Santo Stefano Summit 2021
For one week in 2021, impassioned youth and future change-makers from all over the world came together for the first Santo Stefano Summit. The summit was held on the historic Italian islands of Ventotene and Santo Stefano, off the coast of Naples. This independent conference is organized and run entirely by students. The purpose of this event is simple: With so much to fear in the world, with so much to fight for and to change, the Santo Stefano Summit convenes youth with the ambition to make the world a better, more just place. After a beautiful week full of debates, lectures, espresso, group discussions, music, and new friends, the 2021 Santo Stefano Summit (July 27th – August 3rd) came to a close. All told, our 60-strong group welcomed 18 elite speakers. To everyone involved—the speakers, the participants, the cooking team and organizing staff, the generous Ventotene locals—we give our biggest thanks.
The summit topics focused on a select few global priorities that will continue to characterize the next 50 years, as our generation comes into its own as activists, policymakers, artists, and educators across the world. Participants debated amongst one another and shared their experience and knowledge while having the chance to hear from world-renowned speakers and panels—including ambassadors, UN officials, NGO leaders, grassroots activists, academics, and more. The conference culminated in the drafting of nuanced, collaborative solutions to our conference topics. These solutions were proposed as “manifestos,” documents that follow in the footsteps of the 1941 Ventotene Manifesto—our flagship inspiration—which outlined a revolutionary vision for a federalist Europe. It is in this pluralistic spirit that we join together on Ventotene to prepare for a better tomorrow. We hope to organize the conference again in the Summer of 2023.
Head to our website to learn more about the Santo Stefano Summit. We are now welcoming collaborations for Summer 2023. Please feel free to reach out to us with any ideas, concerns, or questions.
