Rapelang Rabana, Global Head of Development for Telfree will be one of 70 exceptional individuals under the age of 30 who will be engaging with world leaders and shaping the agenda at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 in Davos-Klosters on 25-29 January. Rapelang is a member of the Cape Town hub of the Global Shapers Community and was selected as a result of her leadership capabilities, demonstrated successes, and commitment to make a positive contribution.

The Global Shapers is a World Economic Forum community of young people from all walks of life who have demonstrated great potential for future leadership and are united by their drive to improve the world around them. At the Annual Meeting, they will consider pressing issues, including the global youth unemployment crisis and the role of business in society, all under the theme of this year’s Meeting, The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models.

“Once, the best indication of success was an individual’s past experience. Now, with the world as interconnected as it is, we find the old models are no longer working and we need fresh approaches to solving the world’s most pressing problems,” says Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

“The Global Shapers are ‘digital natives’ who grew up with the Internet. They have vision, think laterally, act quickly and make connections across networks in order to successfully solve problems. This community is of vital importance and we see tremendous opportunities for Shapers and today’s leaders to learn from one another.”

Rapelang will be connected to her peers online in more than 125 hubs around the world. Shapers will share ideas publicly on the Forum Blog (http://wef.ch/blog) and on Twitter (using the #4mygen hashtag).

“Young people don’t need today’s leaders to empower them. They are already empowered through their passion, ideas and access to information and technology. That’s true whether they live in Berlin, Bamako or Ulaanbaatar,” says David Aikman, Head of the Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum. “We want to connect the Global Shapers to the Forum’s network of leaders so that they have more say in the decisions being made that will affect their generation.”

Notes to Editors

Follow the Global Shapers on Twitter at @globalshapers

Become a fan of the Global Shapers on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GlobalShapers

For more information about the Global Shapers Community, visit: www.weforum.org/globalshapers andhttp://youtu.be/shaAiy2S3fk

See the YouTube playlist of Global Shapers going to the Annual Meeting at http://wef.ch/Ytsz

Read the Forum Blog at http://wef.ch/blo