Lucy Mikow

Saturday, November 15, 2025

I attended the UNA–USA Leadership Summit at the St. Louis Arch Hyatt. It was an exceptional experience, and I truly enjoyed learning how connected the UN is to everyday life—far more than I realized before. Although I wasn’t able to attend the Friday meeting at City Hall, I participated fully on both weekend days.

Saturday: New Faces and New Perspectives

The day began around 7:00 AM. I met people from across the city and the country, all gathered around a shared interest. We may never have crossed paths if not for this conference, and meeting these passionate individuals was one of the most memorable parts of the weekend.

One especially unforgettable person was Theresa Carrington, founder of Ten by Three (originally The Blessing Basket). Founded in 2002, the nonprofit seeks to alleviate extreme poverty through entrepreneurship. Her work was genuinely inspiring, and I wanted to learn more.

We had a wonderful discussion about Ten by Three—how it works, what it aims to accomplish, and why she attended this conference.

“Ten by Three is a nonprofit organization that I founded 21 years ago, and we exist to end extreme poverty through entrepreneurship. When we purchase ten products from an artisan in a developing nation living in poverty, they can then onward-fund at least three small businesses.”

Carrington explained that, although her organization may be lesser known, its impact is substantial—supporting SDG 1: No Poverty.

“I waited for a long time to get involved with UNA–USA until I was sure we had something meaningful to contribute. Twenty-one years in, our data speaks for itself, and we’re ready to share our story with the world.”

Ten by Three transforms artisans into entrepreneurs through an innovative model: by purchasing 10 handcrafted products each month, artisans can launch 3 additional small businesses. The ripple effect extends across families, communities, and local economies.

“My hope is that, as a leader, I gain renewed strength from this community of like‑minded people—and that I can encourage another leader who might be tired, exhausted, or wondering if they’re screaming into the wind.”

Carrington’s mission at the conference was not only to share Ten by Three’s story but to encourage others to take action on issues they care about. She framed UNA–USA as a collective body: each person plays a different role, yet all contribute to the larger mission.

“It starts with people like you who care enough to see the details of the story and see the good… They’re not taking the time to find the real story and the beauty in that story. It also doesn’t mean they have to agree with everything. And that’s actually a measure of success.”

She emphasized that disagreement isn’t a flaw—it’s evidence that a topic matters. If an issue you care about is controversial, that’s a sign it’s worth engaging with.

Opening Session

When nearly everyone had arrived, the event was opened by Executive Director Rachel Bowen Pittman.

The theme: “Meeting the Moment—Our Moment.”

We were greeted by Carlos Suarez, Director of Economic Development at the International Institute of St. Louis and Director of the UNA–Greater STL Chapter. He encouraged us to show up for our own leadership growth.

Next, Jody Sowell, CEO of the Missouri Historical Society, delivered a presentation on the significance of St. Louis and its relationship to SDG‑related history.

The final speaker was Will Davis, Director of the UN Information Center in Washington. He spoke passionately about what it means to be a globalist—acting locally but thinking globally. His insight and energy were some of my favorite parts of the conference.

Breakout Sessions with Will Davis

During the first two breakout sessions, I helped run the microphone but listened closely. Both discussions, led by Davis, focused on U.S.–UN relations, funding, and the future of global cooperation.

Davis emphasized that U.S. funding—though often politically contentious—is critical:

“The U.S. has been the largest donor to the UN system. The money may not be glamorous, but it is essential.”

He detailed the consequences of current funding cuts: staffing reductions, diminished humanitarian aid, and scaled‑back peacekeeping missions.

Davis lays out a lot of points of why the US benefits from financially contributing to the UN. The WFP purchases a large portion of the food they use from American farmers and use American shipping and handling, contributing to the US economy. Not only this, but since UN peacekeeping is drastically cheaper than the deployment of American troops, the UN has the possibility to be a more cost-effective tool for the United States to achieve foreign policy goals. 

Youth Empowerment Session

Next, I attended a session on youth empowerment—a particularly meaningful topic as a young person myself. Speakers highlighted the importance of mentorship and community: “Pick a mentor, have a mentor, be a mentor.” They speak about how important it is to have a community. We also talked about how we, as youth, can have a voice and some kind of power in the world. Young people everywhere are causing change using this power and the platforms that UNA-USA provides. 

Public Speaking with Monte Chambers

I then joined a session on public speaking, led by Monte Chambers, founder of Monumental Access. He introduced the Head–Heart–Legs communication model. in order to make our messages more compelling. The head represents the hook, the heart represents a personal connection to the message, and the legs represents an action that the audience is compelled to take after your message. 

When I interviewed him about his vision for this conference, He said, “I think the biggest thing is seeing the amount of young professionals coming together, all unified, wanting to learn, working with one another, I think it really goes a long way for sure.  And so I made sure from my background, as someone who teaches for a living, how I can communicate and how powerful it is to be an American.” Chambers wanted to see unity, collaboration, leadership, among other things coming from the youth especially.

Closing Experience

At the end of the conference, attendees were invited to stay for a performance by AY Young, founder of the Battery Tour and creator of Project 17.

Final Reflections

The UNA–USA Leadership Summit in St. Louis was an extraordinary experience that brought together passionate young leaders and experts united by a shared goal of global engagement.