From 24 September to 1 October, Franklin University Switzerland student Mael Metis traveled to Greece for the Athens Democracy Forum as a youth delegate. During the summer of 2023, he spent a great deal of time on research and developing a video about one of the forum themes—Rethinking Agriculture: Food as a Weapon, advocating for the following:
· The abolishment of the use of food as a tool for diplomatic negotiations
· UN bylaws that establish an arms embargo on any country that weaponizes food
· Legislation that secures food aid when government corruption may arise
At the local level, Metis called for governments to enforce sustainable agriculture, which would in turn, create more agricultural sovereignty by:
· Diversifying food sources
· Implementing regenerative agriculture policies
· Incentivizing local food production through tax relief
His video was chosen to be projected at the forum. The event brought several politicians (former presidents, current members of parliament, and commissioners), renowned scientists, and academics to discuss and improve the current state of democracy, emphasizing concrete steps to achieve change. The keynote question of the forum was, “Do We Dare To Hope?” This question comes in light of the complexities of democracy and the relentless pursuit of it. Metis had the privilege of meeting students from all over the world who were eagerly ambitious to move mountains of change.
Metis was also selected to give a spoken address at the forum, specifically regarding “The Building Blocks of Democracy" and their implementation of the recommended action steps, presented in various countries. In the past, this variety had been offered in countries that do not have a direct relationship to the topic being addressed (the locations typically being well-established, stable democracies). Metis constructively argued for more of a diversified implementation process in areas directly correlating to the matter at hand.
The Athens Democracy Forum is just one of many public speaking and research opportunities for Franklin students to flex their academic muscles and get real-world experience exchanging important ideas among their peers and current leaders. The Franklin community is proud of Mael Metis’s representation and support of the university’s vision of seeing the world as our classroom and valuing diversity of perspectives.