Our Brand

Generation17: Meet
Today’s Changemakers
and Global Leaders

How four visionaries, advocates and entrepreneurs are building a better tomorrow.

A young man holding a green Galaxy smartphone. He smiles at the screen while a web of icons surround him of other young men and women in his social community. The icons also include a 'love', 'like', and chat logos as well as a Global Goals app logo. There is a Samsung Galaxy | UNDP logo to the left of him. A young man holding a green Galaxy smartphone. He smiles at the screen while a web of icons surround him of other young men and women in his social community. The icons also include a 'love', 'like', and chat logos as well as a Global Goals app logo. There is a Samsung Galaxy | UNDP logo to the left of him.

By 2030, we hope to unlock a healthier planet and a more just and peaceful society for all. That’s the plan for the 17 Global Goals, a universal blueprint for the world to address pressing global challenges including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, and peace and justice.

A multicoloured matrix outlining the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: 1. No Poverty, 2. Zero Hunger, 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 4. Quality Education, 5. Gender Equality, 6. Clean Water and Sanitation, 7. Affordable and Clean Energy, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 10. Reduced Inequalities, 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12. Responsible Consumption and Production, 13. Climate Action, 14. Life Below Water, 15. Life on Land, 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and 17. Partnerships for the Goals. The last tile in the matrix illustrates the Global Goals icon with text that reads "The Global Goals for Sustainable Development". A multicoloured matrix outlining the 17 Sustainable Development Goals: 1. No Poverty, 2. Zero Hunger, 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 4. Quality Education, 5. Gender Equality, 6. Clean Water and Sanitation, 7. Affordable and Clean Energy, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 10. Reduced Inequalities, 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12. Responsible Consumption and Production, 13. Climate Action, 14. Life Below Water, 15. Life on Land, 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and 17. Partnerships for the Goals. The last tile in the matrix illustrates the Global Goals icon with text that reads "The Global Goals for Sustainable Development".

With 10 years left to act, Samsung has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to magnify the voices, stories and ingenuity of young leaders who are hustling to deliver on these goals.

The inaugural cohort of Generation17 Young Leaders is a group of inspiring 23- to 30-year-old leaders dedicated to innovating for humanity and mobilizing global communities. To support the young activists, Samsung and UNDP will provide mentorship, technology and networking opportunities to advance their agendas and bring their stories to the forefront of change.

Máximo Mazzocco,
30, Argentina

Máximo Mazzocco taken outdoors in front of greenery. He is wearing a black pair of glasses and a black coat. Máximo Mazzocco taken outdoors in front of greenery. He is wearing a black pair of glasses and a black coat.
A set of four icons (coloured yellow, green, light blue and navy blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Máximo is achieving through his community efforts: 12. Responsible Consumption and Production, 13. Climate Action, 14. Life Below Water and 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. A set of four icons (coloured yellow, green, light blue and navy blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Máximo is achieving through his community efforts: 12. Responsible Consumption and Production, 13. Climate Action, 14. Life Below Water and 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
“I told myself I was going to lead my own life to make the lives of others better. It’s the only way I know.”

As a teenager in Buenos Aires, Máximo wondered what he could do about his city's garbage problem. One day, he stopped wondering and started working on it. Máximo created a pamphlet on recycling and knocked on doors—teaching, persuading and rallying 400 families in his community around waste reduction.

He later created Eco House, a nonprofit inspired by the idea that small actions can add up to big changes. The group operates 30 programs and soon will be in 23 countries—advocating for the environment, teaching companies to recycle and compost, mobilizing youth and educating more than 70,000 children in Argentina, in addition to youth in many other countries.

Shomy Chowdhury, 26, Bangladesh

Shomy Chowdhury smiling at the camera. She is wearing a pair of black glasses and a denim jacket over a light blue t-shirt. Shomy Chowdhury smiling at the camera. She is wearing a pair of black glasses and a denim jacket over a light blue t-shirt.
A set of four icons (coloured red, green, orange and light blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Shomy is achieving through her community efforts: 1. No Poverty, 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 5. Gender Equality, and 6. Clean Water and Sanitation. A set of four icons (coloured red, green, orange and light blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Shomy is achieving through her community efforts: 1. No Poverty, 3. Good Health and Well-Being, 5. Gender Equality, and 6. Clean Water and Sanitation.
“We’re empowering young activists, giving them the skills to follow their passion and take action in their communities.”

Tragedy struck Shomy Chowdhury at age 20, when her mother died just a day after contracting diarrhea. The experience leveled Shomy, especially after learning that 1.5 million people die from diarrhea annually. Shomy gave her first presentation four days later on practising hygiene to prevent deadly disease.


Many presentations followed to sex workers, sanitation workers and others who are often marginalized and live in extreme poverty. Today, Shomy funnels her strength through Awareness 360, an organization she co-founded that now trains 1,500 young activists in 23 countries and has already reached more than 150,000 people.

Tafara Makaza, 24, Zimbabwe

Tafara Makaza in front of a hand-painted mural. He is smiling at the camera, wearing glasses and a black suit over a white collared shirt and a black-and-white-striped tie. Tafara Makaza in front of a hand-painted mural. He is smiling at the camera, wearing glasses and a black suit over a white collared shirt and a black-and-white-striped tie.
A set of three icons (coloured red, maroon and orange) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Tafara is achieving through his community efforts: 1. No Poverty, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities. A set of three icons (coloured red, maroon and orange) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Tafara is achieving through his community efforts: 1. No Poverty, 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth, and 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities.
“I think it’s my job, and the private sector’s job, to figure out how to break down these big problems into small problems we can tackle.”

When Tafara Makaza sees a problem, he can’t resist—he works relentlessly to solve it. Take intercity travel in Zimbabwe, where as a boy he’d walk miles to his father’s teaching job, or the lack of opportunity that drove his highly-educated mother to work abroad for a month at a time.

After arriving in the United States in 2017, Tafara discovered ride-sharing apps and realized how he could help drive change. He learned to code and eventually helped launch two apps in Africa for intercity travel and gig economy workers. Tafara now helps run both startups from his dorm at his university.

Sadya Touré, 23, Mali

Sadya Touré in front of a building outdoors. She is wearing a brightly multicoloured headwrap with black stripes and a matching top. Sadya Touré in front of a building outdoors. She is wearing a brightly multicoloured headwrap with black stripes and a matching top.
A set of four icons (coloured green, red, light blue and navy blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Sadya is achieving through her community efforts: 3.Good Health and Well-Being, 5. Gender Equality, 6. Clean Water and Sanitation, and 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. A set of four icons (coloured green, red, light blue and navy blue) representing the following Sustainable Development Goals that Sadya is achieving through her community efforts: 3.Good Health and Well-Being, 5. Gender Equality, 6. Clean Water and Sanitation, and 16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
“The Global Goals are very personal for me. I think they should be personal for everyone. And I think we can achieve them before 2030.”

Sadya Touré was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of four. And she has been on a mission of female empowerment ever since. At 13, she joined Mali’s National Parliament of Children, where she skipped school lunch to save money and travel to events promoting girls’ education.

Later, Sadya educated older, all-male village councils about FGM’s disastrous effects on women’s health, and founded an organization, Mali Musso, that provides full university scholarships, housing assistance and career training to girls from rural Mali. She is also a blogger and the author of Being an Ambitious Woman in Mali, a book about supporting the empowerment of women in Timbuktu and surrounding communities.

An illustration of a multicoloured tiled global map with an illustration overlay of a boy on his Galaxy device. There is a web of icons surrounding him that seem to indicate he is chatting with his community online regarding Global Goals. An illustration of a multicoloured tiled global map with an illustration overlay of a boy on his Galaxy device. There is a web of icons surrounding him that seem to indicate he is chatting with his community online regarding Global Goals.

Take the first step to join the young leaders in making the world
a better place

Learn about the 17 Goals and earn money to donate to your favourite cause. Whether it’s eliminating hunger, fighting inequality or cleaning up the planet—Galaxy users can download and use the Samsung Global Goals app app to put their newfound knowledge into action.

Read these stories next