2012 UN International Youth Day (IYD) brings Global partnerships into Fruition

“To unleash the power of young people, we need to partner with them.” ~ United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

International Youth Day (IYD) is one of the biggest events for the young people throughout the world. It is the day which celebrates the energy, liveliness and passion of young people towards global peace and development and recognizes their importance in its process. Each year on August 12, youth around the World set up events and action projects that recognize our efforts in our communities.

The theme chosen for International Youth Day 2012 – Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth – is a global call to action for young men and women, as well as other stakeholders around the world, to develop and engage in partnerships with and for youth towards building a better world.

IDEAS and our new partners in Nepal — YUWA — will be  hosting a Global Dialogue between youth around the World on the G+ Hangout; a way of showing our partnerships that are developing around the World and a way for youth to share knowledge and experience about human rights, economic vitality and sustainable development in their countries.

Stay tuned for updates in the coming days!
IDEAS For UN

IDEAS endorses the ‘Earth Charter’

On July 16th, IDEAS officially endorsed The Earth Charter, a universal expression of ethical principles to foster sustainability around the World.
As a supporter, we will be promoting the ethics and framework of the charter to our partners, affiliates and chapters; and provide educational opportunities about solutions for sustainability to the movement abroad.

“We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.”

Find out more and SIGN the Earth Charter on their website: EarthCharter.org

IDEAS becomes ‘Planet Ambassadors’ at Bonnaroo 2012

When the name Bonnaroo gets mentioned a few things come to mind: festival, music, hippies, camping, Tennessee, drugs, funny hats…etc.

What about….. Sustainability?

From June 11th-15th, IDEAS and the Planet Ambassadors and Change Agents teamed up in the “Green Pod” at Bonnaroo to host an abundance of sustainability workshops such as raised bed gardening and put on theater performances to teach the importance of sustainable living on the RUNBus. RUNbus, the famous Powershift 2011 vehicle, is a vegetable oil-powered school bus which folds out into a stage!

IDEAS and the Planet Ambassadors also showcased examples of sustainable living including:  an electric motorcycle ridden for the Guinness Book of World Records longest distance by Terry Hershner, a solar -powered phone charger which concert goers used to power up their devices, a solar oven which used direct sunlight to cook amazing food, and an activities tent which allowed “Bonnaroovians” to interact and create wonderful found art using up-cycled materials. The RunBus stage, also renamed the “HOW Stage” in honor of the many how-to workshops, showcased some great local Floridian music groups such as Laney Jones and The Applebutter Express to entice an endless crowd of music lovers.

Located on a 700 hundred acre farm, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee is the host of one of the greatest masses of human beings in the nation.  Overnight, Manchester becomes the 7th largest city in Tennessee. Roughly 80,000 campers from around the nation and even from overseas flock to this spot once a year to watch a myriad of big name acts, to experience the atmosphere of a large music festival, to find a sense of community and bonding, and now to learn the benefits of sustainable living for themselves and for Planet Earth. Through amazing teamwork and collective knowledge, IDEAS, the Planet Ambassadors, and Change Agents, put sustainability on the map at Bonnaroo and garnered some much deserved attention, at a place where attention is not so easily attained.

Written by:Dave Polk
IDEAS For UCF Grad