Friendship Ambassadors Summer Youth Assembly at the UN

Press Release from the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation:

Friendship Ambassadors Foundation (FAF) invites youth from around the world to apply for this year's Summer Youth Assembly, set to take place from August 9 - 12, 2017 in New York City, USA.

Delegate applications are open to youth between the ages of 16 - 28 who exemplify strong potential or have made an impact as leaders and changemakers in their communities. Interested applicants who are 29 years or older may apply as an Observer.

Delegate Packages: The Delegate Packages are designed to extend the Youth Assembly experience beyond the conference and provide various learning and networking opportunities to delegates, in addition to affordable accommodation and meals during their stay in the United States.

Participants who sign up for the packages enjoy access to additional events and activities, which aim to enrich their experience in both practical and inspiring ways.

 Outstanding Youth Delegate & Youth Assembly Scholarship Opportunity

FAF recognizes that meaningful youth participation in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires empowering young people, especially those who are furthest behind.

Therefore, in addition to recognizing two Outstanding Youth Delegates at the conference, FAF is pleased to introduce a merit-based scholarship opportunity which will be provided to one deserving youth to attend the Youth Assembly at the United Nations in New York.

All three winners will have the unique opportunity to speak on the podium and inspire other young people through their work and commitment to global development and the success of the SDGs. 

These opportunities are only the beginning of the Foundation's growing efforts to make the Youth Assembly an open and inclusive platform for youth coming from various socio-economic backgrounds.

Visit our website to learn more. Please stay in touch and look out for further announcements coming soon! Sincerely, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc.

Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Events

For two weeks, the United Nations holds a major conference on gender issues and successes. While many events are closed to the public unless you apply for a conference pass, non-profits hold hundreds of public events around NYC between March 13 and March 23. The list of events can be found here and the locations given in the document correspond with the following locations:

Girls are not only allowed to attend, they are encouraged to! It's a great opportunity for a girl to learn about organizations working on gender issues, find out about topics being addressed internationally, and for them to raise questions or comments about issues that girls face specifically. It's also a great way to learn about Gold Award topics/ideas! (Girls under 18 should bring a parent/guardian/adult with them!)

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is hosting a parallel event on March 14 at the Armenian Convention Center at 4:30pm, titled Girls' and Women’s Economic Empowerment: Addressing Gender Norms and Stereotypes. Please do attend! It will be led by Girl Scouts/Guides from around the globe!

Again, these events are free and open to the public! Check out the full list of parallel events here.

YUNGA Seeking Youth Advisory Council Members for World Oceans Day

YUNGA is seeking ten young leaders (ages 16-21) from around the world to serve on a new Advisory Council to help expand the reach and impact of World Oceans Day. Held annually on June 8th, World Oceans Day provides a unique opportunity to unite the world to protect and conserve our shared ocean. The Ocean Project has led global efforts to promote and coordinate World Oceans Day since 2002, as a way to raise the profile of the ocean in June, and continue to provide ways for people to become more engaged – no matter where they live – in protecting and conserving our shared ocean throughout the year. YUNGA works with a wide range of partners, from all sectors. For the last decade YUNGA has worked closely with World Ocean Network,WAZA, and AZA, among many others. In late 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution officially recognizing June 8th as World Oceans Day and the worldwide celebration has been growing quickly ever since.

Advisory Council members will be instrumental in helping shape the development of World Oceans Day. YUNGA is seeking new and unique perspectives, ideas, and recommendations on developing this global event. Together, the Advisory Council and our network of partners, will work to expand opportunities for ocean conservation throughout the year. For more information go to: http://www.worldoceansday.org/world-oceans-day-youth-advisory-council-call-for-applications/

What is YUNGA?

Formed in 2009, the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA) is a partnership between United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and other entities that work with children and young people. YUNGA acts as a gateway for children and youth from around the world to participate in the activities and initiatives of the United Nations. YUNGA seeks to empower children and young people to have a greater role in society, raise awareness and become active agents of change. YUNGA aims to engage young people in activities of key environmental and social concern at both national and international levels.

Opportunity to have YOUR Voice Heard at the UN!

This March, the U.N. will host the Commission on the Status of Women, or CSW, which brings together nations and "civil society" (or nonprofits and individual citizens) to review the current state of women and girls worldwide. For the first time ever, there will be a Youth CSW event. At the end of Youth CSW, a document will have been created to analyze the status of gender--by youth and for youth. This will then be read to key policymakers and UN representatives from around the globe to bring a voice to young people who often are not present and are unable to advocate at the UN!

YOU can be a part of this!

Join the CSW Youth Online Consultation

An online consultation will provide an opportunity for youth who are not able to attend the Youth CSW event to have their voice heard and presented in this document! This consultation will allow the voices and perspectives of diverse youth from all walks of life to be heard during CSW60. Youth will discuss the issues they face on local, regional and global levels and form a declaration to be read at CSW60. If you are interested in contributing, join us during the Youth CSW online consultation here featured on the World We Want website. Please register and contribute by 10 March 2016.

Participate on Social Media

You can contribute to the discussions on social media:
Facebook: CSW60 Youth Forum (https://www.facebook.com/CSW60/)
Twitter: @YouthforumCSW
Instagram: csw60
The following hashtags can be used:

• #YouthCSWForum 
• #YouthCSW 
• #Youth4GenderEquality 
• #genderequality 
• #High5 
• #SDG5

Last Minute Opportunity to be in a Music Video

Pop artist Tennille Amor is making a collaborative music video for her song "I Am A Girl!" The video will be featured at the UN Interagency Youth Forum. Tennille is looking for girls and women from around the world to record themselves dancing and singing her song.

If you are interested in participating, please email Tori (vlarson31@gmail.com) ASAP and she will send you the details, including recording specifications, a release form, and of course the song!

Please note the deadline is MONDAY, February 22, 2016!

YUNGA Climate Change Badge in Now Available

The Climate Change Challenge Badge is designed to help children and young people understand the vital role our climate plays in supporting life on Earth and how our daily lives impact the Earth’s climate.

Most of all the Challenge Badge will help you better understand why climate change matters and motivate you to take action and become positive drivers of change in your communities and within international arenas.

What are you waiting for? It is time to start acting for climate! Find it online at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5216e.pdf

Other languages will soon become available (including Spanish, Russian and Hungarian and others will follow shortly).

What is YUNGA?

Formed in 2009, the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA) is a partnership between United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and other entities that work with children and young people. YUNGA acts as a gateway for children and youth from around the world to participate in the activities and initiatives of the United Nations. YUNGA seeks to empower children and young people to have a greater role in society, raise awareness and become active agents of change. YUNGA aims to engage young people in activities of key environmental and social concern at both national and international levels.

More about YUNGA here: http://www.fao.org/yunga

What are the Challenge Badges?

Developed in collaboration with United Nations agencies, civil society and other organizations, YUNGA Challenge Badges aim to raise your awareness, educate and motivate you to change your behaviour and become an active agent of change in your local community. The series can be used by teachers in school classes as well as by youth leaders, especially Guide or Scout groups. Challenge Badge activities are both educational – and fun! More info about Challenge Badges here: http://www.fao.org/yunga/resources/challenge-badges/en/

Reminder: Tomorrow is the Start of the 16 Days of Activism

November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. December 10 marks International Human Rights Day. November 25-December 10 are the 16 days of activism, in which people around the globe will be raising awareness against violence against women and girls. 

WAGGGS has created a digital "backpack" that can be "unpacked" by your troop. The activities can be done in a 90 minute session! Additionally there are social media actions that can be taken to raise awareness about the issue. 

Below is information from the WAGGGS website on the event:

Download 16 Days of Activism resources now and join our "Girls are valuable" Thunderclap!
In the resources you'll find Twitter and Facebook cover photos and the "I am valuable" backpack, which is packed full of activities and WAGGGS' call to action.

Here in 2015 we’re still living in a world of silence, a world where people know violence happens but don’t understand why or what needs to change. We’ve rocked the boat, we’ve made some waves and we’ve planted many seeds, but still girls’ rights are being denied. Their right to a quality education, their right to make decisions on issues that affect their lives, their right to live free from violence and the fear of violence.

Get involved by:

Doing the Activities.
This backpack contains activities for all age groups, taken and tailored from the Voices against Violence curriculum. These activities can be run in a 90 minute evening with your unit or troop to help you and your troop explore issues around gender stereotypes and inequality.

Having a conversation.
Taking part in the activities is only the beginning of this journey. We don’t only want Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to gain a deeper awareness of violence against girls; we want to be able to reach people outside the movement with the message that girls are valuable. The more people who understand why violence happens, the more people there are who can take action to end it. So once you’ve taken part in the activities we want you to focus on having conversations. We’ve identified four different audiences and provided examples of conversations each age group could have with these audiences to spread the word.

Sharing your experience with WAGGGS.
Share your 16 Days experience on social media. Post on Twitter or Facebook using #16Days and #GirlsAreValuable. Tell us about the conversations you had on our "Girls Are Valuable" Tumblr page and earn yourself an electronic badge!

COP21: How you can influence global leaders

UNA-USA is hosting a nationwide conference call next Tuesday to talk with young people about how they can influence global leaders at the upcoming Climate Conference in Paris. Join the call and learn about how GenUN/UNA-USA is engaging youth around COP21:

December 1, 5 p.m. ET

#EarthtoParis:

Briefing on the Historic Climate Convening

and Tips for Effective Advocacy

featuring

Ryan Hobert

Senior Director, Energy and Climate, United Nations Foundation

Click here to RSVP.

About Earth to Paris:

This December, world leaders are gathering in Paris for a landmark convening to complete a new global climate agreement – an extraordinary opportunity for the international community to rise to meet the threat of climate change. UN Foundation has launched #EarthtoParis to drive awareness and host events that highlight the connection between people and planet and the need for strong action on climate; to showcase climate solutions and innovations; to bring together communities to promote collaboration; and to engage people around the world in the dialogue taking place in Paris. Whether you’re in Paris, France or Paris, Texas, you can help to drive the conversation and advocate for strong climate action in December.

Join us for a conversation with Ryan Hobert, Senior Director, Energy and Climate, at the UN Foundation for an in-depth look at these once-in-a-generation climate negotiations and how to best advocate to tackle climate change.

Hashtags: #EarthtoParis #COP21

Check out the Earth to Paris website here: http://www.earthtoparis.org/

Quick info on Earth to Paris: http://www.earthtoparis.org/resources/EarthToParis-One-Pager.pdf

How is WAGGGS engaging COP21?

WAGGGS has several exciting steps you can take to get involved! Taking this conference call will get you thinking about how you can engage your leaders. Here are some concrete steps you can take to address climate change with world leaders through WAGGGS (whether you take the call or not!): https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/speak-out/cop21-united-nations-conference-climate-change/get-involved/

Nov. 25 through Dec. 10: UNiTe to End Violence Against Women & Girls

Every month, on the 25th of the month, is "Orange Day"--a day to mark the continual struggle to end violence against women and girls. November 25th is the flagship day, known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and is coupled with December 10, International Human Rights Day. The 16 days between November 25 and December 10, known as the 16 Days of Activism, are recognized by the UN as key days to push women and girls' right to live free of violence.

Read more about the campaign here: http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/what%20we%20do/orange_the_world2015_unite_toolkit.pdf

Take Action in Your Troop

WAGGGS has launched a 16 days of activism virtual "backpack," which contains activities for all age groups, taken and tailored from the Voices Against Violence curriculum. Voices Against Violence is the campaign that WAGGGS has taken to address the disproportionate effect violence has had on girls (you can read more about the Voices Against Violence program here). These activities can be run in a 90 minute evening with your unit or troop to help you and your troop explore issues around gender stereotypes and inequality.
More info about and download the backpack here: https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/stop-the-violence/get-involved/raise-awareness/16-days-activism/16-days-activism-2015/

Take Action in Your Community

Take the UN's call to action to "Orange Your World"! Here are a few ideas from the UN Women Toolkit:

• Light and decorate in orange your country, city, or communities’ iconic buildings, landmarks and statues. 
• Make orange advertising spaces on billboards, screens or in magazines to spread the message.
• Organize an orange march through the centre of your city, town or village and declare the space an ‘orange zone’.
• Organize orange marathons, flash mobs, dance parties, or bicycle rides. Find out from your local authorities whether there is a space you could arrange to be decorated with orange graffiti and messages! 
• Find out what relevant meetings or conferences are taking place in your country during the 16 Days of Activism and invite the organizers to orange the meeting spaces and dedicate an item in the agenda to a discussion about violence against women and girls.
• For more inspiration, look back at how we oranged our neighbourhoods last year: https://www.flickr.com/photos/unwomen/sets/72157649322853638/

Social Media

Take to social media and spread the word about violence against women and girls and the 16 Days of Activism. Here are some sample posts you can do:

TWITTER

• This #OrangeDay we're preparing for 16Days of Activism 25Nov-10Dec. What will you do to #OrangetheWorld? http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ @SayNO_UNiTE 
• Happy #OrangeDay! How will you mark the 16 Days of Activism 25Nov-10Dec? Time to start planning! http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ @SayNO_UNiTE 
• Will your village, town or city go orange to support an end to #VAW for 25Nov-10Dec? It’s time to start planning! http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ 
• Calling on youth! Last #OrangeDay you spoke out against #VAW&girls. Now it’s time to start planning to #OrangeTheWorld http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ 

FACEBOOK

• From 25 November to 10 December, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women will “Orange the World” to raise awareness and inspire action on the issue. This #OrangeDay, find out how you, your organization and your community can start organizing to be a part of this global campaign. http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ 
• Calling on youth! Last #OrangeDay, your voices were heard all over the world speaking out against gender-based violence. This month, the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women calls on you to start planning how you, your organization and your community will help to “Orange the World” during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, 25 November to 10 December. Check out the UNiTE campaign’s toolkit and organize a planning discussion in your community. http://bit.ly/1zU9QUJ

"He Named Me Malala" Film Screening at UN

UN Women, the Malala Fund, and the Muslim American Leadership Alliance (MALA) are pleased to present the groundbreaking documentary, He Named Me Malala, as an extension of the Students Stand #withMalala youth screening program, a collaboration between the Malala Fund and Participant Media. Join us in honor of United Nations Human Rights Day for an intimate portrait of the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund. Special thanks to UNICEF and World We Want for their support and partnership for this screening.

When:Thursday, December 10, 2015 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Where: United Nations Headquarters, General Assembly Hall, New York City

Where to RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/un-women-malala-fund-and-mala-present-he-named-me-malala-at-un-general-assembly-tickets-19543424910

***Please note this event is FREE***

About the film: HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.

Global to Local: UN Team Hosts Workshop on New WAGGGS Material

The WAGGGS UN team event, held yesterday in New York City, brought together troop leaders from Staten Island, Manhattan, New Jersey, and Heart of the Hudson! This workshop in particularly aimed at exposing troop leaders to the latest materials from WAGGGS: the new World Thinking Day materials (Connect 10 Million) and the very recent International Day of the Girl materials (10 Million Voices). The WAGGGS UN

Team worked to ensure that the workshop was especially interactive and exciting, allowing the troop leaders to discuss and explore the brand new Global Goals, which World Thinking Day and International Day of the Girl focus on.

What are the new Global Goals? Released on September 25, they are a set of priorities for all countries around the world that will help to address hunger, poverty, and social injustice. Each of the 17 goals focuses on one of the four themes: people, planet, peace, and prosperity. In 2017, each country will have national indicators that will help the public and non-profit organizations to hold their governments accountable to their commitments. As a result, it is essential that all people--young and not-so-young, girls and boys, parents and their children--learn about the goals so that they can be a part of this process and work towards a better world for their fellow citizens and the world.

Below are the resources discussed in the workshop, as well as some additional resources related to the Global Goals and the UN. I will also add these resources to the "resources" tab on this blog so you can find them again in the future!

Resources: 

WAGGGS International Day of the Girl 2015 (great activity ideas you can do right now!): https://www.wagggs.org/en/resources/international-day-girl-10-million-voices/

WAGGGS World Thinking Day (WTD isn't until February, but it is important to start thinking about it now with your other troop leaders, and there are many activities you can use at any time too!): https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/world-thinking-day/

Kid-friendly (elementary-level) activity book on Global Goals: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=1616&menu=1300

Global Goals Lesson Plans: https://www.tes.com/worldslargestlesson/lesson-plans/

World’s Largest Lesson Video: 6.5min https://vimeo.com/137728737 

Global Goals comic book (great resource to discuss the Global Goals with your children! Please note this is a work in progress!):  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kfpfgt1jpu5zl0x/AAClx23QyCi_MeZiYxIQ5N1va?dl=0

Youth Gateway: The UN Youth Envoy has created a “youth gateway” to get youth involved in the Global Goals and holding their governments accountable to the indicators. To be continued as we’re waiting for the indicators to com out (around January), but it is good to sign up now to get their emails and get involved: www.youthgateway.org

Global Goals Background Resources

The following are great resources for troop leaders to learn more about the Global Goals, or for having your girls use to do their own (or small group) research:

Sustainable development goals: changing the world in 17 steps – interactive: Interactive "map" that shows the differences between the MDGs (the goals set for 2000-2015) and the new Global Goals. Click on the Global Goals and it will bring you to a description of the goal: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2015/jan/19/sustainable-development-goals-changing-world-17-steps-interactive

Sustainable Development Goals: All you Need to Know: This is a great overview of the goals. Please note that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the "technical" term for the Global Goals: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/19/sustainable-development-goals-united-nations

UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (under "Key resources" they list some great resources that might be helpful to leaders to look at before working with girls, or to have older girls themselves look at to do research if needed): http://unsdsn.org/news/2015/10/06/world-leaders-adopt-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs/ 

Other UN-Related Resources: 

This is a comprehensive list of UN teaching resources shared by the UN and its agencies: http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/resources/teaching_resources.html

Model UN Resources: http://unausa.org/global-classrooms-model-un/for-educators/resources 

Guardian Article: “How to teach… the UN”: http://www.theguardian.com/education/teacher-blog/2013/sep/09/united-nations-teaching-resources

Committee on Teaching About the UN (CTAUN) Resources: http://www.ctaun.org/teacher-resources/

International Day of the Girl Action Opportunity: ACT NOW

 Tomorrow is the official International Day of the Girl! Please spread the word by joining in the Thunderclap--we still need over a hundred more people to sign up! If we have 250 people sign up, then on the International Day of the Girl, a wave of social media will go out with the following message:

SIGN UP FOR THE THUNDERCLAP HERE: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/32324-happy-idg2015

What is a Thunderclap?

If you sign up for the Thunderclap, you can have the message shared on your Facebook, Twitter, and/or Tumblr page! If enough people sign up, then Thunderclap will push out the message at the same moment on all registrants' social media accounts (only the ones that they signed up with!). Thunderclap will ONLY push messages that you sign up for and they will only do it to accounts that you have told Thunderclap it can push to.

SIGN UP FOR THE THUNDERCLAP HERE: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/32324-happy-idg2015

What is International Day of the Girl?

The Day of the Girl Summit brings girls and girl-serving organizations together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl. The Summit has become a movement; a year-long, action-oriented virtual platform for change makers to leverage community resources in support the advancement of girls’ human rights. This year, thousands more of girls, boys, adults, teachers, leaders, politicians and hundreds more of organizations, will show their support for the celebration of the unique and special role girls play in the world.

More info on the International Day of the Girl can be found here: http://dayofthegirlsummit.org/about/

Major Group on Children & Youth (MGCY) wants your success story!

Please see below for the MGCY call for submissions! Sorry for posting last minute:

We are extending our open call for success stories until October 8th, at 23:59 GMT/UTC.

What is this project about?

We want to hear your story about your project in humanitarian action! The UN MGCY WHS Youth Working Group is opening a call for success stories, which will show the world that youth are ready and capable to change our own society and future, through their contributions to and rethinking of the humanitarian architecture. We are looking for examples where you, the young people of the world, have started up a project that addresses a disaster or armed conflict. This can be a local project within your own community, but it can also have a larger scope.

We are not looking for projects focused on development or eradication of poverty, but actions linked to relief or response, as well as preparedness and resilience. Most importantly, your initiative has in an innovative way addressed needs that you see in a sustainable way.

The UN MGCY WHS Youth Working Group aims to share selected stories widely, as an example of young people’s contributions within humanitarian actions.

What is in it for you? 

If selected, your project will be broadcasted within our working group (which has already over 2,000 members!) on our social media channels reaching thousands of external partners, on our frequently visited website and we will also feature it during the Global Consultation for the World Humanitarian Summit in Geneva in October. This event will gather over 900 actors in humanitarian relief: NGOs, organizations and governments!

How can you submit your own project or initiative? 

 You will submit your success story by sending us an abstract of maximum 400 words at whsdop@childrenyouth.org. Please include in your abstract all the following information: how your project is run and what is its objective; who (for example individuals or an organization) and how many are running the project; who and how many benefits from the project; what are the results so far; and what the follow-up actions are. Any pictures, videos or other documentation that you have showcasing your story can be attached to the abstract using this form.

Engagement Opportunity: UN World Humanitarian Summit

YOU can help choose the priorities for the World Humanitarian Summit! Show your support for the actions needed to transform humanitarian action!

Under the "Dignity" section, there are two options that might be of particular interest to those following this blog: "Guarantee protection and education for children, and engage youth as partners in emergency preparedness and response," and, "Close the gender gap by ensuring funding and programming enables women and girls to realize their rights, including protection from gender-based violence." If these options resonate with you, it would be great if you could take the survey and select them to show that women/girls and children/youth are important parts of the humanitarian process when responding to crisis!

Click HERE: http://voices.worldhumanitariansummit.org/ Share this with all your friends and networks to show our leaders, and the agencies and organizations that WE care about YOUTH and GIRLS and want more support and more youth leadership in humanitarian action!

Event hashtags: #WHSyouth #ReShapeAid

More Info on the World Humanitarian Summit

The UN's first World Humanitarian Summit will be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May 2016 and will bring together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises and new partners including the private sector to propose solutions to our most pressing challenges and set an agenda to keep humanitarian action fit for the future.

Girls Speak Out UN Event: Oct. 9

Registration is filling up fast for the UN's International Day of the Girl celebration. Troops have the opportunity to come to the UN and watch performances acted/sang/spoken by girls that were submitted by girls around the world for this event. Registration is required at: www.dayofthegirlsummit.org

What is International Day of the Girl?

The Day of the Girl Summit brings girls and girl-serving organizations together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl. The Summit has become a movement; a year-long, action-oriented virtual platform for change makers to leverage community resources in support the advancement of girls’ human rights. This year, thousands more of girls, boys, adults, teachers, leaders, politicians and hundreds more of organizations, will show their support for the celebration of the unique and special role girls play in the world.

World Humanitarian Summit Data Visualization Competition

Join the #VisualizeChange challenge

In the lead-up to the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit convened by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, we have consulted thousands of people worldwide and collected their ideas and recommendations to reduce human loss and suffering from crisis.

Together with Unite Ideas we are inviting you to join our #VisualizeChange challenge to build an info-graphic or dynamic visualization featuring the World Humanitarian Summit consultation data collections.

The winner will be invited and sponsored to travel to present their work at the Global Consultation in Geneva, Switzerland on 14-16 October 2015 and the best visualizations will be showcased on the World Humanitarian Summit website, the Unite Ideas website and at related events worldwide. Please share this invitation with colleagues and friends and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or ideas related to the challenge: visualizechange@whsummit.org

Find out about criteria and how to participate here: bit.ly/VisualizeChange

The deadline for submissions is 30 August 2015.

What is the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS)?

An initiative of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, managed by UN OCHA, the first World Humanitarian Summit will be held in Istanbul on 23 and 24 May 2016 and will bring together governments, humanitarian organizations, people affected by humanitarian crises and new partners including the private sector to propose solutions to our most pressing challenges and set an agenda to keep humanitarian action fit for the future.

WAGGGS #YouthDay Initiative: #IToldMyStoryTo

Want to get involved in International Youth Day on August 12? WAGGGS is hosting a social media campaign to raise awareness about the actions girls worldwide have taken in their communities!

What have you done in the past year to contribute to your community? How are you engaged in your neighborhood or with global issues?

Opportunities, especially for young women, to be involved politically, economically and socially in their communities, countries and on a global level are few and far between. International Youth Day is an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of girls and young women as agents of change and as volunteers on the ground. It also gives us the chance to celebrate girls' contributions to development of their communities and governments.

Tell your story! 

Did you do the Global Action Theme (GAT) badge? Did you participate in or organize a World Thinking Day event? Did your Gold, Silver, or Bronze Award address issues such as hunger, poverty, or social injustice? All of these actions contribute to civic engagement and actively contributing to your community.

Help raise awareness that young people make an essential contribution to these goals! Share your story of civic engagement. You could tell your story to your school, your teacher, at an assembly with your community, your friends, your workplace, your local council, your Government! Share who you have told your story to on social media using the hashtags #Itoldmystoryto and #YouthDay and don’t forget to tag us @wagggs_world.

Youth in action: 12 stories of change 

Look out for 12 stories of change from Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from Member Organisations of all five WAGGGS regions, working towards the Millennium Development Goals, which were goals established by the UN in 2000 that are coming to a close now (you can read about the new Sustainable Development Goals, or Global Goals, here).

WAGGGS will be sharing a story of change every two hours starting Tuesday 11 August. This will end on International Youth Day 12 August with exciting findings from our research on the Global Action Theme badge, which focused on ways in which girls and young women helped to deliver the Millennium Development Goals.

 Follow the stories and our research results on our Twitter and Facebook pages and on our website here.

More resources and information are available here: http://www.wagggs.org/en/internationaldays/InternationalYouthDay

Sign up NOW for August 12 UN Event for International Youth Day!

This August 12 is International Youth Day! This is an internationally recognized day to celebrate youth. This year's theme is on civic engagement. Civic engagement is defined as: the encouragement of the general public to become involved in the political process and the issues that affect them.

On August 12, there will be an International Youth Day event held at the UN headquarters in NYC! This event is meant for youth (under 25 years old) and is an exciting opportunity for you to go to the UN and have your voice heard, while also meeting other young people who are passionate about global issues and social justice. You can register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/register?orderid=444627433623&client_token=1b0aae330df74ff08265490586bb7a86&eid=17770214189

Didn't get picked for the event or can't get to NYC? Create your own event in your community! The UN's Envoy on Youth has some excellent suggestions for you to take with your troop, friends, or community organization. Or, you can take action online.

More information here: http://bit.ly/1L2KsS2

UN E-Consultation with Children & Youth on the Sustainable Development Goals

Have you done a lot of work in your troop around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the last few year? Maybe you have participated in World Thinking Day, did a GAT (Global Action Theme) badge, or completed one of the YUNGA badges (see the resources tab above for more information about these!)?

Are you familiar with the new goals coming out this year, called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? The United Nations (UN) is going to declare the official, new SDGs in September, and they will determine the direction that international aid will go in. As a result, these goals are very important to everyone around the globe. For example, for the last MDGs, violence against women and girls was not made a priority--and so a lot of funding opportunities by the international community were lost. However, the new goals hope to be more inclusive and address more systemic issues in the global poverty and inequality chain. If you're interested in learning more about the SDGs, check out this great interactive Guardian site: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/jan/19/sustainable-development-goals-united-nations

These goals may seem very large and 'out-there,' but they affect the lives of people around the globe, especially those of girls and boys. That is why UNICEF and the World We Want are asking that children and young adults to think about the current draft for these goals and think about how they could be more engaging and understandable to YOU! You can check out the draft of the SDGs (known as the "Zero Draft") here, then head to the World We Want website before June 17 and think about the following 5 questions they are asking children to answer to help them to make the SDGs declaration more child-engaging:

1. Do you think the Declaration of the SDGs is important for you or other children and young people around the world? Why or why not?
2. If you could prioritize the 5 most important goals which could help achieve a world you want to live in, what would they be?
3. Does the SDGs Declaration tell you about your rights and inspire you to help human rights be recognized and respected?
4. What would you add or take out of the Declaration to make it better, simple, understandable and child-friendly?
5. What do you think is the best way to raise awareness of these goals among children and young people? 

Troop leaders: This could be a great way to engage your troop in the global community. I suggest reading more about the MDGs & SDGs, finding some activities provided by the GAT, YUNGA, or World Thinking Day badges, and then reading the Zero Draft on your own before the meeting. Then use what you learned to engage your girls on what the SDGs are, why they are important, and what they mean for children around the world. Conclude your meeting by hosting some discussion around the five questions and then help your girls to answer the questions online (or have them write down their answers and they can post it online with their parents after the meeting).

Here is the full release:

IT IS OUT! - Zero Draft of the outcome document for the UN Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda has been released publicly.

We invite children and young people

to comment on the Declaration to help make it inspiring to you and your peers!

What if you were the lead writer of it – what would it say?

Read the SDGs Declaration here and participate in the E-consultation during 3-17 June.

We need your views and ideas to make the SDGs Declaration better, understandable, child-friendly and inspiring!

At the United Nations, governments have consulted with people all over the world to come up with a set of 17 goals to achieve over the next 15 years on issues such as improving health, providing children with a good education and fighting the damaging effects of climate change.  If these “sustainable development goals” are a success, you and other children and young people across the world will live in a world that is fairer, safer, more prosperous for all people and where our natural environment is healthy and well-protected.

To introduce the goals, government negotiators have worked on a “Declaration.”  Think of it like an essay that introduces the goals to world and explains why they exist and why they are so important.

A number of  UN Ambassadors they have requested for children and young people to proofread the Declaration and provide inputs, recognizing how important it is for children and young people to understand this declaration and the goals.  Your inputs will be summarized and presented to the governments towards the end of June. The governments have called for your help – let’s together make sure that they know what the most important issues are for children.

Read the SDGs Declaration here and participate in this E-consultation from 3 to 17 June on https://www.worldwewant2015.org/children

Spread the word – to individuals, organizations, children and youth networks - every child and young person should have an opportunity to be part of this consultation!

We look forward to your ideas, views and suggestions!

Celebrate World Environment Day: Pledge to do #OneLess

On June 5, World Environment Day will be kicking off--but what will you do to help protect our planet? The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) will be kicking off this celebration by asking girls to pledge to do one less thing in their life to reduce their environmental impact and share their pledge on social media using the hashtag #OneLess and #WED2015 (also be sure to tag @wagggs_world on Twitter!). 

What are some ideas that you can give up and make a difference? You can work with your troop to do an environment-related activity or badge (find a list here under "Use these resources") and, based off the activity, reflect on how you can make a lifestyle change that has impact. Not able to do it with your troop? Check out the EPA's student guide for global climate change, which gives some great suggestions on what you can do: http://www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/kids/solutions/actions/index.html

After you've decided what difference you can make, write on a paper or dry erase board what you will you and share on social media (don't forget to include #OneLess #WED2015 @wagggs_world). Like this example:

In order to make real impact, everyone needs to be involved. Therefore, WAGGGS has also released a social media tool kit with other cool ideas on how you can spread the word about #OneLess and get your friends involved: http://www.wagggs.org/en/grab/25872/1/wed-2015-social-media-toolkit.pdf

Be sure to check out the WAGGGS page for other resources, more background info, and ideas here: http://www.wagggs.org/en/internationaldays/worldenvironmentday