Makiba O. Ward, a national youth ambassador and the founding president of Youth Arise Antigua, has wrapped up a 14-day working visit to China centered on a key international youth leadership initiative. The visit centered around the Youth Leader Experience Exchange Seminar for Developing Countries, which ran from May 19 to June 1, brought together emerging young leaders from across the Global South to address shared challenges and opportunities in youth advancement.
Over the course of the program, Ward connected actively with peers, early-career entrepreneurs, and industry professionals representing 4 major global regions: Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and Latin America. The cross-regional gathering created a collaborative space for dynamic knowledge sharing on pressing topics including adaptive youth development strategies, inclusive leadership frameworks, and groundbreaking innovation for community progress. Beyond idea exchange, the seminar facilitated the formation of lasting cross-border friendships and laid the groundwork for future collaborative partnerships between youth organizations from participating nations.
As a featured complementary activity of the exchange initiative, Ward also took part in the 2026 Jinjiang International Economic & Trade Cooperation Fair, one of the region’s key platforms for global trade and entrepreneurial exchange. At the fair, she held one-on-one and group discussions with young Chinese entrepreneurs and senior industry leaders, walking away with actionable insights into small business growth, cross-border market expansion, and inclusive models for international economic cooperation that benefit developing economies.
Reflecting on her experience after returning, Ward highlighted that the most transformative takeaway from the seminar was the deep, cross-cultural connections she built with fellow participants. Even with vastly different national, cultural, and regional backgrounds, every attendee shared a common core set of goals: unlocking the potential of young people, building more resilient local communities, and driving measurable, positive social change across borders.
Ward has now returned to her home country of Antigua and Barbuda, carrying with her renewed energy to advance youth-focused work, a greatly expanded network of global youth collaborators, and a firmer commitment than ever to advancing youth development, deepening people-to-people international cooperation, and delivering tangible positive change for communities both in the Caribbean and across the developing world.