The Event - The Project

’Challenge the Best’ is an initiative by the Student Union of the business school University of St. Gallen. ’Challenge the Best’ is a forum bringing together the most brilliant students from all over Europe with personalities of outmost excellence and expertise: the Best. The model of thoroughly prepared students challenging guest experts, results in productive inter-generational workshops – the likes hardly seen at any other student forum. The outcome will be specific action lines addressing sustainable solutions for global challenges.

The Topic

The topic for 2010 is “Climate Change and Social Order - Evolution or Revolution” more specifically looking into the question:

“How can we increase world society’s ability to adapt to climate change in order to moderate potential societal damage and take advantage of social, political and economic opportunities?”

The Students

For our 40 student seats we received applications from almost all the top universities in Europe – illustrating a clear demand for this kind of initiatives and the urge of young students to act. The applicants are from 21 different countries, 49 different universities and hold 39 different nationalities. Among our expert guests we have two Nobel Laureates, a holder of the World Food Prize, a climate scientist considered a world authority on his field and an successful entrepreneur and politician (read more here).

Initiators

The event is an initiative by the Student Union of the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, with great contribution from Ambassador Walter Fust, former Director of the Swiss Agency of Development Cooperation.

The Student Union is proud to welcome our honourable guests and 40 of the most talented students from Europe, to an intense and in-depth discussion on the topic Climate Change and Social Order on May 17th 2010.

Preparation Seminar

A vital aspect of the initiative is that all students in the program will be involved in intense preparation prior to the 17th May. After the introduction and keynote speeches, the participants will be divided into small groups containing around eight students and one expert each. Subsequently the findings of the workshops will be presented and discussed in a public panel debate.