The world is in need of solutions. The solutions for, indeed the models OF a Sustainable Civilisation are now available. What the world needs now are people who implement those solutions! The inhabitants OF a Sustainable Civilisation. But on top - The people who co-create this new civilisation! In one word: Heroes. In the grown-up world, we might call these Visionary Social Entrepreneurs. Among the young generation, it is Youth Leaders. It is said
Schools are more than ready for the most awesome heroes, values and solutions of today! Role models, Service Learning, Global Learning, Education for Sustainable Development... it's all there, en vogue and supported by the five great educators that you have in every school. Youth-LeadeR offers the first holistic approach and tools for > serving a continuous flow of heroes and model solutions (= knowledge transfer)
"Surround yourself with people that make you a better person."
> in vibrant, inspirational formats (= spirit transfer)
„Human behaviour is formed to 80% by r ole models. Subconsciously."
>packaged for use in formal and informal learning settings by many potential users from youth and educators to citizens, colleagues and activists.
Both is known, both has yet been ignored in the arenas of youth, education and changemaking. Maybe also for the lack of awesome young heroes, grown-up heroes, solutions and opportunities for getting involved. But these times are over.
> along with simple methods for setting up new Learning Environments for positive change, managed by young people, contributing to school culture in many ways
What is the only meaningful conclusion?
> and of course, every single item leads to Action Opportunities for application, scaling and replication of the model solutions
Let's fill the world of young people with awesome Youth Leaders and Visionary Changemakers. Not just for a few people, for all of them! Not just for a few minutes on screen in the late afternoon, but throughout the entire day! The one place to reach all young people is? - Schools!
> on top with supportive network, global community , training, direct cooperation with visionaries of our times. In short - all the aspects of Youth Leadership. Nothing less will do.
This means young people not only learn about changemaking and sustainability solutions, upgrade their spirit, horizons and find their passion, but they actively contribute to taking the grand solutions to scale in their regions. If you are aware of what impact s individual youth achieve today, you will sense the potentials of millions of young people getting access to this world of solutions. So far, many changemakers think schools are no-go areas, but this is completely wrong. It only requires tuning changemaking to the educational discourse. Project-oriented learning, soft skills, etc. After all, like no other activity, changemaking enriches one's personal, idealist and professional paths. This brochure gives an overview conveying YL's approach and tools. Other yl publications (This is YL, What you can Do with YL...) and the yl Handbook give deeeper insights, including the bigger picture of how to shape the future, evolving collective vision for societies, the inner hero and a positive change media culture transmitting the meme patterns of a Sacred Civilisation. As with every system, the total is more than the sum of its parts, and this may be one of the first times all this is put together. Enjoy, Eric Nicolas Schneider YL Director
"These kids are the most socially aware generation ever - they perceive a global community." There are thousands of amazing youth leaders, and the world yearns for them, - but only 1% of news stories about young people are positive, adults still think the biggest think is recycling candy bar papers, real human examples are still rare in sustainability education.
We can change this
"Nearly everything has been solved by someone somewhere. The challenge of the 21st Century is to find out what works and take it to scale." Bill Clinton "The solutions exist. Even the support networks are in place. What's needed now is the demand. The problem is, the people don't know. Even governments don't." Ashoka CEO @reworktheworld Surf The Inspiration Wave to discover that the solutions for practically everything are available, proven, celebrated, showered with awards and ready for adaptation and replication - everywhere. Click here to surf: www.youth-leader.org/wave.html We suggest starting with the tweens: Craig, YES! (both center), then WeDay (top right). Then see what the adults are doing (bottom left). More than u can imagine.
That's great for animals, who have awesome parents showing them to live awesome, free, kind, sustainable. THE BAD NEWS: It's awful for unsustainable civilisations in decline. Citizens and youth copy-paste the old, unsustainable, non-co-creative, from parents, peers, colleagues, teachers, and everything media; from clips to covers, cartoons to games, language and lifestyle, ideas and ideals, celebrities, advertising, violence, self-indulgence and displays of dysfunctional sensual-sexual behaviour. Then, of course, hate speech from certain kinds of media outlets. Belief in decision-makers in politics and business, both of which have not contributed any significant positive change over the past fourty decades. No matter how well their speeches were crafted. THE GOOD NEWS: By feeding ourselves with role models and solutions, we become heroes. By interacting daily with shining youth leaders, changemakers and model solutions in practice (with mind, heart and hands) we live it, and naturally create inner and outer abundance for ourselves and the people around us. We start evolving into an Inhabitant of Paradise. A hero. That's quite something. Now, we only need to get access to this.
"These are the most inspirational videos I have ever seen. It makes me feel I want to get up and do something, too!" "I have been seeking such role models throughout my teaching career. I need these for all my classes." "It has been the most energized lesson ever. Even the most quiet ones had something to say." "I wish I had (had) this at school. This has to be in all schools!" This feedback we receive across all age groups, cultures, professions and parts of the globe.
THIS IS WHAT YL IS DESIGNED FOR
The UNITED NATIONS Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ESD 20052014 gives ultimate moral authority to students, educators, parents and active citizens to give the young generation opportunity to learn transforming dysintegrating societies into new, sustainable organisms. Depending on your school, the degree to its presence varies. For sure - there is work to do. No school does it sufficiently. There are many reasons for it, but none is a reason to keep from the young generation its right to have an up to date education for humanity to make it through the 21st Century. There is good reason for constant global crisis summits, and there´is an incessant call for the young generation to be the new awesome generation. Well, this won't happen overnight when you hold your degree in hands. This has to be learned by doing! See also #6 Informal Learning
Service-Learning, global learning, intercultural learning, peace education, human rights education, empathy and ethical values trainings, environmental education, earth literacy... have been present in many schools for decades, driven by individual teachers, and today, in the curricular frameworks. This can be amplified. As mentioned in #5 Education for Sustainable Development there are global, supranational programs to uopgrade education for the 21st Century, and most national curricula demand the same progressive learning culture and skills. Society asks for it, and so does the world of progressive economy. So, youth have an obligation to attend school, but they also have the right - and probably more than a moral right - to have access to a LEARNING CULTURE (that's more than education) that allows them to fulfill the core purpose of school: enabling the young generation to become active citizens of a libertarian-democratic society; a society that today also needs to be sustainable, in a global family of nations. Until this can be taught formally in classrooms (which is probably never possible) the least to do is to provide youth access through Informal Learning Environments, allowing for self-organised learning activities. See #7
"Michael Jordan & Lionel Messi didn't learn their skills in formal class settings. But on street courts, an informal learning environment, in self-experimental processes." An Informal Sustainability Learning Environment ISLE is a vibrant, student-managed space that gives "positive change action" a home and nurtures a changemaking climate in schools. It provides access to information, trainers, opportunity to interact in various forms, to practice for real. It's the same that we already provide to music and sports talents, For changemakers, this means - role models (not local level, but global level! like in music and sports!) - top quality sustainability solutions (far, very far beyond recycling) - inspirational videos - online campaigns - live streams and event participation - taking actions with grand changemakers, contact to local changemaking experts - dreaming up, developing and implementing projects with real world impact - making headlines - training others
A WELL VISIBLE, STUDENT-POWERED INTERACTIVE WALL DISPLAY, also including local opportunities & project displays - fed with a constant stream of shining youth leaders, changemakers and model solutions, interviews, campaigns, meaningful games, teaching tools, posters, videos and ACTIONs.
this space functions like a big billboard, a stage, a dancefloor, a portal for entering the Bright New World of changemaking. This is where youth learn, meet their family, connect, decide to embark on this greatest quest of our times, together. It's a place to add a fundraiser table staffed by Griffindore wizards. It's where teachers find tools and project partners, a real time link to the Einsteins of our times. That's historic. A single person - you - can spark and maintain this.
Youth Leadership is about coming up with a vision to make change, with considerable life-changing impacts for many. Yes, it's the stuff of heroes. Youth Leadership naturally trains core competences like teamwork, project development, self-organisation, interdisciplinary research and intersectorial cooperation. It is congruent with highest educational goals for personal development, responsible lifestyles, active citizenship and entrepreneurial spirit - with benefit for one's personal, idealist and professional paths. In the words of YES!, the stellar community of youth leaders:
"We set out to change the image of the angry, young activist." "Giving all that we are, on behalf of everything that we love." Craig Kielburger calls empathic, passionate youth with a sense to make a change for others and the world "Shameless Idealists". Others Intelligent Optimists. We say they are beyond words, but to facilitate understanding and support in the field of education, we call them - drum roll, flip page >
The worst manifestations of a culture of unsustainability are teachers telling passionate youth eager to change the world "there is no time for this, take care of your C in chemistry" and - even worse! - brutish, ignorant peers stigmatising them as "treehuggers" and whatsoever. If media and grown-ups complain about the majority of youth lacking empathy, being egocentric and acting dumb (in response to the attention and role models provided by precisely those whining adult generations), then these empathic, caring youth have to be recognized as Our New, Highly Gifted. Youth fired up to learn and take action on global issues are our social entrepreneurs and cultural creatives who are going to fix society's problems - IF we give them opportunity, from an early age, to learn with superstars - like in sports & music. It's simple. We just need to provide them with the same that we offer sports and musical talents: access to outer school experts, time and space to evolve their skills, practice them for the benefit of the school community and in public space, making headlines, inspiring, involving and empowering others. It's a most awesome win-win.
"If my teacher had not granted me five minutes to speak to my class about an issue I was concerned about, child labour, I am not sure whether Free The Children and WeDay would be here today," says Craig Kielburger In every school exist 3 teachers who love to see Youth Leaders thrive: The one who does environmental stuff, the one into social stuff and the wild, adventurous one. They are the ones to pass yl media to, to ask for support and help in setting up a Wall Display, in acknowledging ecoclubs, organising special activities. The Magic Trick: No matter how conventional a school is, UNITED NATIONS International Days of Peace, Youth, Water, Oceans, Indigenous People, Girls, u name it, are opportunities for doing something different, using inspirational, action-oriented yl media. They spark students' motivation to create and manintain exhibits, youtube cinema sessions and actions mobilizing their school community. Class teaching allows only little extracurricular action, but with yl, student clubs can run wall displays and ISLEs! YL's status with UNESCO, a dose of genius, action tips and passion to bring about good change helps establish trust, curiosity, pride and support from principals. CHECK OUT A RANGE OF EXCITING MEDIA AT YOUR DISPOSAL
are novel tools for knowledge transfer & spirit transfer inspiring people across age groups, cultures and continents applicable by students, educators, citizens and activists in schools, company corridors, cafeterias, waiting rooms, conference venues, at festivals & workshops OBSERVE IN PARTICULAR + reach hundreds of people at once + + action-opportunities included, not just info + + each interconnects online&onsite, poster, video, website, teaching tool, action + + each is an entryway used by specific users, opens unexpected additional angles + + 1st time that this kind of passion, action, contact available for education&public +
Online magazine and social media, easy to share. We also create human translations for easy cross-posting in media in ten world languages, + we build bridges to take stories on-site. Inspirational STORIES of inspirational youth leaders, groundbreaking model solutions for sustainability and the visionary changemakers behind them. A weekly flow of timeless news, straight from the tidal wave and heart of the global changemaking movements + reports, cam-paigns, documentaries, videos, games & more + social media sites & special editions on special regions and topics. Stay uplifted and connected to humanity's most advanced changemaking innovations of our time, inspire your social network by liking and crossposting and fill your quiver with awesome tools for inspiring people on-site and in class.
Online media are ok for connecting with those who are informed but they are superficial and are only small part of tangible change. >> Real change happens ON-SITE << When hundreds of people feel "wow, let's do this stuff!", change happens. Here are most inspirational media for use in every imaginable setting:
Portrait Posters of Youth leaders, citizens and social entrepreneurs driving positive changes on global issues from peace to biodiversity. Perfect as teaching tools Each comes with links and qr codes linking to inspirational videos, original websites and electronic worksheets with links to articles, teaching tips and action-kits. Perfect for poster exhibits! reaching, inspiring and invol-ving the entire school community, with ease and as a foundation for long-term wall displays serving as student-powered Sustainability Learning Environments. TIPS: How about an exhibit in your parents' workplace? In youth clubs? At youth events? How about printing and creating a magazine style folder for a doctor's waiting room? You bet people will go "wow" anywhere! + Register as a YL clan partner to add your own initiative's info, so inspired people connect with you.
"These are the most inspirational videos I have ever seen. They make me feel I want to get up and do something, too!" Well, it cannot get better than this, can it? Perfect as youtube Cinema Session Perfect for a Multimedia Poster Exhibit Perfect at events, festivals, conferences Many Videos come with yl articles, poster and action-kits > so you can use them to upgrade class-room activities > so you have abundance of of knowledge and tools for follow-up action.
"Global issues like poverty or climate change often create a heavy black cloud over the class. It's different with these materials." Use yl Teaching Tools when treating global issues in class. Solutions by global leaders in the field. Easy language, accessible, authentic, at eye level. Reports, articles, interviews, videos, authentic websites as learning environment + Action Opportunities! Are the students inspired but feel limited by class time constraints? We often lack knowledge and time in class for projects. YL equips them for taking self-organised action using yl media and action tips for mobilizing school community, citizenry and media. A kick-off session in class can spark long-term activities run by students and ecoclubs, using wall displays, embarking on missions and more.
these media are for
ACTION
Positive Change is about real action and impacts. Every yl story culminates in action opportunities, and some we package into teaching tools and action-kits. Young people not only learn about solutions. They are actually the ones who can take them TO SCALE! Right here, right now. Changemakers had not even dreamed of this possibility. And they love it! It's like being the tidal wave of civilisational change. It is also like a self-organized training course for heroes! And it can be informally interwoven with SCHOOL.
JOIN YOUTH LEADERS in support of their amazing initiatives or for launching them in your part of the world. The range of topics is super varied. They are all awesome, have much to teach and we are looking forward to your ideas, as well. Get to know your peers in vivid articles, videos, interviews, their facebook streams and websites. Check out easy steps for evoking great impacts for the same cause. Take action and document your activities for YL, so your example encourages and trains others! We plan for Monthly Missions, so we all work on one adventure, together, and can then meet 'live', online, to celebrate our achievements!
JOIN THE GREAT VISIONARIES OF OUR TIME in taking the grand Sustainability Solutions to scale. Meet the great hearts & minds of humanity in vivid articles, videos, interviews and websites. Find out about solutions to the greatest challenges of humanity, today, and how young people in schools can become the driving force for the historic shift towards a peaceful, sustainable civilisation. Take action and document your activities for YL, so your example encourages and trains others! We also plan for Monthly Missions, so we all work on one adventure, together, and can then meet 'live', online, to celebrate our achievements!
WE ALL LOVE TO PLAY We collect Games on Global Issues for You & Education. We are big fans of Jane Mc Gonigal. And if there's one magical creature carrying Harry Potter's teacher's name with a purpose, it's her. Jane designs awesome online and onsite games, sometimes mixed, and always to change the world, for real. She has much to teach about how games are awesome to fix a broken world and unleash our inner hero. And she's got a realm of materials online, for free. Fun to play. Good for school. And much to improve! This is still unexplored territory. Let's play & share our feedback with the game developing community!
Taking action as a group is great. But it's good to take action as part of a global tribe of passionate youth. As a movement. It amplifies the feeling of belonging, of being on the right track by 'being different' compared to the muggles around, stay inspired, share ideas, celebrate and also to get TRAINING and CONSULTATION for one's initiatives. This is why we offer a new community, exclusively for passionate youth and with awesome Griffindore level benefits.
Youth taking yl Actions can register and apply for status as yl Youth Team. Many schools have ecoclubs. Others don't. YL Teams can help. We call them yl Clans! Like everything in YL, yl Clans offer magical novel powers for young people! yl teams start from 3 people. You can apply to register as free wild kids, an existing eco-club, a local Greenpeace group or whatever. This global community can offer passionate youth fun and benefits, a special sense of identity, better recognition by schools, media and donors. It also builds a new, exciting glo-bal community of youth taking self-organised, super special actions. That's preciousss. Like every good reality game, yl Clans offer credit points, badges, secret identities, and even Warrior Initiations. That's candy for CVs! 's more to find out.
The yl Academy serves to add a 'live' element to our global community of action. Global community. Positive Change... this brings about Questions. Asks for Interaction. Sparks the Sharing of Ideas and Knowledge. And since yl is all about connecting the young generation with humanity's best, youth leaders and visionary changemakers - we seek to arrange 'live' meetings, online, casual, at eye-level, as like-hearted heroes that we all are. We are using a groovy online talkshow system with instant recording, so our meetings, interviews, clan huddles and gatherings are available as an educational resource.
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