One Young World Summit Montréal/Tiohtiá:ke, 2024

Aris Mining and Youth: Driving Social Impact and Innovation

• 18:22 - 18:52, 20 September
• Palais des Congrès
• Reckitt Accelerating Impact

Speakers

• María Fernanda Giraldo Moreno

  Student, Aris Mining

  María Fernanda Giraldo Moreno

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  Student, Aris Mining

  María Fernanda Giraldo Moreno, born in Marmato - Caldas, is an outstanding law student at the University of Manizales, recognized for her academic excellence. She won a contest in Astrobiology that took her to NASA. She is also trained in jewelry making by SENA and has worked in the community of Marmato, focusing on combating child labor. She will soon begin a specialization in public procurement and seeks to contribute to local development, especially in education and youth employment.

  María Fernanda aspires to represent her community of Marmato in different scenarios, taking advantage of opportunities such as those provided by companies like Aris Mining. Her goal is to acquire knowledge and pass it on to the youth of her community, contributing to local development, especially in education and youth employment.

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  Neil Woodyer

  CEO, Aris Mining

  Neil Woodyer

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  CEO, Aris Mining

  Neil Woodyer was a founder and the CEO of both Leagold Mining Corporation and Endeavour Mining. He has an extensive history in the mining sector creating growth strategies, implementing financing plans, and leading management teams. In 1988, Mr. Woodyer founded Endeavour Financial, a successful mining merchant banking and advisory business. In 2009, he devised Endeavour’s growth strategy, and, as CEO, Mr. Woodyer led Endeavour Financial’s transition from a financial company into a mine operations and development company, Endeavour Mining. Endeavour grew through a series of acquisitions and new mine builds to become one of the largest gold producers in West Africa. In 2016, Mr. Woodyer founded and served as the CEO of Leagold Mining, which developed gold mines in Mexico and Brazil. Following the Leagold Mining merger with Equinox Gold Corp. in 2020, Mr. Woodyer took the helm at Aris Gold Corp. and led the company to its merger with GCM Mining Corp. to create Aris Mining Corporation in 2022.

• Estefanía Zapata Tobón

  Municipal Youth Coordination, Municipal Mayor's Office of Segovia

  Estefanía Zapata Tobón

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  Municipal Youth Coordination, Municipal Mayor's Office of Segovia

  Hello, I am Estefanía, and I was born with a fire in my heart to help others. Raised in the warm bosom of a family committed to their Christian faith, from a young age I became involved in community service activities through a local religious organization in different places in the department of Antioquia, such as Bajo Cauca, the North, and the Northeast. It was there that I discovered my passion for being a social and youth leader.
  Childhood in these territories taught me the importance of solidarity and love for my people. Every step I took in my community, every smile I shared with children, adolescents, and young people, strengthened my conviction that I could make a difference.
  My days were filled with social projects, meetings with other young people with the same desire to change the world, planning events to encourage participation and learning. My spirit was nourished by every gesture of gratitude, with every small achievement we achieved as a team.
  But my ambition went beyond simple gestures. I dreamed of a territory where every boy and girl had access to a quality education, where every teenager could find a life project that inspired them, where every young person could turn their dreams into positive ventures that would benefit the entire community.
  That vision has guided my steps every day. I built myself with social sensitivity, learning to listen to the real needs of my people, to understand their joys and sorrows. And with each experience, with each encounter, my love for my community and its people grew deeper.
  Although the challenges were many and the obstacles sometimes seemed insurmountable, I never lost faith or determination. I knew that every effort, however small, contributed to building a stronger, more resilient, more optimal social fabric.