The Young Initiative invites foreign policy experts and guest speakers to campus to engage in discussions on international relations and the global political economy with students and faculty.
Annually: United Nations Week
With the William and Elizabeth Kahane United Nations Program, the Young Initiative supports the annual United Nations Week at Occidental College, each spring. We are passionate in maintaining students involvement and engagement in sustainable development. Our students choose topics that link Global Political Economy, Social Justice, and Sustainable Development.
One Day Conference - Data and the Feminist City Conference - September 30, 2025
The Young Initiative will host invited representatives from city governments from around the world for a one-day conference on the Oxy campus. Attendants will share experiences and best practices on reporting mechanisms to gather data, identify gaps in data collection, and help develop strategies for data-driven, actionable solutions.
Ongoing Young Speakers Events
Young Initiative speakers give students and faculty an opportunity to expand their understanding of global issues. The Young Initiative sponsors several speakers each academic year highlighting particular aspects of global affairs and the global political economy. The Young Speakers program is devoted to highlighting the work and success of eminent international affairs experts and Oxy alumni in public service and academia.
Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo spoke to an audience on April 7, 2026—eight years after her first visit to Occidental College, at the invitation of Professor Anthony Chase—to discuss her recently published book Governing Truth: NGOs and the Politics of Transitional Justice. Zvobgo opened with a note of both advice and warning for students: the research questions you pursue as an undergraduate can follow you...
On Wednesday, April 15th, 2026, the Young Initiative had the privilege of hosting the 2025 Young Initiative Fellow, Rachel Tan for a student-focused brown bag lunch discussion on "Life and Labor in the Making of Global AI." Tan, a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, shared insights from her ongoing dissertation research on the...
On February 23, 2026, Mr. Eric Garcetti, former Mayor of Los Angeles and Ambassador to India, returned to Occidental College’s campus, where he taught in the Diplomacy & World Affairs department before being elected to the Los Angeles City Council.
On February 19th, 2026, the Young Initiative had the privilege of hosting the inaugural Young Initiative Fellow, Ankushi Mitra, for a student-focused event that allowed for discussion of research, grad school, and broader impact.
On December 3, 2025, the Young Initiative hosted the “State of the World 2025” talk, joined by Ambassador Derek Shearer and Diplomacy and World Affairs (DWA) Professor Anthony Chase.
Ambassador Derek Shearer came to Occidental College’s campus on November 6th, 2025 to present a talk on sports diplomacy drawing on insights from his article “To Play Ball, Not Make War” published in the Harvard International Review in 2014. He is a former practicing sports diplomat, and the Director of the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs at Oxy.
On November 4, 2025, the Young Initiative hosted a talk by Dr. Srinivas “Chinnu” Parinandi on “Current Trends and Challenges in U.S. State Energy Policy.”
On September 30, 2025, Occidental College hosted the City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE) summit on “Gender Data & The Feminist City.” CHANGE is a network of cities globally dedicated to advancing the rights of women, girls, and people with non-binary gender identities, through testing and sharing innovative solutions.
On September 9th, 2025, the Young Initiative hosted author and journalist Robert Whiting for a lecture on sports diplomacy and the role of baseball in U.S.-Japan relations.
On April 12, the Young Initiative hosted Professor Lindsay Dolan and Professor Matthew Winters for a timely lecture and discussion on foreign aid and U.S. national interest. The discussion highlighted studies on public opinion in donor and recipient countries.