Jennifer Corriero is Co-founder and Executive Director of TakingITGlobal. She and her team have created the largest on-line community of youth interested in global issues and using digital technologies to change the world. If you ever wonder what the next generation of leaders looks like, have a look at this U-tube video of Jennifer or her TedxTeen talk. If you ever wonder where the next generation of leaders will come from read Jennifer's response to: What would you like to become more visible in 2011? You can also Download Becoming Visible - the complete collection of 58 essays.
Youth Taking Informed Action (Tread Lightly and Sprout )
I would like the environmental and entrepreneurial ideas of youth developed last year to be transformed into actions. Taking It Global (TIG) is committed to capacity building and sustainable development of young leaders between the ages of 13-30 by offering a diverse set of educational resources and action tools intended to inspire, inform and involve. Through a multilingual online learning community and innovative education programs, TIG will continue to empower youth to take informed action on building a more peaceful, inclusive and sustainable world.
This year, we want to expand our Tread Lightly Challenge that encourages youthn to find ways to reduce their ecological footprints. With the generous support of the Staples Foundation for Learning, TIG will promote this program in eight European countries: England, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway. In addition, we plan to translate the teacher resources into six new languages. This will enable students across Europe, North America, Asia and South America to take part in the program.
Over 2011 our aim is to engage thousands of students in reducing their ecological footprints and produce artwork for our Imprints contest that closes on April 15, 2011. We want youth to consider two questions: What do you imagine could happen to the earth if we donʼt mitigate climate change now? What could climate change solutions for your community look like?
Submissions to the contest before November 22, 2010 were displayed at an international art exhibit at the Convention On Climate Change conference (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico. The Imprints Arts Contest hopes to actively engage thousands of students worldwide to express their thoughts and feelings on important issues like climate change. We want to promote eco-art that addresses environmental themes and incorporates recycled or re-used materials.
We hope to provide resources to students to collaborate on assessing what individual action they can take to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Last year, the Tread Lightly Imprints Art contest posed the question: "if you could visualize your ecological footprint, what would it look like?"
This year, Tread Lightly brought 24 youth delegates from around the world to COP 16, to join in the debate about international climate change policy and ensured many more people have the opportunity to ask themselves the same question. Next year, Tread Lightly aims to provide more opportunities for students to discuss and act on climate change in an extended, multilingual capacity.
Through our Sprout e-course, in partnership with the Pearson Foundation for Learning, we provide training and mentorship to aspiring social entrepreneurs to help launch their project ideas. Applicants are selected based on the strength of their proposals. I would like to see more young social entrepreneurs turning their project ideas into measurable action. Sustainable development of young entrepreneurs requires providing them the resources to implement their projects.
Over 2011, we intend to develop the implementation phase of the Sprout program. Thanks to the continued support of the Pearson Foundation, the Sprout e-course now includes a Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation; this international fellowship program selects the most deserving plans developed during the Sprout E-course and provides monetary support to 12 young social innovators to launch their projects.
In addition to monetary grants, winners will receive one-on-one mentoring from social innovators and guidance along the way as they implement their project plans. TIG plans to develop a special online community within the global TIG network to provide advanced resources and training to the Fellows.
NOTES
Click for my previous post referencing Jennifer's work: Obama Says it Best: Success Comes From Within.
You can download the complete collection of Becoming Visible responses here: Download Becoming Visible. Or by clicking the Becoming Visible Category on the right hand side of your screen.
Please share and distribute to your friends and through your various networks, websites etc. I think you will agree – these are too good to keep to ourselves.
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