Building spaces where young adults can gather safely, without the harms
In a world where three million lives are lost each year to harmful alcohol use and one in four young adults report feeling profoundly alone, One Young World and Pernod Ricard have opened a doorway for ten emerging leaders to step forward. The 2026 scholarship, accepting applications through mid-July, seeks those already reshaping the spaces where young people gather — bartenders, researchers, community builders, and advocates — and will bring them together at the Cape Town summit this November. It is a recognition that the crises of excess and isolation are not separate afflictions but twin expressions of the same unmet human need: to belong, safely.
- Three million deaths annually from harmful alcohol use and surging loneliness among young adults signal a quiet but devastating public health emergency that conventional messaging has failed to resolve.
- The scholarship disrupts the usual top-down approach by seeking out people already working inside the problem — nightlife workers, harm-reduction entrepreneurs, and community organisers — rather than appointing experts from above.
- Ten scholars will be fully funded to attend the One Young World Summit in Cape Town from November 3rd to 6th, joining Pernod Ricard's delegation for leadership sessions, mentorship, and strategic support for their existing work.
- Applications close July 14th, leaving a narrow but real window for candidates across hospitality, public health, research, and youth advocacy to make their case.
- The initiative positions the summit not as a destination but as a catalyst — post-summit collaboration sessions are built in to ensure the connections made in Cape Town translate into sustained, measurable change.
One Young World and Pernod Ricard are accepting applications for a scholarship that will bring ten young leaders to Cape Town this November. The window is open until July 14th, and the focus is precise: how do we build social spaces where young adults can gather without the twin harms of excessive drinking and deepening loneliness?
The scale of the problem gives the initiative its urgency. Harmful alcohol consumption claims more than three million lives globally each year, while one in four young adults report feeling isolated. The scholarship treats these not as separate crises but as connected failures of the environments where people come together. It is looking for those already working to change those environments — bartenders rethinking how they serve, researchers studying how young people actually socialise, community organisers building inclusive spaces, and social entrepreneurs designing harm-reduction programmes.
The ten selected scholars will receive full funding to attend the One Young World Summit from November 3rd to 6th as part of Pernod Ricard's delegation. Beyond the summit itself, the programme offers mentorship, strategic support for their existing work, and entry into a global network of youth leaders. Post-summit collaboration sessions are built into the structure, signalling that the organisers see Cape Town as a gathering point, not an endpoint.
Eligibility is broad: anyone of legal drinking age in their country who is actively working on responsible socialising, harm reduction, or social inclusion can apply. The organisers are particularly explicit about welcoming people from hospitality and nightlife — bar managers, restaurant owners, bartenders — recognising that these are the people physically shaping the spaces where young adults spend their time.
The partnership reflects a meaningful shift in how the alcohol industry and youth leadership organisations are approaching public health — not through advertising campaigns, but by funding the people on the ground who are already building something better. The bet is that young leaders already know what needs to change, and that connecting and amplifying their work will make it happen faster.
One Young World and Pernod Ricard are now accepting applications for a scholarship that will send ten young leaders to Cape Town this November. The programme, which opened for submissions on May 19th, closes on July 14th, and it targets people working on a specific problem: how to build social spaces where young adults can gather safely, without the harms that come from excessive drinking or the loneliness that increasingly defines their lives.
The numbers behind this initiative are stark. Globally, harmful alcohol consumption kills more than three million people each year. At the same time, one in four young adults report feeling isolated. These are not separate crises—they are connected. The scholarship recognises that the way we socialise, where we do it, and what role alcohol plays in those spaces shapes both individual wellbeing and public health. The organisers are looking for people who have already begun to address this: bartenders rethinking how they serve, researchers studying how Gen Z actually gathers, community organisers building inclusive spaces, social entrepreneurs designing harm-reduction programmes, hospitality workers creating safer environments.
The ten selected scholars will receive full funding to attend the One Young World Summit in Cape Town from November 3rd to 6th. They will come as part of Pernod Ricard's delegation, participate in leadership and networking sessions, and join post-summit collaboration meetings. But the scholarship is not just about attendance. It includes mentorship, strategic support for their existing work, and connection to a global network of youth leaders thinking about the same problems. The organisers emphasise that this is designed for long-term impact—the summit is a gathering point, not an endpoint.
Who can apply? The programme is open to anyone of legal drinking age in their country who is already doing work aligned with these goals. That could mean running an educational campaign about moderation, developing research into youth socialising patterns, launching a project to reduce social isolation, improving safety in bars and nightlife venues, or advocating for more inclusive social environments. The scholarship welcomes applicants from hospitality, public health, social entrepreneurship, education, research, and youth advocacy. The organisers are explicit about wanting people from the hospitality and nightlife industries—bar managers, restaurant owners, bartenders—because these are the people shaping the physical and social spaces where young adults spend their time.
To qualify, applicants must demonstrate active involvement in initiatives that align with the scholarship's goals, show leadership potential and measurable community impact, and be available for the post-summit collaboration sessions. The application process is online through the One Young World platform. With the deadline set for mid-July, there are still several weeks for interested candidates to prepare their submissions and make the case for why their work matters and why they should be part of this cohort.
The partnership between One Young World and Pernod Ricard reflects a broader shift in how the alcohol industry and youth leadership organisations are approaching public health. Rather than simply promoting moderation through advertising, they are funding the people on the ground who are actually building the infrastructure for safer, more inclusive social experiences. Whether that means a bartender training programme, a mental health initiative in nightlife spaces, or research into how young people want to socialise differently, the scholarship is betting that young leaders already know what needs to change—and that connecting them, supporting them, and amplifying their work will accelerate that change.
Citações Notáveis
The scholarship focuses on promoting healthy social interactions and tackling the harmful effects associated with excessive alcohol consumption.— One Young World and Pernod Ricard organisers
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why is a spirits company funding a scholarship about harmful drinking?
Because they're recognising that their business exists within a public health context. If three million people die annually from alcohol-related causes, that's not just a moral problem—it's a market problem. They're investing in the people who are already trying to solve it.
But isn't that just reputation management?
Possibly. But the scholarship is open to anyone working on harm reduction, social isolation, or safer spaces—not just people promoting their brand. A bartender who's trained in de-escalation or a researcher studying why young people feel lonely are both eligible. The work itself is what matters.
Who actually wins these things?
That's the interesting question. The organisers are looking for people already doing the work—not aspiring leaders, but emerging ones. Someone running a community programme, someone with published research, someone who's already changed how their bar operates. They want proof of impact.
And then what happens after Cape Town?
That's where the real value is. You get mentorship, you join a global network of people thinking about the same problems, and you participate in strategy sessions. It's not a one-off trip. It's meant to strengthen your work and connect you to resources and people who can help scale it.
What's the gap this is trying to fill?
Young leaders working on these issues are often isolated. A bartender innovating in one city doesn't know about a researcher in another country doing similar work. The scholarship brings them together, lets them learn from each other, and gives them a platform to influence how the industry and society think about socialising.