ABOUT US

Summary

The Human Change Foundation is a global advocacy campaign that strives to reshape the global narrative on children’s and adolescents’ mental health and effective life-skills-development by spotlighting the impact of social media, digital devices and AI-exposure on children’s and adolescents’ healthy development. Founded by Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, in her personal capacity, the Human Change initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024. 

The Human Change House at the World Economic Forum hosted a series of 12 powerful panel discussions. These sessions brought together international experts in psychology, medicine, business, government and more to debate the issues and solutions around how social media and digitalization are causing irreversible change in children, and how this change will impact the future of our society. 

Objectives

Building on the success of the 2024 WEF Human Change House, Louis Dreyfus Holding B.V. (“LDH”) stands ready to take up the baton from Margarita Louis-Dreyfus and found The Human Change Foundation. The Human Change Foundation will establish best in class efforts to achieve the following objectives:

  • 1
    To promote children’s wellbeing and support holistic development of purposeful resilience based on trained life-skills in children to counteract the negative impact of overdose of addictive social media, digitalization and AI-exposure.
  • 2
    To raise awareness in society about the mental health crises among children and adolescents caused by (i) overdose and damaging content of social media, (ii) replacement of real-life human connection with digital connectivity, and (iii) reduction in different life-skills due to digitalization of childhood and AI-exposure.
  • 3
    To seek solutions to counteract children’s isolation from their families caused by replacement of real-life experiences with digital experiences.
  • 4
    To provide scientific guidelines to educational institutions about how to protect children and teens from the addictive power of social media, from the intellectual degradation caused by empowering of AI instead of empowering children’s independent critical thinking.
  • 5
    To improve the education and psychological development of children and adolescents by minimizing the reliance on digitalization and social media; and to do anything which is, in the widest sense of the word, connected with or may be conducive to the attainment of these objectives.

Action Plan

We plan to accomplish our goals by implementing the following solutions:

  • Partner with leaders in education, science, medicine and sports to promote efforts that result in implementation of our vision of smartphone-free and social media-free childhood.
  • Organize multi-day annual events at the World Economic Forum (and other similar fora) to bring increased attention to the negative impacts of digitalization of childhood and lobby for stronger regulation of the use of this technology by children and adolescents.
  • Partner with and support other leading global campaigns fighting for the same vision.
  • Publish literature that delivers the message of benefits of a smartphone free and social media free childhood.

The Human Change Foundation plans a tremendous program for the World Economic Forum in January 2025. During the balance of 2024, the Foundation will lay the groundwork by mobilizing researchers, speakers and scientists. The Foundation will work on its website and internet presence, appear at fora all over the world, continue to establish partnerships to promote its vision, publish interviews and create a long-term plan to share its vision. 

The Human Change Foundation plans to establish a number of successful partnerships with leading foundations and initiatives working in the same space. 

Governance & Finance  

Human Change was founded by Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, in her personal capacity, at the World Economic Forum in January 2024. 

The Management Board of the Human Change Foundation will provide executive functions for the Human Change Foundation. Maurice Kreft, the Managing Director of Louis Dreyfus Holding B.V. (LDH) and who holds numerous positions within the Louis Dreyfus Group, will act as the initial Managing Director. 

The Human Change Foundation will be funded by LDH. At the present time, The Human Change Foundation does not anticipate bringing in funds from third parties.

The Human Change Foundation will not pay any remuneration to its present Chairperson, Management Board and Supervisory Board (but may reimburse their reasonable expenses).

To the extent The Human Change Foundation hosts or participates at events such as the World Economic Forum, then The Human Change Foundation will bear the costs and expenses of such events.