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.
David Goldblatt is a University Lecturer, sociologist, journalist, and author. In 2015, Goldblatt won the William Hill Book of Sports Award of the Year for "The Game of our lives" and was acclaimed by the Sunday Times as "the best football historian there has ever been."
Jeremy Kagan is a film and television director, writer and producer. He is the Founder of the Change Making Media Lab and Professor at the School of Cinematic Arts, USC. He is the Chairperson of Special Projects for the DGA.
Kelly Sims Gallagher ‘95 came back to Oxy to discuss environmental diplomacy in the context of U.S.-China relations as detailed in her recent book co-authored by Xiaowei Xuan: Titans of the Climate: Explaining Policy Process in the United States and China.
Chelsea Moore is a PHD Candidate at the University of Washington. Her current research focuses on the relationship between law and the regulation of sexuality with a particular emphasis on sex offense laws. Chelsea is a Comparative Law & Society Studies Center Fellow and a Washington Institute for the Study of Inequality and Race Fellow.
As part of the Oxy Global LGBTQ Speaker Series, Dennis Altman spoke to students on the American role in global queer politics.
Stephen Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, author of several books on US Foreign Policy and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy Magazine. Most recently, he is the author of "The Hell of Good Intentions - America's Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy"
As the Keynote Speaker for Oxy UN Week 2019, Ambassador Melanne Verveer spoke to students about gender in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Rick Cole '78 is the City Manager of Santa Monica, former Mayor of Pasadena
Sarah Portnoy is expert on Latino culture, author of Food, Health, and Culture in Los Angeles.
Heidi Nichols Haddad is a Professor of Politics at Pomona College.