Technology can amplify impact, connection, and accessibility.
In the ongoing human effort to align technological power with planetary responsibility, a cohort of young global leaders gathered at Samsung's headquarters in South Korea to explore how innovation might serve the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. The visit, rooted in a five-year partnership between Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme, offered these changemakers rare access to executive dialogue, collaborative workshops, and the tools that might amplify their work across borders. It is a quiet but significant reminder that the distance between aspiration and impact is often bridged not by resources alone, but by the relationships and knowledge exchanged between generations and institutions.
- Young leaders from across the world converged on Samsung Digital City in Suwon with a shared urgency: the Sustainable Development Goals are falling behind, and technology may be one of the few levers still moving fast enough to help.
- The week crackled with tension between corporate scale and grassroots purpose, as participants pushed Samsung executives to think beyond product design toward genuine social impact.
- Workshops on AI, digital inclusion, and the Samsung Global Goals app became live laboratories where youth voices shaped the direction of tools already reaching millions.
- An innovation sprint alongside local entrepreneurs and students transformed abstract ideals into prototype thinking, grounding global ambitions in immediate, local realities.
- By the final days in Seoul, something less tangible but equally important had formed — a renewed sense of collective identity among the fifth cohort, now one year strong and carrying shared stories onto the world stage.
In May, a group of Generation17 young leaders traveled to Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea, for a week-long immersion into how Galaxy technology might accelerate progress on global sustainability goals. The visit marked a meaningful chapter in the program's history — a partnership launched in 2020 between Samsung and the UNDP to connect young changemakers with technology, mentorship, and networks capable of scaling their impact.
Across Samsung Digital City, participants moved through executive conversations, interactive sessions, and hands-on workshops. Topics ranged from Galaxy for the Planet and Samsung's brand philosophy to the future of artificial intelligence. A dedicated session on the Samsung Global Goals app invited participants to imagine how the tool could grow in reach and effectiveness. Efe Johnson, one of the young leaders present, described technology as something with infinite possibilities — already central to his advocacy work and essential to storytelling, education, and human connection across borders.
The program extended beyond corporate walls. In collaboration with UNDP, Generation17 members joined an accelerated innovation sprint with local entrepreneurs, students, and innovators, tackling challenges in digital inclusion, equity, and sustainability. Soumya Dabriwal noted that the Samsung-UNDP partnership stood apart from others she had encountered — a cross-sector collaboration that genuinely filled her with hope. José Francisco Ochoa reflected that the visit had deepened his understanding not just of what Samsung builds, but of the values and long-term thinking that drive it.
The week closed in Seoul with cultural visits, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, and quiet reflection on the cohort's first anniversary. Rahaf Abu Mayyaleh spoke to what it meant to carry Generation17's voice to a global platform — representing not only her own community, but the collective work of young people striving to demonstrate that youth-led solutions can move the world meaningfully closer to its shared goals.
In May, a group of young leaders from Generation17 made the journey to Samsung's headquarters in Suwon, South Korea, to spend a week exploring how the company's Galaxy technology could accelerate progress toward global sustainability goals. The visit represented a milestone for Generation17 itself—a program launched in 2020 through a partnership between Samsung and the United Nations Development Programme—designed to give young changemakers access to technology, mentorship, and networking opportunities that could help amplify their work and solutions.
The week unfolded across Samsung Digital City with a mix of interactive sessions, executive conversations, and hands-on workshops. Young leaders engaged directly with Samsung leadership to discuss how technology could contribute to building a more sustainable future. Sessions focused on themes like Galaxy for the Planet, Samsung's brand philosophy, and the future of artificial intelligence. A dedicated workshop explored the Samsung Global Goals app—a tool designed to strengthen awareness, engagement, and measurable impact—with participants offering ideas for how the application could evolve.
Efe Johnson, one of the Generation17 members present, reflected on what the experience meant. He described technology as a tool with infinite possibilities, one capable of amplifying impact, connection, and accessibility. He had already seen its importance in his own advocacy work and expected it would remain fundamental to storytelling, community building, education, and cross-border human connection. José Francisco Ochoa, another participant, said the visit deepened his understanding of Samsung's vision around innovation, sustainability, and social impact—not just what the company creates, but the values, people, culture, and long-term thinking that drive it.
Beyond the corporate sessions, Generation17 members collaborated with the UNDP on practical innovation work. They participated in a youth engagement session and an accelerated innovation sprint alongside local innovators, entrepreneurs, and students. The focus was on developing technological solutions to challenges in digital inclusion, sustainability, and equity. Soumya Dabriwal, a Generation17 member, emphasized the importance of understanding different perspectives, noting that the Samsung-UNDP partnership was one of the most distinctive cross-sector collaborations she had encountered—one that filled her with hope and inspiration.
The week concluded in Seoul with cultural experiences, including a visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace where participants dressed in traditional Korean clothing. The trip also marked the first anniversary of the fifth cohort of Generation17 leaders, creating space for new connections, knowledge exchange, and reflection on the community's future. Rahaf Abu Mayyaleh, representing Generation17, spoke about what it meant to carry the program's voice to a global platform—not only representing her own work and community, but the collective impact built so far and the challenges facing young people worldwide. She framed the opportunity as a chance to share stories and solutions while demonstrating how youth-led initiatives could drive meaningful change toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Notable Quotes
Technology can amplify impact, connection, and accessibility. I've already seen its importance in my work and know it will remain fundamental to storytelling, community building, and cross-border connection.— Efe Johnson, Generation17 member
The Samsung-UNDP partnership is one of the most distinctive cross-sector collaborations I have encountered, and it fills me with hope and inspiration.— Soumya Dabriwal, Generation17 member
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made this particular visit different from other corporate engagement programs for young leaders?
Generation17 isn't just a one-off event or a PR exercise. It's been running since 2020 with the UNDP, which means there's institutional continuity and real commitment to follow-through. The young leaders who went to Korea weren't there to be impressed—they were there to collaborate, to offer feedback on tools like the Samsung Global Goals app, and to work alongside executives who actually listened.
The innovation sprint sounds practical. What were they actually trying to solve?
Digital inclusion, sustainability, and equity—the real problems their communities face. They weren't workshopping abstract ideas. They were working with local innovators and entrepreneurs to develop technological solutions to concrete challenges. That's the difference between inspiration and actual change.
Why does the cross-sector partnership between Samsung and the UNDP matter so much to these young leaders?
Because it signals something rare: a tech company and a UN agency actually working together, not just talking about working together. When Soumya Dabriwal calls it one of the most distinctive collaborations she's seen, she's recognizing that most partnerships are surface-level. This one has teeth. It gives young leaders real resources and real platforms.
Did the cultural experience—the palace visit, the traditional clothing—feel like window dressing, or was it integral?
It was the exhale. A week of intensive sessions, executive conversations, and innovation work is demanding. The cultural immersion in Seoul gave them space to process, to connect as a cohort, and to mark the anniversary of their generation. It wasn't separate from the work; it was part of how they built community.
What's the actual measure of success here? Is it just that they felt inspired?
No. Success is whether they return to their communities with stronger networks, clearer understanding of how technology scales impact, and concrete ideas they can implement. The Samsung Global Goals app feedback they provided will shape the tool's future. That's measurable. That's real.