Cyber World or the Real World?- Dmitri Chavkerov

The Youth and their Perspective on Spatial Development

By Dmitri Chavkerov 

Internet has evolved from being a mere search engine; it has become a “sanctuary” for the youth of today. Facebook and Twitter are only some of the social networking sites that have their young minds preoccupied: they post status updates about the new kid on the block, they blog when they want to rant about bad grades or heartaches, they send “tweets” or short messages to their idols to get an “RT” (re-tweet), and post pictures of things they own on Instagram. The addicting routine of typing and clicking has the average teenager voluntarily confine himself/herself in the comfort of his/her room. But is this enough to completely rob the youth of the vision to see beyond their laptop computers? Do they even have the time – and the heart – to make a difference in the city they live in?

A series of participatory workshops conducted by Sintana Vergara and Julianne Baker Gallegos of World Bank proved that not all members of the youth sector have fallen prey to the allures of the cyber world.  In an effort to find out what attributes the youth want to see in his/her respective city come 2025, Vergara and Gallegos interviewed low-income to professional youth of age 15 to 30, residing in Tokyo, Manila, Bangkok, and Washington DC. In the course of the workshops, the interviewees were made to describe their city using just one word, answer questions about how they visualize their city in pairs, and asked to submit photos that depict the city they live in.

My faith in today’s younger generation was restored upon seeing the results of the study. Majority of the participants actually desire to affect change in their communities – some even came up with individual actions on how to implement these changes. These actions all depend on the unique experiences the interviewees have as members of society. The results also showed that the youth want their cities to eventually practice sustainable consumption, grant its citizens mobility, be habitable, be secure, be free of pollution, be run by competent government officials, be resilient, provide basic necessities and opportunities to the citizens, and to exhibit high levels of human capital. Each attribute previously listed were heavily influenced by what the youth feels is missing from his/her beloved city. Those from Manila and Washington DC, for example, ranked poverty and access to basic commodities and opportunities as the most important attributes of the said cities.

The advent of technology brought with it convenience, and a string of possibilities that continues to bridge gaps and make differences across the globe. Power has definitely shifted to our fingertips, giving us the chance to do great things with it. Looking at the big picture, it is the youth who has the bigger responsibility, as every choice he/she makes may lead to a reshaping of the physical and systemic aspects of the nation. In a world that has fast been engulfed by an all-encompassing “net”, knowing that its future leaders still harbor the dream of making the world a better place to live in is, in itself, a reassuring nod to those of us who have been doing our duty to maintain stability in our own communities.

About Dmitri Chavkerov

Dmitri Chavkerov is Russian entrepreneur, who was born in Siberia, Russia in 1982.  Dmitri Chavkerov went to Beverly Hills high school in California, USA, and graduated in the class of 2000 on principal's honor roll.  While in high school, Dmitri Chavkerov received 6 Golden State Awards in 6 different subjects.  He received high honors in geometry, honors in algebra, and recognition in biology, chemistry, English, and government.  These awards qualified Dmitri Chavkerov to receive golden state diploma.  He was the only person in his graduating class to graduate with golden state diploma.  After graduating from Beverly Hills high school, Dmitri Chavkerov was accepted to Queen's University in Alberta, Canada, which at the time was considered #1 business school in Canada.  Dmitri Chavkerov never went to Queen's University.  Instead, he partnered with former owner of biggest construction company in Russia, Alexander Drannikov.  Together they started their own brand of boxing equipment and porcelain dolls.  They also did some business in the fields of electronics and jewelry/watches.
In 2002, Dmitri Chavkerov dissolved his partnership with Alexander Drannikov, and in 2003 was invited by multimillionaire Glenn Pennock of Netherlands to become a partner in his new IT company start-up in the US.  Glenn Pennock is a quite famous figure in Netherlands, who started the first web design company in Europe, which at its peak was worth $500 million.  Dmitri Chavkerov accepted the invitation, and partnered with Glenn.

In 2004, Glenn Pennock decided to move his company from the US to Netherlands, and he invited Dmitri to stay.  Dmitri Chavkerov denied the invitation.  Glenn went on to Netherlands and reached success by securing contracts with Ebay Netherlands and Coca Cola.  Dmitri Chavkerov, on the other hand, ventured into real estate business in Southern California, eventually partnering with multimillionaire Michael Street of Street Inc.

In 2005, Dmitri Chavkerov formed his own company Elite Universe Inc., and in 2006 started ForexPeaceArmy.com, which is currently the biggest and most reputable forex reviews website in the world with more than 20 million annual page views.  Forex Peace Army is owned by Elite Universe Inc. of which Dmitri Chavkerov remains 100% owner.  Elite Universe Inc. also owned other forex websites in the past that are no longer active.

By 2007, Dmitri Chavkerov became well known figure in some investment circles, and was invited to manage $500 million in $1 billion dollar fund, in exchange for 30% performance fee.  Mr. Chavkerov denied the offer.

In addition to being an entrepreneur, Dmitri Chavkerov is also a recognized athlete in the sports of running, tennis, skydiving, and triathlon.  Dmitri Chavkerov started running and playing tennis in 1996, during his freshman year of high school.  He showed very promising results in both 1 mile and 1.5 mile distances and was invited to join high school's track and field team.  Dmitri denied the invitation, because he wanted to focus on tennis.  At the time, Beverly Hills High School's tennis team was in the top 5 in the US.  Their #1 player was #1 ranked junior in the US in 16s and under.  In his sophomore year, Dmitri passed try-outs and became accepted into Beverly Hills High School's junior varsity tennis team.  By junior year, he was one of top player on the JV tennis team.  By senior year, Dmitri Chavkerov was already ranked in the state and given a position on the BHHS varsity team.

After leaving high school, Dmitri Chavkerov continued to play tennis and participated in quite a few tennis tournaments in the 5.0, 5.5, and open divisions.  In 2007, he was in the top three position in 5.0 Los Angeles tennis league, and got to the finals of the league's playoffs.  During one of the league's matches, Dmitri defeated James Conway, who at the time was occupying top 10 rankings in the State of California 4.5 tennis division.

In 2001, Dmitri Chavkerov got into the sport of skydiving, and eventually went on to receiving a skydiving license and joining the United States Parachute Association.  Dmitri Chavkerov went on to make hundreds of skydives, had a picture of one of his skydives appear in the Parachutist Magazine, and eventually started training to compete in World's Skysurfing Competition.  Dmitri Chavkerov never entered the competition, because he got married.

In 2004, Dmitri Chavkerov participated in the olympic triathlon in Maui.  Approximately 500 people participated in the race.  Dmitri Chavkerov got 3rd place in his age division, and had the fastest running time in the entire race.

Currently Dmitri Chavkerov trades and invests his own money and remains CEO and 100% owner of ForexPeaceArmy.com.  He likes to meditate, do yoga, go for walks in nature, travel, and spend time with his wife and son.