The latest IWA YWP Get-Together held on 28 July 2021 focused on the Next Generation Water Action initiative brought by DTU. During this event, IWA discussed about the NGWA mentorship activities and had inspiring conversations about shifting perspectives and turning challenges in the water sector into opportunities. More specifically, the event focused on themes such as cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration, and ways to improve gender and geographical inclusivity in the water industry.

Inspired by IWA’s World Water Congress, DTU’s Next Generation Water Action established a collaboration with our Association in 2020, inviting a number of IWA Young Water Professionals to support their initiative as mentors and guides for younger peers. Over 100 junior mentees from Kenya, Ghana, Republic of Korea, India, Mexico and Denmark joined NGWA, involving participants from both academic and entrepreneurial backgrounds. IWA Emerging Water Leaders Steering Committee representatives were invited to bring their leadership, expertise, and know-how to mentor and guide younger peers through the existing challenges in the water sector.

Encouraged and energized by their active participation in this initiative, IWA Water Leaders, Inês Breda,  Pabel Cervantes-Avilés,  Niti Jadeja , Jacob Amengor decided to organize YWP Get-Together to gather with their IWA YWP peers, who are promising researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs, to share their valuable experience, observations and inspire others to take action in mentoring opportunities inside and outside of IWA. Moderated by  Emily Ryan and Ayman Saber, the online discussion took place on 28 July and brought together 49 international delegates.

Thanks to this event, younger participants were able to change their perspective, turning challenges onto opportunities, and applying innovative solutions, which emerged from a collective discussion. To find out more about the participants, their discussions and insights shared during the YWP Get Together on Next Generation Water Action, you can watch the video of the event here  and read the finals summary here.

During the event, Ines Breda, IWA Water Leader from Denmark commented: The network that we build today, is the network we’ll have access to tomorrow.”

The IWA community brings together exemplary water professionals who are determined to grow and create innovative solutions for a water wise world. IWA Young Water Professionals are passionate about their continuous development and are constantly trying to improve global and gender inclusivity and upscale multidisciplinary collaboration in the water sector. Join IWA Connect for free or learn more about the membership benefits and opportunities of joining IWA!