# Event Details - **Event Name**: Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 03 Feb, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Tue, 03 Feb, 2026 at 07:30 pm - **Event Description**: Explore Africa’s youth-driven political transformation and what it means for global power, democracy, and the future of the continentAbout this EventAbout the Event6:00 – 6:30 PM Registration & Networking6:30 – 7:30 PM ProgramAfrica is undergoing an astounding transformation that will usher in a new era of political volatility and experimentation in the coming years. The region is in the midst of a historically unprecedented demographic surge that has skewed the median age in most countries to below twenty years old. This demographic moment coincides with three factors likely to amplify the political agendas of African youth: rapid urbanization, dramatically increased digital connectivity, and increasing recognition that old political narratives are no longer fit for purpose.Gavin argues that these clear trends will result in an increase in political volatility. Anti-government movements will continue to find new expression, incumbents will be more vulnerable, honeymoon periods for new leaders will be shorter, and transfers of power and leadership will be more frequent. Citizens frustrated by the status quo will show more willingness to experiment with different forms of government and different external partnerships, all with significant implications for those hoping for a global democratic resurgence.This book explores growing dissatisfaction and desire for change as the political through line emerging on a diverse continent, and illuminates some of the frustrated, defiant, and often humorous pan-African political conversations underway among young, politically engaged populations. What is coming will be dramatically different from the period of political stagnation that has characterized the past two decades in the region, and that also means that major powers like the United States, Russia, and China that are competing for influence in the region will have to change the way they do business.Featured Speaker: Ambassador Michelle D. GavinAmbassador Michelle D. Gavin is Senior Fellow for Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She has over twenty-five years of experience in international affairs in government and non-profit roles. She was formerly the managing director of The Africa Center, a multidisciplinary institution dedicated to increasing understanding of contemporary Africa. From 2011 to 2014 she was the U.S. ambassador to Botswana and served concurrently as the U.S. representative to the Southern African Development Community (SADC).During Ambassador Gavin’s tenure, the United States and Botswana launched the most ambitious HIV prevention study in the world; Botswana hosted Southern Accord, the 1,400-strong joint SADC-U.S. military exercise; and the U.S. embassy helped to found Botswana’s first American Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that, she was a special assistant to President Obama and the senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, where she helped to originate the Young African Leaders Initiative and led major policy reviews of Sudan and Somalia.Before joining the Obama administration, Gavin was an international affairs fellow and adjunct fellow for Africa at CFR. Earlier in her career she worked in the U.S. Senate, where she was the staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s subcommittee on African affairs, director of international policy issues for Senator Russ Feingold, and legislative director for Senator Ken Salazar.Gavin received an MPhil in international relations from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes scholar, and earned her BA from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she was a Truman scholar. She serves on the board of directors of Points of Light, which as founded by President George H.W. Bush. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/houston/ambassador-michelle-gavin-how-urban-youth-are-changing-africa/100001981768569138 - **Event Categories**: - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 28.52, max: 28.52, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Houston - **state**: TX - **country**: United States - **location**: Junior League of Houston - **lat**: 29.7487189 - **long**: -95.45050289999999 - **full address**: Junior League of Houston, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane, Houston, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/99aee18cd0238b361beff534c29ceead2f44894a724732247303e2de5a1e6445-rimg-w960-h639-dc94c1ed-gmir.jpg?v=1769697284 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa being held? - **A:** Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa takes place on Tue, 03 Feb, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Tue, 03 Feb, 2026 at 07:30 pm at Junior League of Houston, 1811 Briar Oaks Lane, Houston, United States. - **Q**: How much do tickets cost for Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa? - **A:** Tickets for Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa are priced at USD 29 per person. Here's a full breakdown of available ticket types:Ticket TypePriceAvailabilityAmbassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are ChUSD 29 + USD 4 feeAvailable - **Q**: Who is organizing Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa? - **A:** Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa is organized by The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Changing Africa", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/99aee18cd0238b361beff534c29ceead2f44894a724732247303e2de5a1e6445-rimg-w960-h639-dc94c1ed-gmir.jpg?v=1769697284", "startDate": "2026-02-03", "endDate": "2026-02-03", "url": "https://allevents.in/houston/ambassador-michelle-gavin-how-urban-youth-are-changing-africa/100001981768569138", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Junior League of Houston", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "1811 Briar Oaks Lane", "postalCode": "77027", "addressLocality": "Houston", "addressRegion": "TX", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "29.7487189", "longitude": "-95.45050289999999" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Explore Africa’s youth-driven political transformation and what it means for global power, democracy, and the future of the continent", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "2026-02-03", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "lowPrice": "28.52", "highPrice": "28.52", "price": "28.52", "url": "https://allevents.in/houston/ambassador-michelle-gavin-how-urban-youth-are-changing-africa/100001981768569138" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-04-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/houston/ambassador-michelle-gavin-how-urban-youth-are-changing-africa/100001981768569138", "price": "28.52", "name": "Ambassador Michelle Gavin – How Urban Youth Are Ch" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/the-world-affairs-council-of-greater-houston/23580894", "description": "The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston is a non-profit organization that works to promote deeper understanding of the world and its people through a diverse array of programs, events, and initiatives that connect Houstonians to the world." } ] } ] ```