In 2007, the ECYI Membership grew at an accelerating rate, with members now from over 50 countries. The ECYI list-serv doubled in size and, in an entirely decentralized way, more than 500 young people joined online Earth Charter-related groups on Facebook, TakingItGlobal, Wiser Earth, Orkut, etc. For example, 223 people signed up for the Earth Charter “Cause” on Facebook and a growing number of people are recruited every day. This is effectively decentralized endorsement of the Earth Charter.

The ECYI has a rapidly growing online presence, with a more informative, interactive, and innovative website. For example, an ECYI Blog was initiated, with 25 articles and stories posted, plus 120 comments received from around the world. Significantly, 70% of these comments were directly associated with the online “Town Hall Meeting and Election” of the Youth Leadership Team in September. Activity on the ECYI website made a clear jump in September as well, remaining at an average of 1,708 visits / month through the end of the year. This was more than 2.5 times the average activity seen before September (665 visits / month).

Furthermore, the number of engaged and connected ECYGs has more than doubled in the past year, now totaling 28 from all around the world. These groups have been active in a variety of ways, including:

* translating the Earth Charter into Finnish and Belorussian;
* holding youth conferences on the Earth Charter in Belorussia, Latvia, and Ethiopia;
* promoting sustainable livelihoods on Lake Victoria and in the slums around Nairobi, Kenya;
* promoting organic agriculture in China;
* cleaning up beaches in the Philippines;
* providing humanitarian assistance after the August 2007 earthquake in Peru; and
* campaigning for renewable energy on university campuses in the USA.

In collaboration with the former Core Group, the ECYI Handbook was developed, with a special focus on ECYGs. This is to be translated, published and disseminated in 2008.

In 2007, ECYI members also participated in various international events, taking on leadership roles throughout:

* UPEACE’s International Conference on Climate Change and Vulnerability, The Hague, Netherlands;
* Global Youth Service Day;
* Earth Charter International Council Meeting, Sao Paulo, Brazil;
* United Nation’s Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16) in New York City, USA,;
* CIVICUS Youth and World Assemblies in Glasgow, Scotland;
* UNEP’s Tunza Conference in Leverkusen, Germany;
* International Youth Forum in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt;
* Commonwealth Youth Forum 6 in Entebbe, Uganda;
* 4th International Conference on Environmental Education in Ahmedabad, India,; and,
* UNFCCC’s Conference of the Parties in Bali, Indonesia.

For the purpose of promoting youth participation in such international processes, Leah Wener, a World Leadership Corps Fellow interning with ECI, and Dominic Stucker, ECYI Coordinator, researched and drafted “Youth in Global Governance for Sustainability: An ECYI Guide,” to be translated, published and disseminated in 2008.

As mentioned above, the ECYI elected a Youth Leadership Team (YLT), with 12 representatives from all the world’s regions. The former Core Group helped to develop an inclusive, participatory, and democratic election process, which included an online “Town Hall Meeting” and voting in September 2007. The elected YLT Representatives met in November at the 4th International Conference on Environmental Education (ICEE), where they drafted the YLT Plan of Action for 2008-2009; participated in numerous working sessions and plenaries; contributed to the drafting of the Ahmedabad Declaration, which mentions youth and the Earth Charter specifically; and formed strong working relationships with UNEP’s South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN) and the China-India Forum. The YLT works very closely with the International Youth Coordinator on their goal of “engaging, expanding, and empowering the ECYI.”

An important project for ECYI - the creation of an Alliance for Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability - was launched at the ICEE Conference in Ahmedabad, with the drafting of the “Framework for Forming Intergenerational Partnerships for Sustainability” (IPS). This Framework is intended to become a practical mechanism for forming effective working relationships between people of all ages in the pursuit of justice, sustainability, and peace. The Framework was translated into numerous languages and will be posted on a Wiki site, enabling people from around the world to comment and offer suggestions. An Alliance for IPS will also be formed in a decentralized way using the same Wiki site. At strategic events, the Framework draft will be revised until it is submitted to the World Conservation Union (IUCN), as part of a motion on the importance of intergenerational partnerships for achieving justice, sustainability and peace.

In 2007, the ECYI also continued to collaborate with its partners around the world, including:

* Global Youth Action Network (GYAN);
* TakingItGlobal (TIG);
* United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY);
* Youth Action for Change (YAC);
* Peace Child International (PCI);
* Beat Board and
* Plan Netherlands.

These partners represent a wealth of resources and skills, as well as large international youth networks. They will play important roles in the initiatives that ECYI will launch in 2008. Plan Netherlands provided generous funding for the ECYI.

Please leave your comments, below, both on successes of 2007 and plans for 2008!