Of special interest is section IV. ECI Strategies and Focal Areas, which details the new strategy for "decentralized empowerment for scaling up," specifically through the formation of Task Forces in Business, Education, Media, Religion, the United Nations, and Youth. Have a look for yourself - download and read the Earth Charter Initiative Handbook.

The photo shows Camila Godinho of Brazil, Youth Representative on the International Earth Charter Council, describing the proposed Youth Task Force at the Council Meeting in New York State, USA last May.

1. Ethics-Based Assessment: Helping individuals and organizations assess their commitment and action toward sustainability, and identify opportunities for strategic change

4. Keeping Nature Alive - the ethical foundations of nature conservation in the 21st Century

Please click below for abstracts of these four sessions.

• a brief introduction and welcome to e-GLO,
• participant work, including their own blogs, videos, animation, photos, and interviews,
• participant’s commentary on their work and the course,
• the presentation of certificates, and
• an interactive “Lobby Chat” between participants and guests.

Participants are inspiring young people from 23 different countries, engaged in local grassroots projects and global initiatives.

To join us, click here at 14:00 GMT on Saturday …and click on “Enter as a guest.” No password is required. Just type your name, organization, and country. Then wait to be accepted into the room. Only the first 200 people may enter, so arrive on time!

To learn more, visit the e-GLO Facebook group.

The UN Commission on Sustainable Development’s second week was mainly focused on the review of CSD-13 Water and Sanitation decisions, as well as interactive discussions between UN organizations, regional commissions, specialized agencies, Bretton Woods institutions and Major Groups around the theme “The Way Forward,” meant to open the path to further decisions and commitments.

A lot of cross cutting issues were identified as key factors in achieving sustainable development and in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in terms of access to water and sanitation. Cross cutting themes included taking into account gender equity and youth empowerment, as well as partnerships for capacity building and technology transfer, engaging stakeholders and strengthening monitoring and evaluation of water and sanitation focused endeavours.

Click below to read about the Secretary General's key note speech and more on "The Way Forward" to CSD-17.

Two weeks, forty young people, six themes and one challenge: empower young people to speak up for themselves and their communities.

At 5:30am the alarm clock buzzes, just another day in the life of a Youth Caucus Coordinator at the UN’s Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). A daily meeting to chair, drafting groups to organise, pledges to collect and statements to be delivered, among many other things. It may seem like an easy thing to do, but please think again: an average of 15 hours of work a day, networks and credibility to be established, perceptions to be challenged and reshaped. Being a young coordinator requires drive and passion, especially when people do not agree on a sentence, language is a barrier, and frustration is just around the corner.

Read more below!

The 16th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which started on 5 May 2008, focuses on the burning thematic issues of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification, and Africa.

As the sessions are going on, representatives of the Earth Charter Youth Initiative from Morroco (Hind Ottmani, YLT Chair and Representative for Africa and the Middle East), Italy (Selene Biffi, Youth Caucus Coordinator) and France (Didier Gleyzes, YLT Representative for Europe and Central Asia) are mobilized within the Youth Caucus, one of the most active Major Groups at CSD. Young people from different countries and backgrounds thus get the opportunity to raise their voices through different statements presented during the many sessions that tackle the thematic issues. Youth and Children statements for CSD meetings, past and present.

Read more by clicking below!

The Rio Earth Summit made monumental progress in the acknowledgement of young people as part of the global equation for sustainable development. While in 1992, young people accounted for approximately 30% of the world’s population, today they account for 50% of the world’s population (source). Many years and resolutions after the adoption of Agenda 21 in 1992, real change in the inclusion of young people's participation in the decisions that affect their communities and their lives is something young people continue to hope for.

Today’s young people have inherited a world they did not contribute to shaping:

• More than 1 billion people living on less than 1USD a day – 238 million of whiom are young people
• 8,000 people dying every day from AIDS
• 2.4 billion people lacking access to clean water

Data sources: Agenda 21 (1992) and World Bank's World Development Report (2007).

Global environmental crises are no exception, with young people rarely allowed to voice their concerns and speak up for themselves and future generations.

Read more by clicking below.

The book Interwoven Stories: The Fabric of Community was launched amid a clamour of excitement at the University for Peace in Costa Rica (UPEACE). On 30 April, the outdoor cafeteria became alive with music and bodies as students, staff and faculty members of the UPEACE community piled in. A neat pyramid of shiny books adorned the scene – when the cover was pulled back, a beautiful creation that had been months in the making was unveiled.

A buzz was truly in the air as I stood nervously at the microphone. On several occasions the energy welled up and erupted into an enthusiastic outburst of cheering and clapping. Everyone wanted to celebrate our friends and colleagues who had ventured to contribute their stories and ideas. We invited a few authors to read their pieces. The readings were powerful. These were the brave voices of people with whom I interacted every day; to hear their voices strong with conviction and wavering with emotion made the depth of our relations so much more apparent. Whether from Kenya, Costa Rica or the United States, we have stories to share. What a beautiful celebration of our community.

And celebrate we did! After the presentation and readings wound up, we distributed the books to eager hands, and unveiled another surprise – a spherical Earth cake deliciously flavored in lime and vanilla. In all, the book launch was absolutely memorable; a great afternoon powered by the incredible energy of our caring and creative community.

Click below to view PDFs of each section of the book. Make sure to leave a comment for the authors and editors, Lisa Jokivirta and Jessica Moe, at right.

100 Young People from 28 Countries Participated in Life-changing Summit for People, Animals, and the Environment

Twenty-four-year-old Timothy Ogene recently returned from a life-changing five-day trip to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA. Timothy was one of 100 youth from six continents and 28 countries brought together by world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, to attend Jane Goodall’s Global Youth Summit. The first annual event, which took place at Walt Disney World Resort from April 19-25, mobilized the young leaders to address the critical issues facing the planet. At the Summit’s end, the attendees headed home with a commitment to make positive change happen and the hope that – together – they can make the world a better place.

Timothy and his fellow participants were hand-picked by Dr. Goodall, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and partner organizations to take part in the all-expenses-paid, first-of-its-kind event. All attendees were outstanding young people with a strong history of community service and demonstrated leadership qualities. Timothy, for example, is the Earth Charter Youth Initiative Representative for Africa and the Middle East.

Groundwork Lawrence employs youth, ages 14-18, in a yearlong program, called the Green Team, which supports their development into committed and knowledgeable stewards of their urban environment. This year’s Green Team has been engaged in city-wide clean-ups, urban gardening, water quality testing, and organizing and leading an environmental expo that covered such topics as diesel pollution, and alternatives to toxic household cleaning agents.

On Earth Day, I brought the Green Team to attend a speech at Tufts University by Van Jones, a dynamic Green Jobs activist and founder of Green For All based in Oakland, California. His words were truly inspirational. In front of an audience of approximately 400 people, the Green Team had the chance to engage Van Jones in a dialogue about maintaining hope in the face of adversity. We also wanted to know more about the role youth can play in making a difference in the world.

Click here to watch the entire video address by Van Jones. If you click on “Audience Questions” you will hear the first question posed by Wanny Muñoz, one of our articulate Green Team members!

For more on Groundwork Lawrence, click below.

If so, then apply for the "Buddy Experiment" we have helped organize between individual youth from our networks and Members of IUCN's CEC. The Buddy Experiment is intended to show Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability (IPS) in action. The commitment is minimal and the potential for mutual learning and fun is high!

Read the full invitation and apply here. The deadline is 13 April 2008, so act now!

In peace and intergenerational solidarity,
The IPS Coordination Team

Earth Charter Youth Initiative * Global Youth Action Network * TakingItGlobal * Peace Child International * Peace Child Peru - Embajodores del Desarrollo *
Youth Action for Change * UNEP South Asia Youth Environment Network

Learn more: Campaign for Intergenerational Partnership for Sustainability.

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY or, alternatively, "you know why") organized a study session entitled “Applicability of peacebuilding in youth work.” This study session was organized in cooperation with the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI), Peace Action Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR), and Youth Action for Peace (YAP). The study session was supported by the Council of Europe (COE). The study session took place from 2-9 March 2008, at the European Youth Center of the Council of Europe in Budapest, Hungary.

Click below to read the full report and leave comments!

The Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI) grew significantly and undertook meaningful work last year. Personally, I am inspired everyday by the efforts of ECYI Members to bring about a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Thank you for your dedication and many kindnesses.

Peace,

Dominic Stucker
International Youth Coordinator

Please click below to read more and post your comments.

"We must deepen and expand the global dialogue that generated the Earth Charter, for we have much to learn from the ongoing collaborative search for truth and wisdom."

This sentiment moves us away from seeing the Earth Charter as a final product, and focusses on the ongoing process that created it. Indeed, it falls primarily to the younger generation to continue this global dialogue, review the Earth Charter, and make suggestions for revision that ensure the applicability of the document to our present-day realities, while maintaining the principles at its heart.

Therefore, I encourage you to review the Earth Charter and make your own constructive suggestions for revision, below.

To start our conversation, Josef Major, an ECYI Member from Israel, writes:

The closure of the Town Hall Meeting also means that all the votes are in and counted. Thanks to those who voted - your voice has been heard! The successful Candidate will join Lisa, North American Representative (3rd from left), and the Youth Leadership Team (pictured here, minus Timmy and Yuyun) in realizing their ambitious Plan of Action for 2008-2009.

Regardless of the results, I am pleased to see that Anna and Yongjie are highly committed to the Earth Charter and will surely work closely together to help expand and empower the ECYI. Congratulations to both Candidates for being such dynamic, passionate, and bold ECYI Members.

Click below to see the complete Youth Leadership Team and to welcome its newest Representative!

In peace and gratitude,

Dominic Stucker
International Youth Coordinator