a transatlantic conversation at the 2023 NATO Youth Summit, which took place online, as well as in Brussels and Washington, D.C. This year's summit was entitled "NextGen Freedom & Security."

Organized by NATO and William & Mary, the event provided participants in-person and online with the opportunity to engage, build links, enhance understanding, exchange views and explore how NATO addresses challenges that the next generation sees as critical to their security. The issues covered ranged from disinformation to the latest technologies, and from climate change to national defense. 

Agenda

Select each session title below to watch the recording of the speaker/panel or view the full video playlist on YouTube.

Brussels

• Master of Ceremonies [Brussels]
  • Dr. Kira Allmann ‘10, Senior Digital Strategy Officer, Manchester City Council; Incoming Director of Partnerships & Communications, Global Research Institute, William & Mary
• Pre-Opening Welcome
  • Kira Allmann, Incoming Director of Partnerships & Communications, Global Research Institute
• Welcome & Introduction 
  • Ambassador Baiba Braže, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO 
• Tackling Bullies – Of All Sizes
  • Standing up to bullies - a theme not just for young people, but something NATO has witnessed in Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine in its continuation of its bullying of its neighbors.
    • Martina Ptáčková, Fighter and Trainer, Hand to hand combat and Kickboxing
    • Moderator: Kira Allmann
• Diversity & Diplomacy
  • David Quarrey CMG, UK Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council
  • Moderator: Kira Allmann
• Discussion: Space, Technology, and Security
  • Panel organized with Friends of Europe
    • Thomas Dermine, Belgian State Secretary for Scientific Policy, Recovery Programme and Strategic Investment
    • David Eagleson, Policy Fellow, Pinsker Centre
    • Pauline Warnotte, Senior Legal Advisor, International Committee of the Red Cross Delegation to the EU, NATO and the Kingdom of Belgium
    • Moderator: Juraj Majcin, Program Manager for Peace, Security and Defense at Friends of Europe
• Tackling Hybrid Threats
  • Lieutenant General Lance Landrum, Deputy Chair of the Military Committee, NATO
  • Moderator: Kira Allmann
• Gaming Challenge: NATO vs. the EU
  • Robin El Kady, Data Scientist, Information Environment Assessment Team, NATO HQ
  • Uldis Elksnitis, Information and Communication Officer, European External Action Service
• DROG Disinformation Game: How To Go Viral
  • Ruurd Oosterwoud, Director, DROG Group
• Climate Change & How It Changed My Life
  • Climate change is a threat multiplier and NATO has put tackling the security effects of climate change at the heart of its forward-looking agenda.
    • Adélaïde Charlier,  Climate and Social Justice Activist
    • Rahmina Paullete, Climate Activist, Fridays for Future International
    • Moderator: Matthew Pye, Founder, The Climate Academy
• Discussion: What Does Resilience Mean for Young People?
  • Panel in cooperation with the Young Thinkers Initiative of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
    • Dominik Juling, Postgraduate Student at LSE; Young Thinker, CEPS
    • Laura Lisboa, Space Officer, NATO Defence Investment Division; Young Thinker, CEPS
    • Cédric Lombaerts, Attaché European Affairs, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Young Thinker, CEPS
    • Sofia Romansky, Researcher, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS); Young Thinker, CEPS
    • Moderator: Dylan Macchiarini Crosson, Researcher, EU Foreign Policy, CEPS
• Fireside Chat with the President of the Czech Republic
  • General Petr Pavel, (Ret.), President, The Czech Republic
• Witness History: How Disinformation Doesn’t Go Away
  • Disinformation is not a victimless crime. It is designed to undermine institutions and values. Today, disinformation continues to weaken support for those fighting for their freedom.
    • Belgian Holocaust Survivor Baroness Régine Suchowolski – Sluszny, Chairwoman, Forum der Joodse Oganisaties
    • Moderator: Paul King, Programme Officer, NATO

• Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO
• Moderator: Kira Allmann

This conversation will officially close the Brussels portion and open the Washington, D.C. portion of the NATO Youth Summit.

Washington, D.C.

• Master of Ceremonies [D.C.]
  •  Colleen Grace ’23, President, Ivy League Veterans Council; William & Mary
• Welcome Remarks
  • Katherine A. Rowe, President, William & Mary
• Reflections from the U.S. Mission to the United Nations
  • S. Douglas Bunch ’02, J.D. ‘06, Public Delegate of the United States to the 77th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
• Diplomacy Through Sports: A Conversation With Leaders On & Off the Field
  • Nadia Nadim, Forward, Racing Louisville Football Club
  • William Smith ’14, Founder and Executive Director, LEAD Edu
  • Moderator: Jill Ellis ’88, L.H.D. ’16, National Soccer Hall of Fame; President, San Diego Wave, National Women’s Soccer League; Former Coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team
• Presentation of the NATO Women, Peace, and Security Award
  • Irene Fellin, Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, NATO
  • CAPT Kathleen T. Jabs, USN (ret.), Special Assistant to the President for Military & Veteran Affairs, William & Mary
  • Jill Ellis '88, L.H.D. '16, National Soccer Hall of Fame; President, San Diego Wave, National Women's Soccer League; Former Coach of the U.S. Women's National Team
• Defending Freedom with Allies
  • Dr. Colin H. Kahl, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, U.S. Department of Defense
  • Facilitator: Kathryn H. Floyd '05, Director, Whole of Government Center of Excellence, William & Mary
• The U.S. Is Not Just In NATO: It Is the Core of NATO
  • Ben Wheeler, Content Creator, D1Wheeler
  • Facilitator: Colleen Grace '23, President, Ivy League Veterans Council; William & Mary
• Countering & Deterring Adversarial Threats: Russian Invasion of Ukraine
  • George Barros '19, Geospatial Intelligence Team Lead and Russia Analyst, Institute for the Study of War
  • Her Excellency Oksana Markarova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United States
  • Moderator: Elina Beketova, Democracy Fellow, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
• Leveraging Data to Strengthen Democracy and Security
  • Video message by Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
    • Rachel Azafrani, Senior Director, Responsible AI, Microsoft
    • Timothy Carroll '87, Weather and Climate Lead, Microsoft
    • David Leichtman '00, Director, Corporate Civic Responsibility, Microsoft
    • Moderator: Divya Mathew, MPP '19, Senior Policy Specialist, AidData, William & Mary
• Message from the NATO Deputy Secretary General
  • Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General, NATO
• Activity: How To Be an OSINT Expert
  • Andrew Eaddy, Co-Founder, Third Image Media
  • John Fowler, Co-Founder, International Intrigue; former Australian diplomat
  • Michael Hilliard, Conflict Journalist, Host of The Red Line; Communications Director, The Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs
• Countering Disinformation
  • Hayden Bassett, M.A. '13, Ph.D. '17, Director, Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab; Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution; Adjunct Lecturer, William & Mary
  • Ben Dubow, CTO and Founder, Omelas; Nonresident Fellow, Democratic Resilience, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
  • Moderator: Megan Hogan ’21, Eranda Rothschild Foundation Junior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics; Founder, DisinfoLab, William & Mary
• Video Presentations
  • By Council on Strategic Risks & NATO Allied Command Transformation 
    • Elsa Barron, Research Fellow, Center for Climate and Security (CSS), Council on Strategic Risks (CSR)
    • Michelle Ramirez, University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • Luisa Freutel, Staff Officer (Strategic Issues and Engagement), Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
    • Lieutenant Colonel ITA, Andrea Martorana, Staff Officer (Strategic Engagement and Coordination), Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
    • Guido Buccardi, Sciences Po Paris
    • Lorenzo Cavallon, Sciences Po Paris
    • Pablo Lopez Ortiz, Universidad de Navarra
    • Kirellos Abdel Miseih, King's College London
• Serving the Mission in the Private Sector: Lessons from Government Service to Google
  • Jared Bomberg, U.S. Policy Lead for Privacy and Data Strategy, Google 
  • Phillip Carter, Product Counsel, Google
  • Stacy O’Mara, Head of Government Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships, Mandiant, Google Cloud
  • Moderator: Sanaa Archie, Student, Howard University 
• Diplomatic Approaches to Security 
  • The Honorable Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, U.S. Department of State
  • Moderator: Erin Battle ’13, M.Ed. ‘15, Associate Director, Washington Center, William & Mary
• The Everyday Practice of Democracy
  • The Honorable Elizabeth Jones, Former Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Department of State
  • Alexa Dominique Pascual, Women’s Empowerment Activist and Young Advocate
  • The Honorable Russell E. Travers ‘78, Senior Advisor, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security; former Acting and Deputy Director, National Counterterrorism Center; and former Deputy Director of Homeland Security, National Security Council
  • Moderator: Professor Teresa Longo, Senior International Officer, William & Mary
• Announcement of 2023 WMGIC x NATO Countering Disinformation Challenge
  • Terra Stearns '23, William & Mary Global Innovation Challenge (WMGIC)
• Reflections from NATO Allied Command Transformation
  • General Philippe Lavigne, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
• Closing Poll
  • Colleen Grace '23, President, Ivy League Veterans Council; William & Mary
• Closing Remarks
  • Peggy Agouris, Provost, William & Mary