The ECYI Youth Leadership Team, 2007-2009

Africa and the Middle East

Ms. Hind Ottmani, Morocco

I am a 25 years old Moroccan architect. For the last 5 years, I have been involved in a range of organizations and activities promoting gender equity, sustainable development, trade justice, youth participation and the culture of peace. And during these years, I have been working on linking my professional career with my passion for development, which explains my deep interest in urban sustainability. I have been trained in sustainable development, sustainable landscape design, and ended up working on youth friendly urban spaces as a graduation project. [I also participated in EC+5 in Amsterdam, 2005.] On a much less serious note, I am also a chocolate fan.

Mr. Samer Eid, Palestinian Territory

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My Name is Samer Eid, I am a Palestinian. I was born in Jerusalem but I grew up in Ramallah. I finished high school in 1997 then I attended Birzeit University where I got my B.Sc. in Chemistry. Due to the bad political and economic situation in Palestine, my family didn't have the ability to pay for my education, so I had to work while I was studying. When I finished from the University, I worked as a quality control supervisor at a pharmaceutical company in Ramallah for one year. Then I have gone for teaching Chemistry in the Al-Mustaqbal School in Ramallah for two years. While I was working in the pharmaceutical company and in the school, I also worked afternoons as a cosmetics salesman. After that I went to the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies to continue my M.Sc. and now I am an M.Sc. student at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev studying the environment.

Mr. Timothy Ogene, Nigeria

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I am Timothy Ogene from Nigeria, a development and youth empowerment advocate with special interest in poverty reduction, ICT and peacebuilding. Having volunteered for a good number of youth-led organisations, I have acquired skills in the areas of advocacy, communication, networking and personnel management. I pioneered Young & Speed Africa, a youth-led organisation that is committed to building partnerships for the sustainable development of Africa and empowering youths to be change leaders in their communities. I also initiated the Youth Action Partners for Development, an online interactive community for youths who are dedicated to community development. My mission is to support people in supporting themselves. And I dream of a peaceful world where man respects his fellow man and the environment.

Asia and the Pacific

Ms. Aparna Susarla, India

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I have completed my post graduate education in Environmental Sciences in May 2007 and I am working as a Programme Officer in the Youth Environment Network in the Center for Environment Education, Ahmedabad, India [an Earth Charter Affiliate. My resume, above, provides more details on my qualifications and the projects I worked with. I like experimenting and achieving what others think is impossible, and I believe in practicality more than anything else. I am interested in traveling and interacting with people, knowing more about their cultures and traditional patterns. My experience of working with several eco-friendly organizations as a supporter, volunteer and intern has helped me develop interest in sustainable living for sustainable development and taught me to be open minded and adaptable. I have a keen interest in conserving nature and its invaluable resources. I am a very good team player, amicable and adapt myself to the environment I am in. I believe in learning practically from my experiences and in improving the quality of my work.

Mr. Yuyun Harmono, Indonesia

I am Yuyun Harmono from Indonesia. I am 24 years old. Now, I work as an Outreach Officer with the Anti Debt Coalition (ADC), based in Jakarta. My 2 years of work experience with ADC has helped me learn how to use technology for campaigning. I am also an Action Partner with the Oxfam International Youth Partnership for 2007-2010. I am inspired by the Earth Charter because it is an effort to build a peaceful and sustainable world, and supports to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr. Niu Kejia, China

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I am a a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Department, Sichuan University, Sichuan Province, China. During my three years in university, I became especially interested about the environment problems in China, especially the improvement of environmental consciousness. I have been in the green group at our university for 3 years and now I am the General Coordinator of GreenSOS which is a non-governmental organization aimed to help other green groups in China and promote the green movement of the youth. [GreenSOS is also an Earth Charter Youth Group.] I am quite familiar with the situation of green groups in universities in China. And I have a close relationship with the green groups' leaders in China. I, with my friends in GreenSOS, created many projects about environmental protection which are often imitated by other green groups.

Europe and Central Asia

Mr. Didier Gleyzes, France

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Born in the city of Annecy in the French Alpes in 1984, I will obtain my master’s degree in International Organizations at the end of October. Currently working as an intern at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on their sustainable lifestyles and climate change communication campaign, I am looking for employment in either NGOs/IGOs or CSR for November. [I am also a member of the Core Group, 2005-2007.] I am firmly committed to the cause of sustainability, and my main hobbies are sport, traveling, philosophy and music.

Ms. Jana Kovandzic, Serbia

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My name is Jana Kovandzic. I am from Serbia. I am a fourth year student of Belgrade University, Faculty of Political Sciences. As one of the top students, I attended a program at Belgrade Open School, Department for Advanced Undergraduate Studies. Here I learned about the EU and the Balkans. I did an internship program in the Serbian European Integration Office, a governmental body. I attended summer school at the University of Graz - subject European Culture(s). I am a journalist for VOX – a student newspaper. In the Anti-Corruption Student Network in SEE, I did research on financial flows through Serbian universities. I am a member of the UN Association of Serbia. In this organization, I did a project called "Participation of young people in the UN bodies." In this organization, I am also a coordinator of UNESCO club, "Center."

Latin America and the Caribbean

Ms. Gabriela Monteiro, Brazil

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I graduated in International Relations and my dream is to work with development and environment. At their August 2007 meeting in Leverkusen, Germany, I was elected to be the TUNZA Youth Adviser of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2007 to 2009. I am currently conducting an internship with an NGO in Romania. I’m looking forward to start to work on social/environmental projects in my community and strengthen the TUNZA and ECYI networks.

Mr. Namir Nava, Mexico

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I was born in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico on March 26th 1980. I come from a middle class Christian family. Since my father was murdered in 1983 by the political and corrupt system of those years, my mother has become a defender of human rights with local NGO’s, especially from women. Since I studied communications, my interest has become on peace processes and social changes. For seven years, I have been part of projects or NGO’s involved on human and sexual rights defense. I have encouraged many youth from my region to become part of this group that I had founded in 2003, named Multidisciplinary Group of Youth in Michoacan [an Earth Charter Youth Group]. From that group, we have spread the Earth Charter principles and we have made recommendations for the government through documents such as the Declaration of Youth for Sustainable Development. Also, we have raised social consciousness through radio campaigns and workshops to prevent homophobia and promote the respect for the construction of diverse families. I consider myself a promoter of peace and respect in my community. [I also participated in EC+5, a large Earth Charter conference in Amsterdam in 2005.]

North America

Ms. Lisa Jokivirta, Canada

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As a Finnish Canadian with significant international experience, I am a strong advocate of the importance of sharing knowledge across cultures to strengthen the development of individuals and the societies in which they live. First, just a few words about myself: I am the founding member of the first-ever Earth Charter Youth Group (ECYG) in Finland, and am currently undertaking a six-month placement at the EC Center in Costa Rica as part of my Master’s program. As a member of the Youth Leadership Team, I hope to offer some of the insight gained from 6-7 years of involvement in various international and youth organizations. I would also hope to bring a "fresh pair of eyes" to the ECYI table, as a relative newcomer having experienced both the rewards and challenges of setting up an ECYG.

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