Vote for the youth speakers submissions – Part 3

The youngest film maker to win at the International Forests Short Film Festival, Alonso Vasquez’s film is a voyage of self discovery – a personal odyssey of the film maker. It is a coming of age story that is full of hope. The film depicts how forests play so many different roles for so many people, from natural resources for indigenous livelihoods to comfort and inspiration for a young boy.

He wants to use his film to reach people, especially young people, and to get them to think about nature, and about forests in particular. But reaching young people today is a challenge in itself, he acknowledged. “We live in another generation. We’re more focused on Facebook. We’re more focused on smart phones and gadgets and technology. “We haven’t really been in touch with forests and nature,” he added. “I feel that if you’re not familiar with something, you’re not going to be willing to protect it.”

Alonso has just finished high school. The 19-year-old grew up in one of Latin American’s most vibrant cities, Arequipa, Peru, which is inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

His films focus on social and environmental issues, from TV advertisement for Norwegian National Television to short documentaries, for example on the life of Edwin Gonzales, a victim of personnel landmines.
Alonso’s work has been awarded by the United Nations Environmental Program, Green-Go Short Film Contest in Budapest, Chilean National Television Council. He has been a nominee at The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Faith Shorts Film Festival in London and Plural + Film Festival in New York (United Nations Alliance of Civilizations).

Alonso’s work was recognized by Ministry of Production of the Republic of Peru and premiered at the Meeting of the Parties regarding the 25th Anniversary Ceremony of the Montreal Protocol in Geneva, and the Oslo City Hall with Norway’s Queen Sonja.

Link: Video: Feel like a Mountain

Film maker and journalist duo, Dan Childs and Nick Werber, tell the story of sustainable forestry pioneer Reynaldo Ochoa, an inspiration to the people of Manu in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

In addition to being awarded at the International Forests Short Film Festival, ‘Reynaldo’ won Best Short Film at the 2013 UK Green Film Festival.

London-based Dan Childs graduated in Biology discovering filmmaking during a local film challenge, screening in the Brighton Fringe Festival. Combining digital cameras with vintage lenses, Dan created promotional films and animations. Specializing in evolution within tropical ecosystems at college, Dan wanted to experience the rainforest’s biodiversity, championing the conservation and social projects of the Crees Foundation, a rainforest conservation charity in Peru’s Manu region. Dan is currently working as director and cinematographer on feature-length documentaries in the UK and China.

Nick Werber’s passion for writing and the natural world, with a degree in creative writing, inspired him as an environmental journalist. In 2010 Nick began chronicling the Crees Foundation’s work, writing, photographing and filmmaking. In Peru, Nick learned about rainforest issues and met inspiring people. In January 2011, with filmmaker Dan Childs, Nick completed several films about Crees’ work in Manu, including this one about Reynaldo.

Link: Video: Reynaldo

Biography:
Mohd. Sajid Idrisi is an early career researcher who holds M.Sc (Biodiversity and Conservation) and M.Phil (Ecological Informatics). He is interested in how interdisciplinary research can address conservation, development and global change issues. He has been voluntarily associated with North East Centre for Environmental Education and Research (NECEER), (a non government organization working for environment education and research based at Imphal, Manipur, Northeast India) and has been instrumental in engaging youth and carrying out Worldwide Save Loktak Lake Campaign besides various other educational programmes.

Description of the talk:
In this talk the speaker intends to share his experiences of how he with a group of committed volunteers successfully engaged youth from diverse educational and professional backgrounds in carrying out Worldwide Save Loktak Lake Campaign and bringing Loktak Lake on the world map.

Save Loktak Lake Campaign: The campaign is to create awareness about the conservation of Loktak Lake, the largest fresh water lake and Ramsar site in Manipur, Northeast India which is under threat due to siltation, eutrophication, pollution, and hydroelectric power plants.

My citation is to be Professor in Mechanical Engineering; yet, my greatest ambition is to be Nobel laureate in physic. To reach my dream, I cannot just stay and do nothing. I must move and give to myself the best experience to enrich myself with much expanding horizon of this world.

My achievement award began when junior high school. I make student activity club namely wall magazine student club. I give information to my friend about poetry, hot news, and young activity in my town and fiction story.
High school is unforgettable memory; I get achievement to be speaker winner, finalist national debate in English and active in student committee.

When I spend my undergraduate degree, I began to be teacher in math. Teach junior and senior student, active in NGO that focus in charity program like social event, help to teach children in village, give teacher training that focus in special needed student (Autism, Down syndrome, etc.). I win writer contest in province library, I joint climate change conference, collaboration with Erasmus Mundus consortium in Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

When I finish my bachelor, I get scholarship from JICA, Japan; to study in De La Salle University, Manila, Philippine. This my first year and I want to get more global experience, especially to join Global Landscapes Forum. I hope, when I came back to my country I can teach and make NGO organization that focus to help poor people and give them the best education.

Bio:
I am Hridaya Kandel born in 1991 march 28. I have completed my bachelors degree in 2012 in Computer Science and information Technology. I have published my paper entitled “ICT for Agriculture in Nepal ” in 7th National Students Conference on Information Technology (NaSCOIT). I am founder and Chairperson of ICT in Agriculture Nepal(ICTAN).

Story Description:
My success story starts from few years back when we started thinking ICT can be used in Agriculture in Nepal as other country have used it. Me and my friends then started Researching on the topic. We talked with more friends and formed a groups. It was very hard for us at the initial phases. with continuous hard working we could finally convince the government to do a small pilot project “Video call program for farmers”.

The main objective of the program was to introduce modern ICT in agriculture sector in Nepal. The program was held between two government bodies Agriculture Information And Communication Center (AICC), Lalitpur district where Expert was there on one end and Kavre District where there were around 50 farmers to ask question to the farmers. After around two years of hard working this very small project was implemented in Nepal.

We faced many challenges between this period. Finally the outcome was positive. 99% of the farmer said they want such program in Future. This feedback changed the mind of the government and we have done 3 such program within 3 months. Now the government is supporting us and helping us to implement ICT in agriculture in Nepal.

My story includes how I started, how more youth got involved in it and how our organization evolved. Story also includes farmers reaction to the work, how much interest they are in ICT. The are so many interesting things that have been going through our work in two years.

I am delight to have this opportunity to be part of the people that will submit the proposal. I always think every blissful morning that I may not actually become a millionaire but I can surely attain a life that is rewarding and more fruitful to other youth that think they have no dreams at all, for youth that think all is finish or bought the lie that they will never amount to anything. I can convince them that is not true, according to BEN CARSON “life is BIG-FAR BIGGER THAN WE WOULD HAVE IMAGINED”.

I am a poor boy that was born into a polygamous family and eventually lost his father at AGE 15 and nobody to help me in order to further my education but I sat down and think deeply and I realized that most of the successful men and women on earth venture into agriculture either directly or indirectly, they may not have been where they were today without the help of agriculture.

I am now a student of FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AKURE (FUTA) with the help of agriculture, and a passionate youth leader. I love agriculture with passion that what prompt me to make Agricultural and Environmental Engineering has a course of study. A C.E.O of small scale business on agriculture and a leader of youth organization initiated for the unity, development and emancipation of young people in my community.

I’m Nguyen Vu Nam Phuong, 20 years old, and currently work as an environmental activist.

Since the age of 11 when I received an award for “Creative ideas to save natural resources” of 2! Magazine, I have been inspired my young activists around Vietnam. My most outstanding achievements include “The Best Leader Award Year 2012” of AIESEC for my contribution as Leader of environment education project Little Greenagers; and as Local Representative of Green Youth Generation (under paltform of UNEP & Samsung Engineering) in Vietnam.

I’d love to deliver a talk called “10 ways to make your team members passionate about environment”, which is drawn from my real experiences during the time I had successfully maintained their motivation during 6 months. 10 ways include:

1. Be passionate yourself
2. Show evidence of climate change in their location
3. Offer free courses to learn related skills
4. Invite inspiring speakers
5. Let them do something creative
6. Connect with other groups/organizations
7. Organize field trips
8. Films and songs
9. Play with kids
10. Give compliments and awards

I am OLUKAYODE OLUWOLE OGUNBODEDE by name. I am 38 years old and I live in Ibadan, Oyo State Southwest Nigeria, I studied Accounting and have a Bachelor of Science degree from Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

I taught young people Accounting as a subject at secondary school level for about 4 years and did a little of banking work too for about 6 years. I currently teach computer at the All Souls High School, No.1, Arigidi Street, Bodija, Ibadan and I speak publicly in churches and meetings on a regular basis, motivating individuals,especially youths to strive for more excellence and achievement and to do things right.

I started the search for something that can really help me earn a good living with satisfaction and peace. I mean a type of occupation that would help me use my initiatives properly while at the same time affording me the opportunity to be a helper to my society, by helping people to see what they can do with their hands to earn good income to meet at least their basic needs, at the same time having a potential to take them to great heights.

I therefore took an initiative very early this year to start fish farming and I have since, not regretted my action. Society has been taking a downward turn, economically speaking and getting jobs wasn’t easy while many jobs available have little or no security. I have friends who are into fish farming and piggery but I never knew the potential that is in this labour till I got involved. Many youths like me out there still wonder at the pace at which life seems to be changing and rendering people jobless.

Willingness to learn new things always provides a bridge to cross from one job to another without rancour. It
is a character that should be encouraged and imbibed among young people, as this has been the major secret behind my abilities to cross into new occupations.

Right in my very eyes, the fishes have been growing into maturity, and will soon be ready for harvest, to be supplied into the markets that are ever ready for it. This is good and helpful income for me. I recently got access to a land of about one acre that has a stream at its bottom end at Olorunda-Aba, I can only dream of a prosperous future with this kind of property- piggery, poultry and crop farming in view. What I am convinced of is that the economic factor of production called land is endowed with riches that can be harnessed if we carefully cultivate it, by way of farming. It surrounds us, it is everywhere. I will do my best with all energy that I have, to talk to every young person I know, on the possibilities that abound in farming the lands around us.

I am an Algerian student currently studying Environmental Engineering. Before commencing my studies, I had never been aware of the opportunities or issues that surrounded this industry. I knew from friends and family that this is a market in demand of sociality that is still widely missing in my country. This lead me to become a young entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of ALGirculture, a company which is aimed at the local cultivation and distribution of plants and produce throughout our country. Along with the help of the Kelley School Of Business at Indiana State University, I along with 3 other members created a project where we are able to use the land and natural resources available to improve the pollution issue in Algeria which as we are aware, is the cause of many other concerns.

The pollution in Algeria is an undeniable issue that doesn’t appear to be decreasing and with only about 3 % of Algerian territory that is being used for cultivation, we have endless space in which we are able to grow therefore reducing the pollution as the production of plants and trees reduces the CO2 in the surroundings. Not only does our project allow us to sustain our environment, it will also allow us to reduce importation of produce which means less oil is being used by the means of transportation.

Recently I am trying as a young leader to get involved in several advocacy initiatives. I want to be able to inform the public and make them aware of the situations that we face. I hope to discover solutions that haven’t been used before and I hope to become a great advocate for environmental issues. Currently, we have a youth platform where ideas and solutions to this issue can be discussed. Every Friday, a group of individuals gather and we plant trees in areas where otherwise would be used as the location of solid waste.

Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere. We are currently working on the development of green houses in land that was given to us by the government. We hope to expand as we grow to become a national branch that distributes locally grown produce as there is an inability to meet peoples foods needs due to 45% or food being imported at inflated costs. As a conclusion, our main goal is to let youth be apart of the solution in making our environment a better place.

I am currently final year student at BUITEMS, Quetta, Pakistan. Belonging to a remote area of Pakistan, It was impossible for me to be the only graduate of area striving to face financial hazards, society and competitive environment all the time. I am an active youth activist of my area. I am much involved in the volunteerism. I have worked with army team for three months during earthquake in 2005.

I have taken an initiative for the development of youth of the area by making AZM E JAWAN, a nonprofit organization.

I am currently representing my university students at international level. I am serving my student chapter as President out of 211 chapters worldwide.

I have organized many sessions and workshops related to the environmental safety and economic developments. I have attended one international technology conference, Beijing, China. I was nominated to represent Pakistan at 9th ASEAN YOUTH ASSEMBLY, Indonesia.

One cannot imagine that how one can struggle so much to gain enormous achievements in life. This short essay of 200 words cannot describe me well as I want. I want to be there at event, so that I can tell the world that, still there are few people who can be so hardworking and ambitious for his bright career in life.

As a self motivated, youth activist and young leader, I want to be there as a young speaker to tell the story of my own life for the inspiration of youths of world through that forum.

I am 24 and I am now preparing for my Master. I represent Vokovoko Maintso team for “Youth Champions”.

Our project is about matters within Campus University because contrary to how they should behave, its inhabitants are so irresponsible that they do not differ from other citizens in terms of cleanliness and water management.

For many, natural resources only mean wealth that is directly related to their living, reason why we founded Vokovoko Maintso in 2011. Composed of young academic students, we first scrutinized residents’ behaviors and focused our initiative along them. We were seven to draft the content of the sensitization and the approaches; we then divided the group and started sharing what we have learnt.

But above all, we stressed on becoming model for our neighbors: we practice what we proclaim. Now, we could notice changes among us and membership increases. Our strong point? The fact we have to deal with people of our kind: we live the same environment; we are on the same intellectual level. It was not that difficult because actually, message is well received when it is transmitted by people who understand us and come from our circle.

I am a Congolese national, social youth entrepreneur, agricultural professional, environmental expert and the coordinator of a led youth organization called Jeunes Volontaires de Grands Lacs pour l’Environnement.
Since 2009, I am working with youth in the field of environment management through environmental education in the Eastern DRCongo particularly to sensitize and mobilize indigenous youth for forest management in the Congo Basin.

In 2012, I began a project on in Eastern DRCongo that involves 50 indigenous young with the overarching goal of mobilizing Congolese youth to contribute to REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), particularly in South Kivu city. The project deals with the promotion of conservation and sustainable management of forests and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks.

Project activities include the organization of four workshops with local youth organizations and local communities, four tree planting campaigns and the implementation of two tree nurseries in Burhale and Nzibira Villages. To date, 3000 trees have been planted trough agroforestry system.

The project help us to reach a number of youth who are interested in agroforestry landscape and we mobilize more than 5000 people until now.

I am 26 years old. A consultant, and the co-creator of Adoptatweep (Abuja’s foremost and largest offline social media event).

I am also a branding expert and I have helped build several start-ups and have also used my social media dexterity to promote a lot of brands.

I realized Africa is the home of about 70% of all the youths in the world, and my keen interest in Agriculture made me evolve a comprehensive strategy that will aid our(youths) development; I started consulting for young people who are willing to invest in Agriculture at a 100% discount.

This has given me the opportunity to work with a great number of youth-farmers.

I have so many stories to share, but there is a particular one that I am most interested to talk about, in order to inspire others.
It’s about how I helped transform a single plot of ginger farm into a 7 hectares of ginger farm, within one year.

Iman is a man who cares for orangutan and the forest. He graduated from forest faculty, and is a manager programme at Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia) for more than 10 years.

Yayorin is a non government organization to save orangutan through human empowerment. As we know that Central Kalimantan is a pilot project of REDD+ in Indonesia. And Yayorin became one of the organizations who demonstrate REDD+ in Central Kalimantan.

We need forest and forest need orangutan (Yayorin tag line). So, human empowerment what Yayorin mean is begun by education, such as Yayorin call pondok belajar then conservation.

As a someone who is interested to nature and environmental sociology, Iman Sapari will explain about REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) and his strategies to support REDD+ in Central Kalimantan. Like he already did at Yayorin on June 2013.

Ayoade Akande, aged 31 years, has eight years of experience in the non-profit sector, and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and a Postgraduate degree in Crop, Soil, and Pest management from the Federal University of Technology, Akure in Nigeria.

While working as a beekeeper he has helped improve the living standards and health of rural dwellers and youths living in South-western Nigeria. Ayoade began his social work at an early stage in his Bachelor’s degree training.

Ayoade has volunteered to train and educate youths on agribusiness most especially beekeeping. Through these experiences, he developed strong project coordination and implementation skills. Ayoade has a strong passion for youth empowerment and poverty reduction. He has been able to train over 30 youths in beekeeping.

My talk will focus on how youths have been engaged in generating income in beekeeping. This aspect of agriculture is usually associated with poor farmers. It is an aspect of agriculture that requires little start-up capital and little or no running expenses; at least one does not need to feed the bees. Apart from making steady income from the sales of honey, the environment is also protected.