From 17–19 June 2024, over 30 youth representatives of Brazil SGI (BSGI) and the Soka Amazon Institute participated in the Youth20 (Y20) Pre-Summit, held in Belém, Brazil in advance of the 2024 G20 Rio de Janeiro Summit in November. The Y20 is the official youth engagement group of the G20, in which youth representatives discuss global challenges and formulate an action plan that is presented in a communiqué to G20 leaders.

The Y20 Pre-Summit was also attended by international delegations of G20 members and countries affiliated with the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), and included representatives of all Brazilian states and social and environmental activists. The BSGI representatives joined discussions on five themes, including combating hunger, poverty and inequality, climate change, energy transition and sustainable development.

Ádria Letícia Queiroz Benjamin, a 25-year-old English teacher representing BSGI, reflected on the psychological effects of the climate crisis, in addition to the political, economic and social repercussions. She shared BSGI’s determination to transform the world for the generations that have not yet been born. Another representative of BSGI, 23-year-old mathematician Ruan Vinagre Furtado, shared that he was encouraged by the young participants’ hope, their concern for the future and their strength.