SDSN Youth Looking for Contributions to Thematic Paper on Climate Change

Youth, Peace & Security

Our thematic paper will investigate the impact of climate change on the security and development prospects of young people across the globe, as well as promote the case for youth-led development. We are currently conducting interviews to feed into the conclusions we will provide to the UN General Assembly and Security Council. Please reach out if you think you could contribute!

WAGGGS Stay Connected Competition -- $3000 grant!

The Global Goals are 17 goals that world leaders signed onto at the United Nations to collaboratively work towards real issues like ending hunger, poverty, gender inequality, and environmental degradation. These goals are important for both developed and developing countries to make real changes in their countries, but they need the help of young people to make sure that people know about these goals and to get started on rolling them out! You can be a part of this important process.

Technology and innovation are key drivers that can help to make large and sustainable impact that last. Which is why Verizon has teamed up with WAGGGS to create this grant for Girl Scouts/Guides to come up with creative solutions to bringing the Global Goals to your community! Winners will receive a $3000 grant to execute the project.

Judging criteria:

• Relevance: How is this relevant to the Global Goals and girls' lives in your community? 
• Innovation: Is your idea a new one? 
• Effectiveness: How effective would your idea be in creating change?
• Impact: What is the impact your project could have on your community?
• Sustainability: How will your project be able to continue to have an impact once it's set up?

More info & apply: https://www.wagggs.org/en/what-we-do/stay-connected/

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!

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

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/

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.

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

Sustainable Development Goals Adopted + Child-Friendly Version

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals/targets that the United Nations will set from the years 2015-2030. The series of goals are important for identifying funding needs for projects and programs as well as creating measurable targets so the countries can see their progress.

On August 2, all member states of the UN have agreed to adopt the SDG agenda, which will not be officially adopted until September. The goals not take go into effect until January 2016, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are completed.

Alongside the adoption, there has been a release of a child-friendly version for parents, teachers, and volunteers to work with children around the world and teach them about the new SDGs, or "Global Goals." This is a great opportunity to talk with young children about the UN, human rights, and global issues around poverty, hunger, discrimination, and the environment. The child-friendly version is available here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SDGs-child-friendly.pdf

Adults and youth can check out the full SDG agenda here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/7891TRANSFORMING%20OUR%20WORLD.pdf

A press release from the UN with more information can be seen here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/08/transforming-our-world-document-adoption/
and here: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51546#.VcDFiflVikp

United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) Survey on Youth, Peace, and Security

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY) is calling for youth to respond to their survey/consultation on youth, peace, and security to understand the opinions and concerns of youth in this area. You can access the consultation here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1U0CgqkY3vGkd7RZ2UHXJLUYNhbtd0gzyc67BJjV15gw/viewform?edit_requested=true

More Information About the Consultation:

Young people around the world face a wide and diverse set of experiences, challenges and problems, which vary according to their nationality, ethnic and racial background, gender, sexual orientation, religion and much more. In order to ensure that the declaration will truly reflect the youth’s viewpoint and include such multiplicity of perspectives, we would like to ask for your contribution. This is your chance to make your voice heard by helping us draft the declaration!

Through the questionnaire below, you can express your opinion about the most pressing aspects within the field of Youth, Peace and Security. The questionnaire is composed by two multiple choice and nine open-ended questions. The open-ended questions are optional, thus, you are not required to answer all of them. Instead, you can focus on the ones of your interest. Please, try to be specific and short in your answers.

Who is UNOY Peacebuilders?

UNOY Peacebuilders is a network of youth peace organisations from around the world. We currently have 60 member organisations in 45 countries. We have an office in the Hague coordinating the network, with four members of staff. We also have an International Steering Group, representing the different member organisations around the world, and a board based in the Netherlands.

More info here: http://unoy.org/who-we-are/

International Day of the Girl Call for Submissions Until 7/17!

Exciting news about International Day of the Girl (IDG) being held this October 9! The International Day of the Girl is a global celebration of girls and their struggles, successes, and rights. The UN hosts the event annually by collecting arts submissions from girls around the world who share their experiences. Submissions are selected and displayed or presented to UN officials as well as girls and women from around the globe! Selected submissions that are presented are often performed or acted out by girls in the NYC area. The discussions from these works are powerful and emotional--touching on everything from living with a disability as a girl, to sexual abuse, to body image and the media.

This year will be another great year for girls to celebrate themselves and put their thoughts and ideas in front of the UN! Here is the intro to the call for submissions (due 7/17!):

Imagine: The year is 2065 and girls hold all leadership positions at the United Nations and more than half of the governmental positions in countries around the world. Girls’ rights are honored, respected and the global economy is booming. Why? How did this happen? What was the event that changed everything? How did you, your parents, teachers, friends, and siblings help make this happen? What did community leaders, government officials, the UN and YOU do RIGHT NOW, in 2015 to improve our world for girls? 

You can help us make IDG 2015 the greatest celebration of girls, girl power, and the unique roles girls play in our world. We invite all girls ages 18 or younger to send us your creative writing or artwork so you can share your voice and your ideas to help shape the Girls Speak Out 2015!

Girls  have two great ways to be involved. Firstly, girls around the world can submit their artwork, poem, songs, etc. to be presented at the IDG Summit at the UN. See the above flyer for information about this year's themes! Please note the submission deadline is very soon!

Secondly, girls in New York City and nearby areas can actually perform these great works. Below is the IDG audition flyer with more info and how to get involved:

Last year, the WAGGGS UN team attended the IDG Summit! You can check out more info here: http://wagggsunteamnyc.blogspot.com/2014/10/international-day-of-girl-speak-out.html And here are a few select photos from last year:

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

Peace First Prize is Taking Nominations!

Do you know a US resident between ages 8-22 who had done some amazing peace making in their community? The Peace First Prize is looking for applicants for their $25,000 fellowship award to provide young peacemakers the opportunity to pursue their peace project and further their education for two years.

According to the website, "The Peace First Fellowship contributes to the movement Peace First is building through direct programming that builds a collection of youth peacemakers.  The Peace First Fellowship invests in empowering youth who are already catalysts for change, helping to put their work in context and provide the relationships, skills, and knowledge they need to take their peacemaking work to the next level.  The Peace First Fellowship has a unique focus on relationships: among Fellows, between Fellows and Peace First staff, and within the larger Peace First network."

Last year's winners ranged from ages 13-23 and worked on projects related to race, education, LGBT issues, bullying, and disabilities. Students often experienced first-hand different struggles and sought to make change so that other people in similar situations don't have to feel the same way they did. Check out the amazing five winners from 2014 here!

Do you know a girl in your community who has made amazing strides in peacemaking? Nominate her now for the Peace First Prize! Even if she doesn't make it as a finalist there are some great benefits to being an applicant:

• An invitation to join the Community of Peacemakers, a growing, online network of young people around the country who are creating positive social change. 
• A chance for their story to be featured on the Peace First Prize website and/or social media. 
• Entry into a raffle for a chance to donate $100 to the peacemaking organization of their choice (must apply by early application deadline, February 6, 2014).

Nominations are pretty quick (your nominee will be sent an application form after you nominate them), so fill one out now here: http://www.peacefirst.org/prize/index.php/nominate

Or, work with the girl on her application, which is available here: http://www.peacefirst.org/prize/index.php/apply

Note for girls applying: Be sure to look at the whole website as well as all of the social media pages and think about what kind of trends you see in what the prize is looking for. Applications are an art in themselves and unfortunately are the gatekeepers to great prizes and awards like these. If you don't get picked, don't be discouraged-- practicing filling out applications is good to do, and a great way to reflect on the great work you're doing in your community and the vision you have for yourself in the future! I suggest teaming up with an adult, such as your troop leader or parent, and having them help you to think about what makes you the best candidate and how to craft your personal story. This is your moment to shine-- don't be intimidated to speak highly and positively about yourself!

Resources for parents, teachers, and troop leaders: The website has some great resources for getting children started on the path to being great peacemakers in their community! Access them here: http://www.peacefirst.org/prize/peacemaking-resources

#Action2015 & the WAGGGS Take Action Backpack

If you are active on social media, particularly Twitter, you may have noticed the #Action2015 hashtag. Action/2015is a new global campaign to call to action, a movement to demand change and to work to ensure world leaders adopt truly ambitious goals and agreements on addressing climate change, poverty, inequality and injustice. This year is a pivotal year: the 2015 Millennium Development Goals are coming to an end and a new set of goals will be determined for the years to come! These new goals are important: they determine what key development issues get international support and funding, whether it's gender equality, infrastructure, government anti-corruption measures, and more.

January 15 was a big day to call our leaders to action, but you can still get involved-- leaders will be meeting throughout the year to decide these future goals, and every action you take in your local community and share with our global community makes a difference.

What Can I Do to Get Involved?

1. Check out the NEW WAGGGS Take Action Backpack, an interactive online "backpack" that will help you on your journey to understanding and taking action on child and maternal health. Why did WAGGGS pick these to focus on? Because Millennium Development goal 4 is on child health and Millennium Development goal 5 is on maternal health, and countries still have a way to go in ensuring that children and mothers have save and healthy lives! Check out the backpack here (be sure to click the play buttonn above the backpack to get started!): http://www.wagggs.org/en/take_action/mytakeactionbackback
2. Fill out the My World 2015 Survey and see what other people are saying. The My World 2015 Survey gives everyone around the globe the chance to have their voices heard in what they think are important goals as we look to the future! Fill out the survey here: http://vote.myworld2015.org/?partner=WAGGGS
3. GenUN also has a list of actions you can take to make 2015 a year of action. And remember, it is never too late to take any action and get your leaders' support! Check it out here: http://genun.unausa.org/action_2015_global_digital_rally
4. Check out the Action/2015 website for more information on what this big push for action in 2015 is all about: http://www.action2015.org/

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

This November 25 will be the annual International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Many women and girls will experience violence in their lifetime; and many also experience violence on a regular basis. November 25 is meant to raise awareness that women and girls as targets of violence. Here is a great video from the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) on facts and figures on violence against women, featuring Antonio Banderas:

 

How many women experience violence? Why is the event held on November 25? Take the UN Women quiz on violence against women to find the answers and test your knowledge: http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/quiz

How can you get involved in the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women? One way is the head to the WAGGGS website to add your voice to the Voices Against Violence campaign! The WAGGGS site also provides a lot of great resources for adults to help their troops or communities get engaged in this global issue: http://www.wagggs.org/en/take_action/violence




Busy on November 25th and can't do an activity? This year, the UNITE Campaign is extending Orange Day to 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, starting November 25, International Day to End Violence Against Women, through December 10, Human Rights Day. That's right: there will be 16 days that you can get your troop or community group involved in this very important issue!

Need more facts? Want to check out more videos? What about looking at a detailed fact sheet? Get that all from the UN website here: http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/ 
And here: http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/




International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 november) from United Nations on Vimeo.

UN Working Group on Girls Looking for Girl Advocates

From a recent press release from the Working Group on Girls:

2014-2015 is the fifth year the Working Group on Girls (WGG) is training and mentoring girls (freshmen or sophomores in high school) to advocate on behalf of girls within the United Nations system. WGG Girl Advocates work with the WGG’s Girls Participation Task Force. Each year we strive to have girls involved in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in March at the United Nations and other high level events at the UN.

What is the Working Group on Girls or WGG? 

The Working Group on Girls (WGG) is dedicated to promoting the human rights of girls in all areas and stages of her life, advancing the inclusion and status of girls and assisting them to develop their full potential as women. The WGG advocates for the ongoing inclusion and development of girls’ rights in the work of the United Nation system and works to promote the active participation of girls as agents of change. For more information about the WGG please visit www.girlsrights.org.

What is a WGG Girl Advocate? 

In keeping with our commitment to promote the active participation of girls as agents of change, WGG Girl Advocates work with us to “make girls visible” within the UN System. Girl advocates have the opportunity to: Be a girl delegate for the 59th Women (CSW 59) at the United Nations in March 2015; Learn how the UN system interacts with non-profit organizations; Meet other girls, women and organizations engaged in the girls’ rights movement; Gain an in-depth understanding of the issues and topics that affect girls and their communities around the world; Help plan advocacy events for the UN community; session of the Commission on the Status of © Working Group on Girls 2014 Meet with members of the UN community such as diplomats, nonprofit leaders, and activists for girls’ rights; and Participate in WGG taskforces and committees such as Girls Against Violence, Advocacy, or Girls Participation Taskforce.

Who can apply? 

What are the requirements to be a WGG Girl Advocate? WGG encourages girls between 9th Attend and participate in WGG membership meetings from November 2014 through June 2015. Meetings are held 2:00PM to 4:00PM on the 1st of the month in New York City. If Girl Advocates are available during the summer months, opportunities do exist for participation and that involvement is encouraged. Participate in assigned WGG taskforces or committees. Participate in the Teen Orientation to CSW 59(mid-March 2015) Attend and participate in the Commission on the Status of Women meetings from March 9 Complete up to three hours of work per week, including meetings, required readings, and reporting.

Qualifications: 

WGG Girl Advocates must have:
A deep interest in global girl issues
Strong organizational & public speaking skills
Familiarity with basic computer programs
Engaged in social media activism

How to Apply: 

Applications should be submitted via email by Wednesday, October 15, 2014.

More info and full application available here: http://girlsrights.org/2014/09/new-girl-advocate-applications-available/