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E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

Each year the Young Professionals Forum (YPS) is held concurrently with the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Forum in Brussels, Belgium. The Summit brings together a select group of young people, ranging in age from 18 to 35. The purpose is to dialogue about transatlantic relations from a “millennial” perspective. Over time, and with True Blue Inclusion’s counsel, a collective of these young people called the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network has evolved. Members come from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and takes time apart from others to reflect as a group.

The three days of intense and varied discussions produced a remarkable array of facts, ideas, opinions and conclu-sions. Three significant questions surfaced for examination:

• How can leaders remain diligent in the face of a rapidly changing workforce?• How can one maintain awareness of technology trends, regardless of sector, to stay on top of continu-

ous, inevitable digitization?• What will a more digitized, automated job market bring and mean for the world’s workforce?

The full exchange of dialogue around these three questions – and many others – is detailed and explored in this report.

YPSYoung Professionals Summit at the 11th Transatlantic ForumMarch 18–20, 2016, Brussels, Belgium

Hosted by The German Marshall Fund

The True Blue Inclusion Young Leader Value Framework

True Blue Inclusion actively encourages it member companies to nominate and send junior-level leaders to the Sum-mit. Individuals from Intel and EMC participated in 2016. The menu of positive values and experiences for people selected is substantial:

• Connect with a global network through break sessions and workshop activities.• Build knowledge of diversity and talent development abroad.• Gain insight on how to build a more inclusive and accommodating workplace.• Balance innovative thinking with realistic barriers in and outside the workplace.• Network with industry and government leaders from around the world.• Engage in discussions on leadership development for the future.

A hope is that this element of participation continues and expands in any and all upcoming Young Professional Sum-mit events.

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Preparing the workplace for emerging leadership

The first morning of the Young Professional Summit began with a panel spotlighting the refugee crisis in Europe before opening up to another panel that would appeal to any diversity professional. The second discourse of the day, called “Disrupting the Workplace: Investing In and Retaining Talent,” brought together a fairly mixed contingent of political, nonprofit and corporate leaders. The discussion was an examination of the workforce as it is now and the direction it will go in the future. The main question: what can we do now to shape an inclusive workforce for everyone in the future?

It began with Anne Marie Slaughter, President and CEO at the New America Foundation, who stated “our paradigm of the workforce is still industrial.” She explained that the transition to the industrial society was massive and that “the transformation…to the digital age will be just as large.” Slaughter further expanded, saying the industrial revolution made work a “place we go; in the future it will be a thing we do,” highlighting a shift in the importance of the long sought after work/life balance. This also highlighted the prevalence of teleworking in the future. One will no longer “need to be present for work.” It is Slaughter’s worry that this culture shift, along with a more automated workforce, will further leave underrepresented groups out of the picture, specifically women. It is her belief that efforts to keep women included and growing in the workforce will lead to greater diversity all around.

Slaughter also challenged the young people in the room to “think about working at the ages of 80 or 90.” As medical advancements continue to be made, the trend of an aging workforce will only continue. In the meantime, companies like Deloitte are focused on how to keep the large number of millennials in their offices engaged. “Talent is critical for us,” said Roger Dassen, Global Vice Chairman, Risk, Regulatory and Public Policy at Deloitte. There may be a grow-ing trend of very old employees but many “young people aren’t always planning to stay for life.” This new mindset and approach to career building requires fresh ways to engage millennial employees. This generation, which Dassen deemed “unique,” presents challenges in recruitment and retention. On top of that, “35% of jobs” that exist today won’t exist in the not-so-distant future. This also means traditional education systems are no longer viable, as they prepare students for disappearing jobs. Young professionals want to know that their work is in line with their values and is sustainable. Through surveys and leadership programs like Deloitte University, Deloitte is working to stay ahead of the trends and tendencies among their youngest workers.

After each panelist had an opportunity to introduce themselves, they dove into a discussion to further consider just how to “disrupt the workplace.” In Slaughter’s eyes, real workforce transformation begins at home. She believes that we have to “change the roles of men” as well as women to reach parity. There needs to be balance.

This shift is not really possible without mindfully made changes within organizations. “If you only have white men in a company, they’re looking for their own parallels,” said Said Abdu, Swedish Center-Right Liberal Party politician and a Member of the Swedish Parliament. Sweden’s government, however, is an example of an organization striving to bring gender balance. “Sweden is a front runner when it comes to diversity and inclusion,” the moderator, Madeleine Goerg, Program Officer at GMF, pointed out. Unfortunately, not many European nations have followed suit in being so purposeful in their gender parity goals. The U.S. is not excluded from this. And because the business world and gov-ernments have their own unique structures, one cannot necessarily take what Sweden has done and apply it to their organization.

As these changes are made, it is also imperative that all organizations prepare for a more technologically advanced workforce. These preparations need to ensure that, as jobs become more automated and the fields that are familiar to all disappear, that certain underrepresented groups do not also disappear completely from the workplace.

Diversity, Inclusion and Real World Practicality

The young participants were next asked to break out into smaller groups, joining workshops that they had chosen weeks in advance. True Blue Inclusion’s Principal, Carlton Yearwood, led a workshop on inclusive leadership with a group that had been administered the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to when they chose the session. He had the participants look first at the group’s overall assessment score before they looked at their own individual scores, but the workshop was focused on discussing the group’s results.

Yearwood opened up the workshop with a conversation on what diversity is and why it is important. All of the young people in the room came from nonprofits and government offices predominantly in Europe, with a few American representatives. Yearwood provided a unique perspective as an American from the private sector: “The idea of develop-ing intercultural competence is important at [True Blue Inclusion],” he explained. Then he challenged the group to consider the mono-cultural versus the intercultural mindset. The purpose of the IDI is to see which mindset a person, or in this case a group, leans more to. Before considering the results, Yearwood told the group that they could “not use it to make a decision about people” or oneself. The IDI is “about development” and encourages an attitude of growth rather than acceptance. The assessment allows people to hold a mirror to themselves with a critical eye. Now, the people in the group can compare their “perceived orientation” and their “developed orientation” and decide to ignore it or work on the elements that need growth. Understanding one’s reaction to differences can help in determining

Carlton Yearwood addresses breakout group, covering their group Inter-Cultural Development Inventory, IDI

how they will work within a diverse environment, what Yearwood terms “the mix.”

This exercise is a reminder that it is important to think beyond just diversifying the workplace. It is a bout utilizing “the mix” in a way that leads to cohesiveness and greater innovation. The work of unlearning bias and being adap-tive is not easy, but the rewards are great. One has to remember though, that the success of the diverse workspace depends on a mutual exchange. “It’s all about authenticity,” said Yearwood. If one allows others to be authentic and comfortable in sharing their ideas, everyone in the group can begin to have that same level of comfort and feel free to be themselves.

Trevor Gandy, Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Culture Officer at Chubb, participated in the opening presenta-tion adding, “[you] can’t have success without some level of inclusion.” The process of problem solving and brain-storming becomes more “complex” but it is a process that allows for the best ideas to come forth. “Perspective shar-ing across communities drives social change,” Gandy said. But how does one move past their biases, especially if they are based on personal experiences? One participant suggested that “we have to find ways to look back and forgive after negative experiences.” This is true, but does not negate the discrimination that takes places due to stereotypes or ignorance.

Concluding with an introduction into diversity, inclusion and the IDI, Yearwood began to explain the IDI a bit further be-fore discussing the results. The IDI examines a participant’s perceived orientation (how adaptable they think they are) and their developmental, or actual, orientation. Looking at the group results, there was a large gap between the two scores. One participant reacted to this revelation by saying that the group “may have a high, glowing idea of where things are in terms of inclusivity, [but] there’s a lot more to work on.” If this group of participants were working in the same office together, it would be highly beneficial to create a development plan. Although this is not the case, Yearwood had the larger group break into three smaller groups to create development plans for 30 minutes, to get a sense of what it meant to identify areas of growth and to take action.

When the groups came back together for a larger conversation, some of the insights and solutions that they came up with included:

• There needs to be “as many opinions to gain strength from as possible;”

• Being in the “learning mode” leads to more conversation but it takes time and practice to get there;

• It is important to actively engage people in conversation and to be an active listener;

• If possible “live in or immerse yourself in another language and culture;”

• Be aware of the importance of diversity and recognizing cultural differences’

• Find ways to integrate activities and actions to change behavior.

The results of the small group discussions pointed to an understanding of necessary internal and community work that needs to be done for all encompassing inclusivity. They also saw that this process could not be a quick fix which many organizations, both private and public, seek. This work is a long, challenging endeavor, but can be done with support and dedication.

With these realizations in mind, each participant paired off to talk with each other about their individual results before Yearwood closed the workshop and thanked everyone not only for participating, but for being very curious and engaged.

Rejoining the greater summit, everyone had an opportunity to get a glimpse of what each workshop covered. The other workshops included:

• “Amping up your empathy for decision making,” which introduced participants to design thinking, and the process of meeting a person where they are and empathizing with them to create solutions.

• “Building your public persona” challenged everyone to consider the differences between their public images and their personalities as well as their persona and their anima.

• The “Power Simulation” seemed like the most active workshop, and they recalled the simulated general election

that occurred despite many differences and arguing in the room.

A young American man spoke about the Power Simulation workshop saying “3 out of the 4 of us in the group were American, and though we may be the loudest, we’re not always the most qualified.” This realization joined many oth-ers, as each young professional was asked to consider how what they learned in the workshops could apply to their real lives.

The first full day of the Young Professional Summit concluded with a session called “Rethinking Strategies for a Changing Security Landscape.” The panelists discussed how current events were shaping tactics for the future. Panel-ist Ambassador Sorin Dumitru Ducaru, Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO, stated that “cyber defense is the fastest growing domain at NATO.” The demand for security in this space is very high and the needs are always changing as technological capabilities rapidly change. Leading in this development is the United States and it is because of this that panelist Julianne Smith suggested that “spreading U.S. capabilities and resources is important.” She also added that “the EU is at risk of unraveling” and that the American support should be utilized to prevent this from happening. Hanna Hopko, Head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament of Ukraine, expressed a desire for “more U.S. presence in Baltic States and the Ukraine.” This presence could create a strong front in the face of aggression from Russia, which threatens to weaken the European Union through control of the vulner-able Eastern states. Though professionals who monitor this aggression and the state of the EU are often hoping to be one step ahead of the enemy, Smith admitted that one “couldn’t think strategically” when planning because there is always a new event to disrupt carefully constructed plans. It is because of this that the EU seeks certainty in the alli-ance and military support of the U.S.

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2016

Trevor Gandy True Blue Inclusion member and Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Culture Officer at Chubb

The power to move the world forward

Day Two of the Young Professionals Summit began with a topic near and dear to the hearts of many D&I profession-als: innovation. The panel, titled “The Global Race for Innovation: the Tortoise and the Hare?” analyzed Transatlantic tactics to increase problem solving and productivity. Similar to Friday’s first panel, the focus was on the inevitable increase in the digitization of the workforce and the need for reform based on this trend.

Presently, there is a great imbalance in the potential for innovation as the “brain drain” from Europe to the U.S. con-tinues. With that drain of intelligence, capital is also drained and that is bad for the EU’s economy. But the U.S. sells it-self, as it always has, as the land of opportunity. This “phenomenal marketing” still works, to the detriment of the EU.

This highlights a great deal of internal work that needs to be done in Europe to increase investment in “innovation, education and infrastructure.” What investment is done in Europe is not always supporting Europeans. As Videesha Kunkulagunta, Principal at Redstone Digital pointed out, “Berlin has a soft spot for U.S. investors.” How can the same level of trust and confidence be given to and from European investors? When it comes to investing, Europeans are not always quick to the draw. Kunkulagunta added “It’s difficult if money goes into entrepreneurship with true under-standing of the market.” So European investors can be very cautious and this can provide an opening for American investors to swoop in and take advantage of a profitable opportunity. This is not always the case, but the successes of U.S. investors in this scenario mean lost profit and growth opportunities for Europe.

In order to remedy this, European markets need to be more future oriented. As mentioned earlier, investment in education and infrastructure could make a huge difference. But now is the time to also invest in building a workforce that can easily adapt with advancing technology.

The panel gave way to a Question & Answer session. Setting the tone, the second panelist stated “If I compare Europe to the U.S., in the U.S. people believe tomorrow will be better and in the EU we believe our best day was yesterday. That’s why we heavily regulate,” and that heavy regulation is also a key factor in the low investment and innovation across Europe. “Small companies are the future; let’s not strangle them,” the panelists added, citing the U.S.’s startup culture as a prime example of this.

Dr. James Manyika, Director of McKinsey Global Institute, encouraged the attendees to consider Silicon Valley instead of allowing policy and regulation to hinder small businesses and startups in Europe. The companies there “engage quite proactively with policy makers,” he said. Building this relationship can help in driving innovation so that there are no surprises when it comes to regulation, and so that policymakers are aware of the products and technology that companies want to distribute.

It is clear that a culture shift is needed in the EU in order to maintain economic strength in the future. A culture shift that has been frighteningly apparent is “the rise of populism,” or right-wing rhetoric and organizing, highlighted by a participant. They also added that “we want more surveillance” when it comes to fighting terrorism abroad, but “we close on ourselves” and fail to properly monitor the potential for more homegrown terrorist activity. Panelists and participants went on to discuss how “aristocratic” the environment in Europe can be, maintaining hierarchies that keep strict class divisions and how “rigid” establishments like schools can be, making it difficult to build a culture where innovation is celebrated.

Diversity and inclusion drive innovation, and it is clear that focusing on this could be of great benefit to European companies. At the same time, a number of underlying issues also need to be addressed, and building a culture of creativity, openness and innovation could be a project that the EU undertakes with the support of U.S. companies and organizations.

Identifying Hopes, Frustrations and Realities

The next panel provided an opportunity for the young professionals to hear from their peers. Earlier in the day, the Summit participants voted on people that they wanted to hear from and those with the highest votes participated in a moderated panel called “Engaging a New Generation of Transatlanticists to Think the Unthinkable.” Moderated

by Nik Gowing from the BBC, the panel was actually based on an article titled “Think the Unthinkable” that he had written and asked YPS participants to read. He started off by declaring that “every day is an overwhelming day,” citing the increasing prevalence of cybersecurity, invasions and wars. He wanted to get a sense of how young leaders think about the world’s most pressing issues and what they plan to do as they become more established in their careers. Gowing introduced the panel topic by asking “what’s your problem?” using research to discuss the frustration that young, bright leaders have with “conform[ing] to get to the top.” This frustration is warranted, as in this age of rapid change, “conformity that gets you qualified to get to the top is now the conformity that makes you disqualified to work in this new normal.” Though innovation was not a key word used in this introduction, Gowing certainly implied in his statement “conformity often allows solutions to whither rather than grow.” Along the lines of the workshop hosted by Carlton Yearwood, this revelation implied the importance of authenticity as well. It is no longer productive or profitable to encourage rising leaders to mold themselves into mini versions of the current leaders in organiza-tions. This continued trend, this push to maintain comfort and a status quo, are what lead once highly esteemed companies to “die a slow death.”

Gowing pointed to three areas to be discussed during the panel:

1. The need to think differently and be bold about it

2. Examining a new state of war

3. Countering arrogance and ignorance in thinking about the unthinkable

With these three posits to the panel, he began the discussion. Erwan Katter, Chief of Staff at Meridiam Infrastructure in Paris, was not interested in continuing the “narrative” of innovation that was prevalent during most of the discus-sions. Said Katter, “we should be looking at what’s happening to the people suffering from the effects of this growth and innovation.” Growth and progress are not processes that naturally lead to an equal distribution of opportunities unless they are purposely developed to be more inclusive. When talking about innovation, does the discussion indi-cate innovation that benefits everyone?

Creating pathways to opportunities in the face of great change requires extensive planning and solid leadership. Sarah Anthony, Commissioner of Wayne County in Michigan’s 3rd district, began saying “If you’re a good leader, you can adapt to those things,” or be flexible in times of change with a willingness to take action. She pointed to the ineffec-tiveness of leaders in Flint, MI as an example of what not to do. “There was someone at some level who said “some-thing is wrong with the water” Anthony said, “and arrogance kept a solution from happening.” Now the failure of leadership in Flint is recognized internationally and people in the community continue to pay the price.

The conversation continued, highlighting frustrations with the ways in which companies and organizations are functioning. In the opinion of many of the room, it seems that those established in these organizations are fixed on the present and on continuing with the status quo, while technology is rapidly changing the way that the world works. “Most companies are not equipped to address the speediness of this event,” panelist Karlijn Jans, Chair of the Dutch Atlantic Youth Association, said in regards to the fast innovation. While many organizations are thinking about change in terms of their products and how they market them, Jans suggested that everyone “should think about reforming so our institutions are ready to address current and future events.” David Lowe, another panelists and MPA Candidate at the London School of Economics, agreed saying that institutions are “really hanging on and trying to convince [them]selves that the methods of the past will work” in the future. He added that this was especially the case for more rigid organizations like banks.

Many others of the young attendees opened up, expressing anger about the current situations in Europe like right wing populism and the refugee crisis, which they said was due to “leaders fail[ing] by not preparing for such…cri-ses.” Other participants, while sympathetic to this frustration, cautioned everyone to be thoughtful when it came to addressing those in power. “If we want to be engaged, we have to be careful with the language we use,” they said. There were others who pointed out that it was easier said than done for a person to hold on to the ideals they had when entering the workforce, and as they climb to leadership. It can be very easy to get comfortable. Another attendee added that “Not all millennials are cut from the same cloth…young people in leadership don’t always create forward-thinking solutions.” In the end, it is these generalizations that can create some of gridlock in intergenerational com-munication.

The heated panel ended with a reminder that critical discussions are needed amongst and between those in power and those looking to become leaders. On a very practical note, one of the young leaders stated “we need to be realistic about how much we have to assimilate to systems in place, and it’s easy to say we’ll change everything,” but more often than not it just doesn’t happen. This of course did nothing to diminish the passion or drive anyone in the room had to make real, lasting changes, but it was a reminder that there would have to be a great deal of diligence to push past traditional barriers.

While the larger YPS group had a break before the next panel, the TILN participants stayed in the room to reflect on what they had heard so far and apply it to the work they are doing. David John facilitated the group, beginning by saying that there is “a lot of new knowledge here, and a lot of power. He asked everyone to create “one week” and “one year” goals. After taking some time to write them down, each person was asked to share them. Some of the goals were:

• Be brave

• Run for office

• Bring more Native [Americans] to this event

• Create an inclusive meet-up in electorate

• Get more involved in organizations

• Set up exchange between women in Europe, the U.S. and Africa

• U.S/U.K. Election team to keep Trump out of office

• Connect the TILN network with other networks

As each goal was read, the group gave affirmation in some way to everyone, through words and sounds. Johns wrapped up the circle by reminding everyone to recognize their own talent, utilize the network and “be kind” to themselves. He then gave the TILN participants an opportunity to share their own words of encouragement. The first person cited what he had learned during Carlton Yearwood’s workshop the day before, saying “I’ll be true to myself, and I know you’ll also be true to yourselves.” More participants offered uplifting statements before Johns invited the True Blue Inclusion team to offer their own words of encouragement. Catherine Smith, CEO of True Blue Inclusion, began saying “support each other and make each other laugh.” Carlton Yearwood followed, reminding everyone not to “forget what it was like to be ignorant and don’t forget what it’s like to be hungry.” Lastly, Roz said “Leadership is about decisions” and “most decisions are made in collaboration with other leaders who make decisions.”

With these words in mind, the TILN group and all the YPS participants headed over to the site of the Brussels Forum to listen in on the final sessions of the day.

Riding the waves of inevitable transformation

The YPS attendees made their way to the Steigenberger Hotel to participate in Saturday’s final Brussels Forum ses-sion. Called “Technology and Digital Transformation,” it was opened by a Dr. James Manyika, who had spoken during one of the earlier YPS panels. He set the tone, giving the audience a sense of what the future workforce will look like. He encouraged everyone to think about what the biggest shift will be and where it will happen. Dr. Manyika highlight-ed six key shifts that have happened and that are to be expected:

• Shift East and South: how the centers of economic power began in Central Asia, shifted to Europe and the Americas, and are now returning back to Asia, as well as Africa and Latin America

• Shift to cities as engines of growth: cities are currently considered in terms of livability when their needs to be more of a focus on their rising role in economic growth

• The shift from young to old: aging and its impact on the global labor supply, productivity and growth

• Shift to a larger and different consuming class: rapid growth of consumption, especially in developing regions

• Shift to a more digital economy: there is a wide gap between sectors of economies that are already very digi-tized and those that are not; it’s only getting larger as time goes on

• The shift to digital globalization: an evolved version of traditional globalization, this is a rapid, electronic ex-change of culture, information and goods (e-commerce)

Similar to earlier conversations that the YPS participants took part in, this conversation is a speculation on what the state of the global workforce will be as technology advances and jobs become more automated. It is already happen-ing, so the time to think about how society needs to adjust is now.

After taking time to elaborate on each of these different shifts, Dr. Manyika asked the audience to share which ones they think will be “the most challenging to navigate.” The top two were:

1. Greater gender parity

2. Shift from young to old

There was a tie between three other categories in third place. This concern in regards to gender and age within the changing workforce is a reflection of the conversations that the young professionals had at their own sessions. With this in mind, the panel on the topic of “Technology and Digital Transformation” began and Steve Clemmons, Editor-at-Large at The Atlantic, moderating. He once again brought up the recurring belief that there was a great deal of “resis-tance” to the digital revolution in Europe. In response to this indication of fear or uncertainty, Carlo D’Asaro Biondo, President of EMEA Strategic Relationships at Google, was adamant that this was the wrong view to take, saying that “it is what we make of technology that matters, not the technology itself.” It needs to be treated as something that can be used effectively to create positive change, something that people have control of. Those who openly embrace digitization find themselves at a great advantage. Their willingness to innovate and connect will only put them at the forefront of the changing economy. Said Biondo, “technology…allows sectors to merge and blur.” This collaboration will transform the workforce in a way that has never been seen before. As was stated many times throughout the day, many young people are preparing for jobs that will no longer exist by the time they join the labor force. This merging is a signal of that impending reality.

How can diversity leaders prepare for such a shift? By being proactive and creating plans for their organizations with this transformation in mind. There will have to be a new vision of inclusiveness in the not-so-distant future. To gain some insight on what this might look like, Clemmons invited Rosalind Hudnell, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Intel and the young professional she had nominated to join her, Linda Qian, Executive Communications Manager for the Corporate Affairs Group at Intel, to speak. “We’re having a very privileged conversation,” said Hudnell. “There are millions who don’t have access” to the technology that is needed to advance. This is a reminder that, especially for D&I leaders, that pipelines are not likely to develop in underrepresented communities if they don’t have the resources to succeed. There needs to be a focus on investment in those communities. Qian added “if we don’t close the gap in tech, we won’t be successful.” It’s not unusual for people in the field of diversity to have an eye towards the future. This is how they will ensure that the same people who are typically left behind in such progress get a fair chance.

While this may seem daunting, it’s still a hopeful approach compared to the dismal futuristic illustrations of a large workforce and very few jobs available. “There will be jobs,” said Clemens Betzel, Head of Government Affairs Europe at Siemens, “if we do our job right and we move out of the old industries and embrace the new.” Now more than ever, nations need to push forward towards greater digitization or risk being left behind. This spur towards the future will most likely be led by companies. The President of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, stated from the audience that “the European environment is hindering progress in the digital world.” This is causing a great deal of alarm, especially amongst young people who are concerned about their futures. It may be these same young people who usher along Europe into the digital age and keep them amongst the world’s most competitive economies.

With these thoughts in mind, the session closed and the participants broke into groups to attend different dinners that had more intimate and detailed discussions. One of these dinners, hosted by Hudnell, focused on what can be done to get youth interested in the STEM fields.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2016

The last day of the Brussels Forum included all of the YPS participants along with the other attendees. The final day is a half day, meant to encourage participation and insight from a more intergenerational audience.

The session, called “Degrade and Destroy: Countering Terror Abroad,” took place in the tense atmosphere of Brussels, a city with the highest number of ISIS recruits. Salah Abdul Salam, one of the shooters during the November 2015 Paris attack, had just been captured by police not too far from where the Forum was being held on Friday. Because of this, the discussion began with an update on the situation, and the assurance that the man was in custody and set to be interrogated.

While these conversations usually take a more militaristic bent, this one was more focused on the reasons why young people all over Europe are attracted to terrorist groups like ISIS and how to stem the tide early. It’s “not sufficient to just use military and intelligence to fight terrorism,” said Didier Reynders, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister for the Kingdom of Belgium. “We need a comprehensive approach.” The panelists also contemplated how to build trust with communities where these young people are coming from. One suggestion Reynders had was to “work with local Imams in Europe” as well as with “Muslim celebrities.” He added that “Islam is being hijacked by a group based in hate and exclusion.” The question is how does one build trust in immigrant and minority neighbor-hoods in their countries? On a bigger note, what is being done to help members of these communities feel included every day? While there are those who feel comfortable being amongst those who reflect their language and culture, it is no secret that many of the people who are not native to these European nations, or who are first generation chil-dren, feel isolated. This isolation can breed the anger and lost sense of identity that drives people to extremism.

While data and its use have been a large part of the discussions at the Forum, it’s important to note that technology has been a driving force for terrorist groups. It has proven difficult to make headway with so much to work and few resources to interpret or de-code the information. “How do we take out the one [piece] of data that we need?” asked General Gratien Maire, France’s Vice Chief of Defense. In the end, the panelists agreed that the best approach now is the most humanitarian one, which could also turn out to be the most preventive one as well.

A slight shift in the topic and panelists allowed the participants to delve more into the ways to address terrorism in their nations. The real issue according to the new group, is “bringing young people together and engaging with them.” Farah Pandith, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relation stated that “1/4 of the world is Muslim.” At the same time, Muslims leaving in regions where Islam is not the dominant religion are finding themselves in the midst of an identity crisis. Though much of the focus has been on Europe, where the connections between communi-ties there and ISIS are deeper and closer, this is certainly an international issue. “The U.S. has struggled to find tools to engage communities that need help [as well as] the young people living in them,” said Nick Rasmussen, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. “We understand the problem, we just need a toolkit.” The important thing to remember is that working in underserved and isolated communities, regardless of the reason, must be done in a collaborative way. Working to understand the issue from residents’ point of view is the best way to start. From a D&I point of view, Jean-Louis Bruguière, the former Head of the Counterterrorism Section in the Paris High Court, remind-ed everyone that one “cannot make a neighborhood without a mix of people.” This mix of people is not just ethnicity or race, as is typically the foundational thought, but also a mix of generations. It is young people who are more often being swept into this extremism. They are “connected to the world,” said Bruguière and therefore are connected to the ideas that appeal to them and their low sense of self. “We need to open the mind of young people,” he added. But how does one do that in a way that also lets them know that they belong? Can work be done to benefit Western nations who feel threatened by terrorism while also, genuinely, making sure that young people from all different backgrounds feel welcomed and safe in their home countries? This will need to be tackled, and sooner rather than later. This is a job that experts in diversity and inclusion can address both in the private and public sectors.

The Brussels Forum closed out on a hopeful note despite the topic, and GMF President Karen Donfried, acknowledged all who had helped make the event possible before thanking all of the participants.

What’s next?

Since the last Brussels Forum in 2015, True Blue Inclusion had been working closely with the German Marshall Fund to start an experimental initiative the following year. Many of the participants at last year’s YPS were pleased to have the private sector perspective on diversity that True Blue Members Trevor Gandy, Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Culture Officer at Chubb; Rosalind Hudnell; and Janice Little, Vice President, Diversity and Inclusion at McKes-son, brought to their discussions. True Blue Inclusion CEO Catherine Smith was eager to take this a step further, inviting Members to select young, up and coming leaders in their companies. Both Hudnell and Jackie Glenn, VP, Global Chief Diversity Officer at EMC, selected young professionals to join them this year. Linda Qian, mentioned as a commenter during one of the second day panels, and Calli Pappas, an HR Business Representative at EMC. Rather than going through the application process as all YPS attendees must do, these two young women were selected by promi-nent leaders in their companies to add their voices to the conversation.

In connecting with the women after the Forum, both heartily agreed that this experience was invaluable. Qian admit-ted that she had “no expectations” prior to attending the Summit, and that she “knew [she] wasn’t going to be the primary audience, but still appreciated the experience.” Pappas had similar thoughts, saying that many people “get caught up in [their] own work” and many are working in “global companies” with “no global context.” She believes that an experience like this is necessary for young professionals from the private sector, especially if they plan to work in an international capacity. Both Qian and Pappas were excited to get insight on the world that was very differ-ent from what they encounter in their everyday work. The policy-based conversations, while not familiar to either of them, were very interesting to them and they were able to make connections between what was discussed and the work that they do. But they also viewed it as a mutual exchange. Said Pappas, there were “a lot of people in the world of politics, but corporations have a lot impact” as well. Because of this, she and Qian believe that more young people from the business world should attend the Summit.

While their experiences were positive overall, Qian and Pappas both felt that more preparation would be helpful and that connecting with the other private sector attendees in advance of YPS could help them build a more supportive contingent. Though one had “found the YPS very welcoming” and appreciative of her corporate insights, the other “found it difficult to build relationships” with the other young professionals who seemed to know each other or have much more to connect on.

With these reflections in mind, the True Blue team is determined to continue working with GMF to strengthen and grow this initiative so other young, private sector professionals can participate in the Young Professionals Summit. For next year, working with Members to select up –and-coming leaders earlier will be crucial, so that they can connect and build relationship before attending. There will also be a more formal and structured preparation process so that chosen attendees feel ready to contribute.