- The global advocacy organisation for international education, Made Impact, will host an inaugural summit at the United Nations in New York on September 1, 2026
- The two day event will also include a Storyteller Day at Ellis Island on 31 August 2026
- The aim is to champion international education as the world’s best strategy for achieving human potential, economic prosperity, and long-term peace
- Confirmed speakers include financial journalist Erin Burnett, activist Eliza Reid, producer Deepak Ramoka, actors Denim Richards and April Hernandez, and Nobel Prize laureate Jerry White.
The PIE recently reported on the launch of Made Impact’s Million Stories campaign igniting a global push for a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
The organisation has now announced a two-day event in New York that aims to transition the international education and exchange sector from a fragmented industry into a unified coalition, as momentum builds behind the campaign.
The summit will take place on August 31 and September 1, 2026, and will be structured around the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education (SDG4), decent work and economic growth (SDG8), peace and justice (SDG16), and partnerships (SDG17).
The event will bring together leaders, policymakers, and young storytellers as part of a collaborative campaign to amplify the economic and social impact of international education and exchange.
The lineup also includes a storyteller day on the iconic Ellis Island, focusing on onboarding a cohort of global youth to lead Made Impact’s mission to collect one million stories of exchange.
Actors and communication coaches including April Hernandez and Denim Richards, will train participants to capture, upload, and recruit digital stories about the transformative power of studying abroad.
The aim is to establish a baseline approach to successfully showcasing the impact of international experiences in shaping personal identity and confidence, before the cohort discusses global initiatives at the United Nations.
“For too long, the international education and exchange sector has been quiet, fragmented, and overly modest, which has ultimately limited its global influence,” said Chris Arnold, founder of Made Impact.
“We are convening at the United Nations to change that narrative. By establishing a unified coalition, we want to make it clear to policymakers and philanthropists alike that international exchange is not a luxury, it is the world’s best strategy for achieving human potential, economic prosperity, and long-term peace.”
We are convening at the United Nations to change that narrative
Chris Arnold, Made Impact
The delegation will learn about the success of the Origin 100 project, a shared-history initiative documenting the post-WWII roots of international exchange to provide modern context for its necessity.
Other confirmed speakers include author and activist Eliza Reid and producer Deepak Ramoka, who will be advocating for the human potential to champion change, including rebranding the term soft skills with the phrase ‘power skills’ in a bid to more accurately reflect international learner’s leadership qualities.
Financial journalist Erin Burnett will talk to delegates about positioning international education as vital economic infrastructure that drives global trade, trust, and talent acquisition.
By Bringing together notable figures across diplomacy, global education, and international exchange, the summit programme aims to address the historical and structural challenges facing the sector.
The outcomes, data, and mandates established during the New York event will form a 12-month operational framework, carrying forward into the next coalition milestone in Rome, 2027, with the long term goal remainsing to position international education and exchange as a primary long-term strategy for global peace and stability, with the potential to achieve a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
Details about Made Impact, the inaugural summit and the founding partners can be found here.
