Our team

Panyan Yan

Germantown Friends School · Class of 2026

I am the founder and director of the Global Youth Development Institute. focusing on food systems, urban resilience, and climate action (SDG 2, 12, 13). I am fluent in Mandarin and English and is currently learning Spanish and Cantonese to deepen my fieldwork capacity in Latin America and Southern Asia. I study Latin in school.

Through GYDI, I organize youth collaborations, publishes policy briefs, and develops platforms that make sustainability research accessible to young people around the world.

Email: panyany26@gmail.com

Bruce Li

Dulwich College Shanghai PuDong

Year 12

I'm Bruce and I'm hugely passionate about history and politics, specifically in areas like the Cold War and Nazi Germany. I have clear formulated opinions on a variety of political issues and strong writing skills to express those opinions efficiently (center-left, in case your wondering). I speak two languages, English and Chinese, and I would love to be contacted via email.

Email: bruceli090827@gmail.com

Ales Michalek

Senior at LEAF Academy, Bratislava

Hey, I’m Ales. I am interested in politics and journalism, which I engage with through running an independent student magazine. By doing so, I provide my community with a creative outlet, whilst I typically write extensive essays on political issues that are important to me. I’ve also completed a global capstone project (SDG 10- Reduced Inequalities) about the Roma minority in Slovakia and have engaged with officials from the EU, NATO, and UN. I am fluent in English and Slovak.

Email: aldo.michalek1@gmail.com

David Li

Canberra Grammar School, Australia

Year 11

My passion lies in legislation and international relations, especially US/AUS/China as I speak both English and Chinese. I actively participate in events that support my passion, which the most recents being GFS MBIS and the Australian National Schools Constitutional Convention, and I look forward to connecting and working with everyone.

Email: 71610@cgs.act.edu.au