Millbrae Woman Returns from Global Youth Conference

Seren Pendleton-Knoll, 24, returned from a world conference in Switzerland invigorated to start helping young people in San Mateo County.

The second annual One Young World Summit featured dozens of speakers and over a thousand youth leaders from all over the world to discuss remedies to socioeconomic, environmental and political problems.

“I’m hoping to start a social business that’s employing and housing at-risk street youth,” Pendleton-Knoll said.

She is currently the program coordinator at Star Vista, a nonprofit that helps over 34,000 young people and families in San Mateo County.

At the conference, she was particularly influenced by The Grameen Creative Lab, a company that funds entrepreneurs in developing countries. She feels giving young people the opportunity to start a viable business empowers them more than just receiving assistance.

“It creates a sustainable system,” she said. “You teach individuals how to do the work, and then they’re working themselves instead of just giving them money or a product.”

For example, she wants to help secure loans for youth-run businesses, such as restaurants and cafes. Not only will young adults learn on-the-job skills, but this will also combat the high unemployment rate among foster youth in the county, she said. 

She also wants to open a center for youth over 18 in San Mateo County, as only San Francisco and San Jose currently have one.

In addition to some of the keynote speakers that impacted Pendleton-Knoll, such as Nobel prize winner Desmond Tutu, who opposed South African apartheid in the 1980’s, there were several young people that inspired her.  A Ugandan young man, Opwonya Innocent, is now running for president of his country after spending most of his life evading mercenaries that forced him into the military as an 11-year-old. And, another 16-year-old Canadian boy raised $600,000 for youth musicians.

Pendleton-Knoll now realizes she can make a difference regardless of whether she has an advanced degree, although she still wishes to enroll at UC Berkeley this fall to pursue a Ph.D. in social work as well as a law degree.

She plans on attending the One Young World Summit again next year, which will be held in Pittsburg, Pa. 

For photos of the conference, check out Pendleton-Knoll’s Album