Vote for the youth speakers submissions – Part 9

My deep passion for empowering the world’s youth to tackle society’s pressing energy and climate issues is what led me to found Student Energy.

In a few short years we’ve grown from a single event to a movement of over 20,000 students from 70+ countries around the world. Our organization educates, inspires and unites the next generation of sustainability leaders so they are prepared when they are inevitably tasked with meeting the 2030 and 2050 targets we are setting today.

In my talk I would seek to share my perspective on “Mobilizing Change” and specifically how youth can tangibly engage and influence major, global conversations around sustainability. Some of my previous speaking experience includes:

• TedxYYC Talk on Activating Communities
• The Walrus Talk on Mobilizing for Change (57:00 mark)
• COP 18 Qatar Future of Energy Panel

I think it is crucial for energy and climate change to be a key component of the agenda for Youth, and the Future of Sustainable Landscapes.

I have championed youth development issues for more than five years now.

Everywhere I go, I strive to do the best I can to leave people and places better than I met them. I served with a youth nonprofit helping young people understand the issues they face and how to overcome them, in rural Nigeria and currently serving 500 orphans from the Rwandan genocide of 1994, helping them heal.

It is unbelievable what some of these young people have been through but they believe and are ready to face the world.

I have received the IAVE award for youth and community development and the 2009 NYSC award for community development but these mean nothing to me compared with the joy and genuine happiness I have etched in my memory of some of the people I have encountered.

I want to share these experiences with people around the world, what drives me to serve, my programmes and activities, the experiences of some of the wonderful people I have met who will remain in my heart forever and possibly spur others into action. I would bring a different perspective coming from Africa.

I am a youth leader in my community here in Gwagwalada, Abuja – Nigeria.

I am 28 year old creative and resourceful Nigerian.I have an initiative called “synergy” and it is primarily focused on making the youth partner with government to control deforestation and climate change by planting a tree in a week in their communities.

Africa has a youth population of 200 million people and Nigeria accounts for over 35% of this. I believe if my tree planting campaign achieves tremendous success, a great message would have been sent to other youths across the world.

Nothing could be more apt than the theme of this conference because of the growing concern on the need to conserve the dwindling natural resources of countries around the world. Many countries are deploying resources for this purpose in order to shore up their revenue and to also protect the environment to make it habitable for man.

I am a 31 year old Nigerian. I am a thought leader who inspire people to make positive changes in the society by leaving their ‘comfort zone’ for the benefit of everyone.

I am passionate about land/air/water management.

Land is essential to cultivate crops and food products for consumption. I believe hunger can be eradicated when incentives are provided to peasant farmers to ease challenges of financial constraint.

Air management is also of paramount importance. In Nigeria; my country of origin, electricity is not stable which prompt citizens to make use of generators as an alternative means of electricity with environmental hazard of pollution through the release of smoke and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere thereby depleting the ozone layer which result in climate change and health problems such as lung and respiratory diseases.

I am also passionate about water management because access to clean and safe water is a challenge in most rural areas in Nigeria. The streams are a major source of water in rural areas but is unsafe because rural dwellers wash, bathe and even defecate in it and cause avoidable death through cholera and water-borne diseases.

i am a young man aged 23 from Zimbabwe. I am an educator by profession. I am the Executive director for the Global Leaders Network which is a youth advocacy organisation on environmental issues.

I was selected to attend the TUNZAFRIKA 2013 conference which was held in Lome, Togo from the 24th-27th September representing youth organisations that work on environmental issues in Zimbabwe.

I was elected to be the part of the TUNZAFRIKA secretariat representing Southern Africa and also being the lead on programmes and research.

I will also be part of the youth delegation under TUNZAFRIKA in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that will be representing youth at the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) to be held in Botswana from the 14th-18th of October.

Personally, I am an environment activist, I am also involved in environmental education projects at the 14 teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe. We also facilitate for debate on environmental issues at high schools in Zimbabwe.

I am currently working on a advocacy project for stiffer penalties for poachers following the cyanide poisoning which killed more than 90 elephants at a national park In Zimbabwe.

I am an environmentalist at core and have a diverse profile with active interest in Climate Change, Renewable Energy, International Relations and Youth affairs.

I am dually equipped with Management and Engineering disciplines, working on Renewable Energy/Energy Efficient Cooling & Green Building Designs.

I am an active Member of Delhi Greens and Admin of Creator Help and Care Society Facebook Page and continuously engaged in Urban Youth Talks towards a Low carbon Economy.

I have participated in several youth forums. I have been dynamic in Environmental youth affairs, given my participation in various debate events, Climate Change Summit, Youth G20 Summit and Internship at IIM-Ahmedabad under the Domain of Carbonomics.

Given my experience I bring this multidisciplinary approach for my research, lectures and publications.

I work in multicultural and international atmosphere, and would like to deliver a talk on sustainable cities: How cities should be considered as a cause of and solution to climate change. How some behavioral change and some socio-economic measure along with social dialogue can facilitate Sustainable Urban Development.

Overpopulated cities are facing problems due to Climate-Water-Health problems, which should be dealt with.

I found myself wondering “what constituted a tree”. From infancy, I took interest in wood. I pursued Bsc and Mphil in Renewable Natural Resources from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and indulge in research fields as lignocellulosic materials, forestry and agriculture (More).

I consider myself as a thought leader (More).

Youth perceptions about agriculture were not very different in the 90s when I attended secondary school. Many of the youth who drop out of school were the ones who spent more time on the farms than in schools.

This made farming to be perceived as a great enemy to educational aspirations. Nevertheless, there were a few secondary schools in Ghana whose management realized the importance of dispelling these perceptions in order to encourage the youth into agriculture by introducing extra-curricular farming activities.

Mine happened to be one of the few. Produce from such farms were fed to students to save expenditure and create a good feeling. Subsequently, I formed a group of old students who go from school to school to sensitize management to implement such programmes. Presently, many secondary schools (even day schools) run this programme.

I am a graduate student at Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science, Chitwan, Nepal.

My specialization includes agricultural economics and extension. My passion is to work in field of transformation of livelihoods in developing countries through agriculture.

My interest areas within agriculture are land reform, climate change, ICT in agriculture and policy implications of different activities in agriculture.

Besides my study, I have been involving in different global e.g.an executive member of the World Students’ Community for Sustainable Development (WSCSD).

Similarly I am the curator of TEDx events in my institute.

In addition to this, I have been working in close connection with some foreign friends in order to establish an alternative energy related research programs for meeting energy problems in Nepal.

I have also participated in different international as well as national conferences either as speaker or as participants e.g. TEDx summit, S3 Nairobi, 2013.

I would like to speak about the recent changes in agricultural practices in Nepal due to climate change as observed during 4 years from Terai to mountain areas.

Joseph Macharia is an extension officer at Jomo Kenyatta University of agriculture and Technology aged 38 years from Kenya. He holds a Bsc in Agriculture Education and Extension and a Master of Science. He has been awarded competitive awards by Rockefeller Foundation; Belgian Development Cooperation; RUFORUM; Miriam Rothschild Conservation internship award, University of Cambridge, UK.

Joseph is the founder of Mkulima Young which is a social media on Facebook and Twitter platforms that enables youth to share and exchange farming information and provides a marketing avenue for young and upcoming farmers in Kenya.

Mkulima Young Facebook is 9 months and currently has over 18,700 likes. It is complemented with the Mkulima Young website where farmers exchange information and market their produce. With the increased usage of smart phones in Kenya, the online marketing website has enhanced the marketing of agricultural commodity by the young farmers.

Mkulima have been featured in the Daily Nation which is the largest newspaper in East Africa.

We have also been featured in the Nairobi Business Monthly, in an article titled “Enticing the youth into farming”

The key message for the youth involvement in natural resources, especially agriculture, is that “the Youth are interested in agriculture provided its innovative, utilizes technology and has quick gains”. The youth also identifies with their peers thus “Young Farmers helping Young Farmers” slogans works better.

Food remains the basic need and necessity of life that must be satisfied before any developmental issue.

Ironically, food insecurity remain a challenge in Ghana. With an average growth rate of 3.5% over the four years since 2009, and a growth rate of only 1.3% in 2012 in the agricultural sector, Ghana’s food security is still not enough.

Things seem to have changed, and white collar jobs have gradually taken the lead, thus contributing to the reduction of food and animal production in the agriculture sector today.

Apart from people drifting away from the practice of agriculture, bad weather conditions have resulted into a few engaged in agriculture.

Food insecurity can be identified and found mostly in the poorest regions which are also the areas most prone to adverse weather conditions such as floods and droughts and have been affected by soaring prices. With a current population of 25 million, 2 million people are vulnerable to become flood insecure.

However modern biotechnology and genetic engineering through research will facilitate food security in Ghana.

With improved biotechnology such as improved stock, higher yields, reduced farm cost, drought resistant seeds, higher profits through proper education, nutritional properties and almost negligible post harvest losses and increased shell life.

Zaid is the Executive Director of Youth Vision Alliance Network (YVAN) and Project Director – Zero Carbon Africa; a climate youth movement with focal points in 35 African countries. He is a member of the Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders for Tomorrow (class of 2013), a global peace ambassador for the Africa Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) and a youth speaker at the 2013 Africa’s Policy Makers Energy and Environment Workshop organised by Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.

Zaid is a leading voice in the climate change and sustainable development world in Africa and have spoken at different UN climate change meetings.

I had my first opportunity to participate in the UNFCCC process in 2010 at the intersessionals in Bonn, Germany as a young activist from Nigeria, and I lead the limited participation of African youths in this important meeting.

Then in 2011 in Durban, I had thought since the meeting was hosted the Africa, the presence of African youth will be felt, but that was not the case. Those young African at COP17 majority did not understand the process. Despite our limited numbers, knowledge of the process and capacity; we were able to hold our African leaders accountable and report back to our peers back home.

Then this got me thinking, if a limited number of young people with limited skills and capacity can achieve this, how much more an increased number youth with capacity to influence policy and quality of participation?

This was the idea behind the birth of “Zero Carbon Africa”; a truly youth-led organisation presently in 35 African countries, building the capacity of young people who are contributing to policy advocacies in their communities and providing technical and skilled support to the grassroots people – women and young farmers, rural dwellers, extension agents and policy makers etc.

I am passionate about the environment, to find lasting solutions to problems in communities, affecting young girls and women in Rwanda.

It is in this regard I founded the “GIRLS EFFECT INITIATIVE LTD” which aims at empowering young girls through socio-entrepreneurship, and applying and promoting the GIRL EFFECT approach for the sustainable development of Rwanda.

I have been a focused young girl who always sees possibilities regardless of all the odds. My interest sparked up a passion within and lead to be a core leader of “HANDS UP FOR HER CAMPAIGN NIGERIA” in Rwanda, Nominated as the country focal point, and also a country correspondent of “IGNITE THE YOUTH AFRICA” in Rwanda.

I have participated in the Forth African Youth Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development (TUNZAFRIKA, 2013 Togo).

I am passionate in building the capacity of communities for climate change awareness and adaptation. I co-founded in 2011 the Rwanda “YACA – Youth Alliance for Climate Actions” which the network of youth working to create awareness and address the negative effects of climate change.
I’m thirsty to be a delegate for national and international transformation for the benefit of my country and the world while being resourceful, innovative and flexible.

I’m a freelance journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan and cover climate change, agriculture and conservation.

Currently I’m working for the “Thomson Reuters Foundation” and “Dawn” as a reporter. Through my work, I’ve inspired a number of young farmers across the country to adapt to new techniques and technology in farming.

Inspired by my writings, a young farmer, Rahim Yar Khan, in Chakwal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province has cultivated grapes and installed drip irrigation system on four acres of land to cope with the challenge of increasing drought in the area. Chakwal is an arid area and dependent to rain water. The main crops in the area are wheat and peanut.

Now a couple of other young farmers from Rahim village got in touch with me to ask about the modern farming techniques and how can they acquire new technology and use it accordingly. I’ve referred them to relevant officials in Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and hope they would also be benefiting from new farming technology and more water-efficient crops.

I am a post graduate in Rural Management with specialization in Public Policy and Social Policy. I have authored 2 books so far. I have several publications and I am frequent column writer on development and policy issues in a national news daily.

I won the Gold Medal for Best All rounder during my graduation for excelling in academic, circular and extra circular activities and for demonstrating leadership qualities. I served as the media secretary cum spokesperson of my B school during my Masters.

I think I am a very good public speaker and won the debate completion at the university level and also captained my University debate team at inter University Youth festival. I am a guest speaker and visiting faculty few colleges and B schools.

I also delivered a talk about the role of youth in Innovating the Future at the Entrepreneurship Summer School Asia in Hong Kong University in 2013. I was selected for ILOs internship to develop policy brief and document success stories of youth empowerment and employment skills in Jakarta, Indonesia during 2010. I was selected as the discussant for the Youth Leadership programme in Prague during 2012. I am a frequent speaker at the youth related events and conferences in India and also a motivational speaker with many schools.

I aspired to become a civil servant from my childhood and realized that India lived in its 0.6 million villages. So, I studied Rural Management. About 0.25 million Indian farmers committed suicide in last decade. About 50% of rural India is actively migrating throughout the year and every 1 minute a farmer is giving up agriculture and farming forever in India.

In spite of these many suicides and falling standards in the lives of farmers, there has been nothing done in terms of policy making or helping out the farmers. Sadly, today’s youth are busy jostling in the rat race and they see farmers just as poor people. What’s more shameful and painful is most of my Gen X treat farmers as unemployed.

During my fieldwork, I was moved by the state of lives of the farming community in a tribal village in India. The words of Gopal (a cotton farmer) “We farmers die to make you people alive” left me speechless and it still haunts me. Upon seeing that, I along with my friend decided to do something and we put in the seeds of forming a cooperative society completely owned by the farmers. I wrote on farmers issues in the country in the national newspaper. In the process, I won an event on Policy Making for the Farmers that were reached to the bureaucrats and policy makers in India.

I work at the grassroots level. I have the experience of working directly with farmers, women, rural people, small scale entrepreneurs and youth. I extensively travel as part of my field job. Being a social sciences graduate, I adopt a bottom up approach. I hear to the people at the grassroots level and upon knowing the issues, problems and suggestions, I take them to the people at the policy making level and make them know the reality at the field level. I assist in advocacy and also in making policy briefs. In this way, I make sure everyone till the last mile participates and have their say and carry them to the concerned authorities and at times write on important issues in national news daily to reach everyone in the society. I make sure everyone knows their rights and responsibilities as well.

Here is a link that covered my farming story in the leading newspaper of India.

I have been a public speaker inspiring youth and delivering talks both in India and abroad and also I have ventured into farming and I practiced agriculture. Having traveled to the remote parts of India, I authored a book that captures 25 real time incidents and experiences from various villages related to development issues in India.

Having a unique degree of rural management and experience of working directly with farmers at the grassroots and then taking the issues to the policy makers, I can share my experiences and knowledge especially from my home country India (a country with close to 1 billion population living in villages and 50% of the working population are into agriculture).

I would like to talk about connecting dots and filling gaps and the role of youth in innovating the future with an emphasis on Social Entrepreneurship. I see this forum as a platform to share knowledge, learn from experiences and shape our perspectives in a more structured focused and result oriented way.

It would be inspiring listening to the speakers and also the peer learning would help me to become a much more better person and I am sure I shall take back all the learning to my work and would be a change agent and inspire others in my neighbourhood to be a part of the change. After all, we live in a global village these days.

I’m 27 and I’ve created “Alamanga Reforestation” 4 years ago. It’s a social business aiming to re-conciliating both reforestation and rural development in Madagascar. So far we have planted 50,000 trees and created 20 jobs.

I studied Political Sciences and Accounting in France, then I decided to go back to Madagascar, my ancestors’ island, to reforest.

Last year, I was selected as a Global South Youth in Doha, and I could attend the COP thanks to a Norwegian grant. As soon as I got back to Madagascar, I created a small think tank: “Malagasy youth for environment”, which goal is to promote environmental-friendly laws.

I’m also part of the Global Power Shift Movement, as the Malagasy delegate.

I would love to talk about youth commitment, and how to dare to create something different, especially in the social business field.