2010 Citizen Ambassadors
Adetoye Oremosu, Nigeria
Adetoye Oremosu, 32, is from Nigeria. His passion is to see Africa become a first-world continent in his lifetime. Since his first year in University, 15 years ago, he has been involved with and started several youth groups preaching the message of self-development and social change.
He is the author of the book “How to get your dream job: a strategic guide” which he wrote to help Nigerian graduates navigate the tough job market and to see themselves more as job creators rather than job seekers.
In September 2010, a panel of judges at the United Nations selected Adetoye’s Youtube video as one of the winning entries for the Citizen Ambassador video-contest. The first African ever to win this contest, his video expressed concern for the dysfunctional educational system in Nigeria and its consequent negative impact on the Nigerian economy.
Adetoye is an Electrical and Electronics Engineer from Nigeria’s premier University, University of Ibadan and has had several years experience in the Nigerian IT industry. He is also a speaker and writer. He will be completing his Master’s degree with Nigeria’s foremost media school, the School of Media and Communication, Pan African University in 2011.
Watch Adetoye's winning video entry below:
Mansour Albadran, Saudi Arabia
Mansour Albadran, 18, is a filmmaker from Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
He started making short and documentary films in 2008 and has participated in many conferences and film festivals such as the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai, U.A.E, Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, UAE and "Fikr" 7th conference in Egypt.
In his winning video entry "Let's help each other" which earned him the Citizen Ambassador 2010 title, Mansour urged world leaders to “forget the mistakes of our past” in order to make this a better world. He urged people of world to help each other despite differences in culture, countries, or colors to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
He is a student now at the University of Dammam and hopes to complete a course or degree in filmmaking soon.
He hopes to convey many more messages to the world through film in the future.
To learn more about Mansour visit
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/MansourAlBadran
Twitter: @MansourAlbadran
Watch Mansour's winning video entry below:
Olga Shibaeva, Russian Federation
Olga Shibaeva, 28, is an economist, writer, environmental philosopher and activist from Russia. Career oriented and goal driven, Olga experienced a gradual change in her life. Her experiences with the very poor and very rich in capitals and in small villages, allowed her to think more deeply and reflect. She developed an interest for philosophy, an understanding of the nature of life and yearning for a more simple life. One of Olga’s most unique projects involved the collection of photo-data about abandoned Russian villages.
Alongside these interests, Olga continued to be interested in economics and is currently pursuing a master’s programme in Economic Demography at the School of Economics, Lund university (Sweden) exploring new theories, trends, policies, and challenges concerning world population.
In her winning video entry Olga emphasizes that people around the world have the same basic everyday challenges. While this was Olga’s first experience of video-making she hopes that her video will contribute to making our society more sustainable and peaceful.
Watch Olga's winning video entry below:
Gerardo Mendoza Capetillo, Mexico
Gerardo Dasyel Mendoza Capetillo, 23, is a student of International Business at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico City.
As a business student, Gerardo has always had a special interest in diplomacy. Gerardo has participated in Model United Nations in his country and internationally such as the GMUN: Global Model United Nations in the Palais des Nations United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
During 2009, Gerardo completed an internship at the Mission of Mexico in Geneva, comprising areas of Agriculture, Environment and Human Rights.
Gerardo is currently a member of the international summit “One Young World” and is also preparing for a master's at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In his winning video which has earned him the Citizen Ambassador 2010 title, Gerardo states: “We, the citizens, youth and children of the world, are ready to act today on behalf of the Millennium Development Goals”. Gerardo finishes by saying: "I do believe in the United Nations".
To learn more about Gerardo visit
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gerardo.dasyel
Twitter: @GerardoDasyel
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/GerardoDasyel
Website: www.gerardodasyel.com
Find more about One Young World: www.oneyoungworld.com
Intervention in the plenary session in the summit of One Young World: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDrDoNBqsq0
Watch Gerardo's winning video entry below:
Connor Parker, Australia
Connor Parker, 19, is an International Studies student living in Melbourne, Australia. Through his school-based involvement with NGOs such as World Vision, Connor has developed a keen interest in global issues and hopes to help create a world in which poverty does not exist.
Connor's video "I See Change" focused on the importance of global cooperation and commitment in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. He emphasized that change can only occur when we tackle global problems together, by putting our differences and personal interests aside for the greater good.
Connor hopes that his experience as a United Nations Citizen Ambassador will encourage public involvement in the global fight against poverty by showing that ordinary citizens are a critical part of the international process and a formidable force for change.
Watch Connor's winning video entry below:
Adam Burtle, USA
Adam Burtle, 29, is a Seattle-based documentary filmmaker with nearly a decade of experience in digital cinema. In 2008 he began shifting his focus to medicine, and in 2009 enrolled in college with the intention of applying to medical school. His primary interests are in global health, and addressing the effects of poverty and structural violence. His latest project is a film shot in the United States and West Africa, focused on recent measles outbreaks and the global effort to eradicate this disease.
Adam was selected as a UN Citizen Ambassador after submitting his commentary, "MDG 4 & our community," where he addresses the efforts to create a model for sustainable measles fundraising. Since 2007 measles funding has been cut by more than 75 percent, and more than 30 African countries have experienced outbreaks between 2009 and 2010. To learn more about the fight against measles, visit www.themeasles.org.
Watch Adam's winning video entry below: