GeneVibe · anniversary edition · 2026

15 years,
shaped in Geneva.

Fifteen years of people turning Geneva's global vantage point into local action, one conversation, cleanup, prototype and friendship at a time.

Travel through the years ↓Help complete the archive ↗
Living archive · September 2026 · alumni memories added
Global Shapers gathered above Lake Geneva during the 2024 Annual Summit
Global Shapers Annual SummitGeneva · 2024
2011
→
2026

00 / A living archive

Fifteen years of young people working together for Geneva. Local action, global connections, and a community that shapes change together.

Built from Hub reports, project trackers, old shared drives, public sources and alumni memory. Where the record is incomplete, we say so.

2011—13

The first circle

A Hub begins
before the archive does.

The Geneva Hub is founded in 2011, with Scott Weber as founding curator and Isotta Cleps as vice-curator.

Archive note Nº 01

Sarah’s photographs bring the early Hub back into view, including a 2012 Bilan magazine photoshoot. More founding memories and images are welcome.

View the published leadership record ↗
Early Geneva Hub members gathered indoors for the Bilan magazine photoshoot

2012

The OGs, together for Bilan

The original Geneva Shapers at a photoshoot for Bilan magazine, remembered by Sarah Noble.

Source & date note

Event and year supplied by Sarah, relayed by Ali in September 2026.

Photo shared by Sarah Noble

A companion photograph of the early Hub group gathered in the same room

Early Hub memory · date unconfirmed

Another frame from the early days

A second photograph shared by Sarah, showing the same room and group as her Bilan photoshoot memory.

Source & date note

Companion scene matched visually to the Bilan photograph; this image has no separately supplied date.

Photo shared by Sarah Noble

Group with Kofi Annan holding yellow WakaWaka solar chargers and lamps

Date unconfirmed

Solar for Syria, with Kofi Annan

Presenting Kofi Annan with a WakaWaka solar charger and lamp as part of the Solar for Syria project.

Source & date note

Sarah identifies the project and presentation. WakaWaka documented Annan’s endorsement in November 2013; the date of this particular photograph remains unconfirmed.

Photo and project memory shared by Sarah Noble ↗

2014—16

Finding momentum

Participants seated around a meeting table at World Economic Forum headquarters

June 2014

At WEF headquarters with Coca-Cola

A gathering at World Economic Forum headquarters with Coca-Cola, preserved in Sarah’s photographs of the Hub.

Source & date note

Month, year, location and Coca-Cola connection supplied by Sarah, relayed by Ali in September 2026.

Photo shared by Sarah Noble

Geneva Hub members in a team-building discussion in July 2014
Team building · 17 July 2014
Shapers during Geneva's 13-hub weekend in February 2015
Geneva + 13 hubs weekend · February 2015

The Hub finds
its rhythm.

Alumni remember 2014 as a culture reset. By February 2015, Geneva was welcoming Shapers from 13 hubs for a weekend that reached from team-building tables to CERN.

2015

Reading for Change wins a USD 10,000 grant. The project later delivers 35 devices to Espace Solidaire Pâquis, helping restart free multimedia language and IT courses.

Published source ↗
2015–16

Geneva Peace Talks. Hub reporting records support to the third edition at the Palais des Nations, with approximately 600 participants.

Archive correction: Reading for Change won the 2015 award. Re-Use was a related, but distinct, later initiative.

Three participants holding illustrated cards at an international gathering

2015 · alumni recollection

From Geneva to Astana

Geneva Hub at SHAPE Eurasia in Astana, a memory shared by Isotta Cleps.

Source & date note

Event, city and year supplied by Isotta in the September 2026 alumni collection.

Photo and caption shared by Isotta Cleps

The alumni-identified ACM 2015 team gathered for an outdoor group photograph

2015 · alumni recollection

The team behind the welcome

A moment together from the collection alumni remember as the ACM 2015 team.

View 2 more photographs
A smaller group smiling beneath the trees at the same gathering
Another frame from the team gathering.
Three participants together in the garden
A quieter moment at the same team gathering.
Source & date note

Collection caption identifies the ACM 2015 team. The companion photograph shows the same outdoor gathering; exact dates are not recorded.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Retreat participants seated around a table in a wood-panelled meeting room

2016 · alumni archive

Time away, time together

A winter retreat: snowy views, shared learning and conversations around the table.

View 5 more photographs
Snow-covered buildings below a steep mountain landscape
The winter view outside.
A presenter beside a slide about building a personal brand
Learning from one another: a personal-brand workshop.
Retreat participants discussing ideas around a table
Around the table, sharing ideas.
A presenter beside a projected interview example
Another moment from the retreat presentations.
A coach at night with Leukerbad displayed as its destination
A journey in the retreat album. The bus sign reads Leukerbad.
2016 inferred · filename says 20116
Source & date note

Retreat and year supplied in the filenames. Exact dates and venue have not been confirmed.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub

Five participants in front of the SHAPE Europe Athens 2016 backdrop

2016

Geneva meets Athens

Geneva Shapers together at SHAPE Europe in Athens.

Source & date note

Event, city and year supplied in the filename and visible on the event backdrop.

Alumni photograph, shared with the Hub

Two-photo collage of participants posing together at an indoor gathering

2016 · archive label

Connections in Japan

Two shared moments from Japan in 2016. Sarah remembers the gathering as possibly SHAPE Asia.

Source & date note

The filename labels SHAPE Asia 2016. Sarah’s accompanying recollection says Japan 2016 and expresses uncertainty about the event name.

Alumni photograph, shared with the Hub

Gio holding a sign with #SHAPEPEACE and the Geneva PeaceTalks logo

2016 · archive label

Gio, helping shape peace

Gio with a #SHAPEPEACE message, remembering the Geneva Hub’s partnership with Geneva PeaceTalks.

Source & date note

Name, year and partnership supplied in the filename. The campaign sign is visible in the photograph.

Alumni photograph, shared with the Hub

2017—19

A hub of hubs

Ideas travel.
Traditions stick.

A three-year strategy gives the Hub a longer horizon. Shapers Got Talent brings the network together in Geneva. Back home, projects stretch from financial literacy and trade policy to refugee mentoring, social entrepreneurship and weekly cooking with Accueil de Nuit.

Four participants taking a group selfie at an indoor event

2017

Geneva Shapers at Davos

A shared moment for Geneva Shapers at Davos in 2017.

Source & date note

Year supplied in the filename; Ali confirmed that “Davis” meant Davos in September 2026.

Alumni photograph, shared with the Hub

Geneva Shapers and fellow participants in front of the WTO Public Forum 2018 backdrop

2018

At the WTO Public Forum

Geneva Shapers together at the WTO Public Forum, where the backdrop looks ahead to trade in 2030.

View 2 more photographs
Another group portrait at the WTO Public Forum 2018
Together in the public forum.
Two participants smiling in front of the Forum 2018 backdrop
A closer frame from the same event.
Source & date note

Alumni identify the WTO gathering. The photographs show Forum ’18 branding: these are 2018 images, separate from the documented October 2019 workshop.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Geneva Shapers posing together on a Global Shapers Annual Summit stage

2018

A moment of recognition

Alumni remember the Geneva Hub being invited on stage at the Annual Summit to be thanked for its work for the wider community.

View 3 more photographs
A companion group photograph on the same Global Shapers stage
The community behind the contribution.
The group beneath the Global Shapers Annual Summit 2018 backdrop
Together on the Annual Summit stage in 2018.
Three summit participants with Lake Geneva behind them
Another moment together at the 2018 Annual Summit.
Source & date note

A companion stage photograph explicitly shows Annual Summit 2018. The recognition story remains an alumni recollection. The lakeside photograph also has Annual Summit 2018 badges; it records a separate moment at the summit.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Silent archive excerpt · select play to watch

2018 · alumni recollection

Shapers Got Talent

Alumni remember a gathering at Uptown that brought the network together through performance and shared talent.

View 1 more photograph
A participant taking a selfie beside musicians on stage
A moment beside the musicians, shared in the Shapers Got Talent collection.
Exact date unconfirmed
Source & date note

Event and approximate year follow alumni recollections. The clip and companion photograph are not independently dated. Four-second silent excerpt; the original stays in the private archive.

Alumni oral history, photographs and video

Shapers on a boat in Istanbul, framed by a SHAPE Europe and Eurasia 2019 sign

2019

Together on the Bosphorus

A boat gathering at SHAPE Europe & Eurasia in Istanbul. One alumnus chose this as one of his three favourite Hub memories.

View 1 more photograph
Four participants holding Istanbul and SHAPE Europe and Eurasia signs
Another Istanbul memory from the alumni collection.
Istanbul · year unconfirmed
Source & date note

2019 is visible on the boat event frame. The additional photograph shows Istanbul and SHAPE Europe & Eurasia signs but no visible year; it is not independently assigned to 2019.

Alumni contribution

Global Shapers seated in a large Annual Summit meeting room

2019 · archive label

The wider community

An alumni photograph from the Annual Summit captures a room full of Shapers exchanging ideas.

Source & date note

Year supplied in the original filename

Alumni contribution

October 2019

Young voices in trade

At the WTO Public Forum, Geneva Hub hosts a workshop on youth perspectives on the future of trade.

Source & date note

Primary published report

WTO, 9 October 2019 ↗

This chapter combines archived project records with alumni oral history; event details remain open for alumni confirmation.

2020—22

Action through disruption

Distance changes
the format—not
the instinct.

#EUNITE, emergency food vouchers, tree planting, Aigues Vertes, SINGA, La Virgule, Partage and Lake Cleanup: the portfolio becomes a way to stay useful through uncertainty.

The 2021–22 impact records capture practical support, from building beds to mentoring entrepreneurs and caring for the lake.

Browse published impact reports ↗
Masked volunteers with tools working among young trees in woodland

Covid years · exact date unconfirmed

Putting down roots

An alumnus remembers planting trees during Covid as a favourite moment. His photograph shows the group at work in woodland.

Source & date note

Event identified by the contributor; no camera date retained

Alumni contribution

Open the original 2021–22 impact infographicGeneva Hub 2021–2022 impact infographic; open full-size image

04 / Receipts, not slogans

A year of impact,
seen up close.

Selected outcomes documented for 2021–22.

4beds built for people welcomed at La Virgule
11migrant entrepreneurs supported with SINGA
2,000+items removed in four lakeside cleanups
75 kgof food collected for Partage
500hygiene products collected for people in need
1,000+young people involved in an AI manifesto

2022—24

Scale with purpose

Global Shapers in front of an Annual Meeting 2022 backdrop

Spring 2022

Davos, in a different season

Global Shapers gather at the Annual Meeting, exceptionally held in spring. A memory shared by Arno Ratzinger.

Source & date note

Contributor-dated; year also visible in photograph

Shared by Arno Ratzinger on Kudoboard ↗

Participants beside a blue circular artwork at an outdoor public art performance

June 2022

Art speaks for the ocean

Charlotte Qin raises awareness of ocean pollution through a public art performance supported by Geneva Shapers.

Source & date note

Event and month supplied in the contributor caption

Shared by Arno Ratzinger on Kudoboard ↗

Disposable vapes collected through the PuffCycle project
PuffCycleNearly 1,000 disposable vapes collected

Local prototypes.
Global rooms.

PuffCycle tackles a new waste stream. Shaping Food Systems convenes a citywide conversation. Voyage Numérique opens a route into digital inclusion. In 2024, Geneva hosts the global Community—and turns the city itself into part of the programme.

Read about the 2024 Annual Summit ↗
Hundreds of Global Shapers at the 2024 Annual Summit in Geneva
Annual Summit · Geneva · 2024

2025—26

The living chapter

The archive catches
up with the present.

All Write, Digital Cleanup, EnGErMé, Voyage Numérique, Innovation Catalyst and Lake Cleanup carry the story forward. GeneVibe becomes the moment to reconnect the people behind fifteen years of action—and ask what the next fifteen should hold.

Next gatheringGeneVibe
September 2026Geneva · alumni + Shapers + friends
Geneva Hub members at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025
Geneva at Davos · 2025
Geneva Hub members sharing a meal in 2025
A Hub is also a table · 2025
Geneva Hub members sharing dinner around a long retreat table

2025

Around the retreat table

Board games, deep conversations and time in the snow. Aletta remembers a retreat spent planning the year ahead together.

Source & date note

Year supplied in the contributor caption

Shared by Aletta Steynberg on Kudoboard ↗

From the alumni albums

The moments between milestones.

Shared kitchens, outdoor adventures and connections across the Shapers community. These memories belong in the story, even where the exact year is still missing. Open an album to explore more; dates are noted individually where known.

Two volunteers preparing a meal at the stove

Date unconfirmed

Care starts in the kitchen

Preparing food together, from a collection alumni shared as their memories of cooking for people experiencing homelessness.

View 3 more photographs
Three volunteers preparing ingredients together in a kitchen
Chopping, cooking and making time to help.
Two volunteers working together at the stove
Preparing the meal, one shared task at a time.
Four volunteers smiling at a kitchen serving hatch
The team at the serving hatch.
Source & date note

Activity identified in the alumni collection caption. These photographs have no confirmed event date or partner attribution.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Hub members sharing breakfast around a table in a wood-panelled chalet

Date unconfirmed

The conversations between projects

Shared meals and unhurried conversations from the alumni chalet-weekend collection. Time together is part of how a Hub becomes a community.

View 5 more photographs
Two participants tending the chalet fireplace
Getting the fire going.
Participants unpacking pizzas and setting the table
Gathering around the supper table.
Participants chatting beside a bookshelf
Time for a conversation between activities.
A group gathered around the chalet kitchen counter
The kitchen becomes another meeting place.
A participant preparing a meal in the chalet kitchen
Making a meal to share.
Source & date note

Alumni describe a chalet weekend organised by Emma. Companion scenes share the chalet setting. The year and venue remain unconfirmed; this is not assigned to the separately dated 2016 retreat.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Hub participants posing around a meeting table against a blue wall

Dates unconfirmed

The everyday life of a Hub

Around meeting tables and behind the Shapers sign: a few glimpses of the people who make the community happen.

View 2 more photographs
A large group posing together in a conference room
A room full of community.
A participant holding a blue Global Shapers Community sign
A familiar sign and a warm welcome.
Source & date note

A thematic album of different gatherings, not a single documented event. Dates and precise occasions have not been confirmed.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

A group gathered above Lake Geneva beside a vineyard

Dates unconfirmed

Beyond the meeting room

Lakeside gatherings, time outdoors and moments in Hub colours. Friendship is part of the story too.

View 4 more photographs
Participants picnicking with a view over the lake and vineyard
Another view of the vineyard outing.
Two participants wearing slogan T-shirts beside the lake
Together by the lake.
Three participants posing on a lakeside lawn
A moment outside with fellow Shapers.
A group in Geneva Hub shirts and high-visibility vests in a park
Bringing some Geneva Hub colour outdoors.
Source & date note

A thematic album of different outings with unconfirmed dates. The first two photographs show the same vineyard setting; the remaining scenes are not assigned to that outing or to a specific project.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Participants posing before an illustrated ideas backdrop

Various gatherings · dates mostly unconfirmed

Connections beyond Geneva

From conference tables to group portraits, alumni photographs capture the wider community around the Hub.

View 4 more photographs
Five participants posing at a Forum backdrop with 2018 event badges
A shared moment at a Forum gathering.
2018 · year visible on badges
Participants posing at a World Economic Forum backdrop
Together at a World Economic Forum gathering.
Six participants posing in front of a living green wall
Another group portrait from the alumni collection.
Participants gathered around a numbered conference table
Sharing a table with the wider community.
Source & date note

Different gatherings brought together as a thematic album, not one event. Only the year on the individually labelled 2018 photograph is confirmed by visible badges; other dates and precise occasions remain unconfirmed.

Alumni photographs, shared with the Hub in September 2026

Silent archive excerpt · select play to watch

Date unconfirmed · silent clip

A welcome from Geneva

A short group greeting, shared by alumni as an invitation to the wider Shapers community for the ACM.

Source & date note

Purpose supplied in the alumni caption; year unconfirmed. Silent excerpt, with the original retained in the private archive.

Alumni video, shared with the Hub in September 2026

07 / The project constellation

Different issues.
The same instinct.

Listen locally. Build with partners. Share what works. The Hub's portfolio has changed with Geneva, but a few patterns keep returning: inclusion, dignity, learning and the planet.

Browse the Hub's past projects ↗
01

Reading for Change

Inclusion · 2015

02

Geneva Peace Talks

Peace · 2015–16

03

Cooking for Homeless

Solidarity · 2019

04

SINGA

Entrepreneurship · 2019+

05

#EUNITE

Solidarity · 2020–21

06

Lake Cleanup

Planet · 2020+

07

Aigues Vertes

Inclusion · 2021–22

08

Uncomfortable Conversations

Equity · 2021–22

09

PuffCycle

Circularity · 2022+

10

Shaping Food Systems

Food · 2023

11

Voyage Numérique

Digital inclusion · 2024+

12

All Write

Education · 2025+

That was the past.
Here is what we’re building now.

The next chapter is already taking shape through Hub projects and member-led initiatives rooted in this community.

ASTRA brings together AI Lab, including the AI classes at André-Chavanne, and Inside Tech / Voyage en Chine, building on two China editions.

Innovation Catalyst, developed with the Lausanne Hub, sits alongside Digital Cleanup, EnGErMé and the other local initiatives carrying the story forward.

The Geneva-convened Global Youth Tech Assembly connects Shapers around technology. An AI Clinic with Kuala Lumpur is also in development.

A glimpse of the work ahead, not a list of completed outcomes.

08 / Passed forward

Every year,
a new pair of hands.

Curator · vice-curator

2011–12Scott Weber→Isotta Cleps
2012–13Isotta Cleps→Sara Noble
2013–14Sara Noble→Hamza Tahiri
2014–15Hamza Tahiri→Luigi Matrone
2015–16Luigi Matrone→Giulia Zanzi
2016–17Giulia Zanzi→Martina Zapf
2017–18Giovanni Porcellana→Zineb El Ouazzani
2018–19Zineb El Ouazzani→Christos Tsagkalidis
2019–20Yannick Heiniger→Elvire Rubayiza
2020–21Lorenzo Niola→Alice Guo
2021–22Eugénie Fontugne→Anamaria Meshkurti
2022–23Anamaria Meshkurti→Swetha Ramachandran
2023–24Alexandra Bustos Iliescu→Kanza El-Diwany
2024–25Aline Bissell→Stephanie Ramesar
2025–26Stephanie Baker→Nicolás Ramírez del Villar
2026–27Aletta Steynberg→Ali Jouini
The archive is not finished.

Were you there?

Help recover the frame behind the project: a founding photo, a handover, a lesson, a person we should name, or the moment a small idea became real.

012011–13

Founding photographs and the story of the first meeting.

022014–19

Names, project endings, and the Shapers Got Talent story.

03Any year

One memory that captures the Hub better than a metric can.

Send a memory ↗Explore the memory board ↗

Please include the year, people pictured, photographer/source and permission to publish.

09 / How this was made

Evidence first.
Memory welcome.

This edition draws on public Hub pages, World Economic Forum sources, internal project reports, impact trackers, the historical Drive and alumni photographs, including memories compiled by Aletta Steynberg and Arno Ratzinger on Kudoboard. Published facts, internal records and oral history are kept distinct in the working archive.

Included
Public event, project, leadership and community material with a clear storytelling purpose.

Excluded
Applications, CVs, candidate videos, contact lists, budgets and confidential meeting material.