# ATTENTION . WE NEED EMERGENCY TRAVEL FUND SUPPORT FOR AIR TRAVEL OF YOUNG HERO/INES TO ATTEND IYONS in INDIA. For the call for donations, funding and sponsors, click here. THANK YOU!! # Find out more why this is such a unique opportunity below. #

“This is the most powerful and meaningful youth event that has ever been put up,”

says Eric cheekily in his own introduction to the page. Here is why.

Cassandra began recycling used restaurant cooking oils to biofuels at age 12, has donates $150,000 to social causes. Age 16
Gabrielle has evoked a 10-fold rise of free, fresh fruits and vegetables for food banks. Age 16
Robyn has made water a human right, public and banned bottled water in 27 cities. Age 13
Rhiannon and Madi have made Girl Scouts and Kellogg’s drop conflict palm oil. Age 15
Emma and Julia have raised 77,000 books for 49 aboriginal community schools. Age 15
Xiuhtezcatl stops fracking, bans pesticides, rocks audiences at major festivals. Age 14
Neha has raised an average of $12,000 per month for orphans abroad since Age 9

What if school students ~~did~~ do the same in a thousand places?

This is the new thing … and where YL meets in perfect synergy with IYONS

THE EVENT

IYONS World Summit of International Youth Organizations

24-26 July in Chennai, India, 65 hour non-stop program with sport and cultural events – website

by young corporate turned social activist Abdul Ghani, known for his work with garbage pickers

under the patronage of former ‘People’s’ President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam, children’s rights champion Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie

UNITES YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS UNDER AGE 35
from 120+ nations and all states of India
to share their country’s challenges and present their model solutions for overcoming them

for international collaboration on scaling and replicating of these solutions.

This alone makes it the most relevant event to-date. No talkers, but proven, successful doers coming for learning and co-creative action! Flip through the official booklet for impressions.

Massive.But wait – the best is to come:

YOUTH LEADER NOMINATED DELEGATES

FLOORED BY THE SENSATIONAL TEENS, THE IYONS BOARD HAS TWEAKED

the original UN Assembly style structure (of one speaker per country) to include 10 North American speakers, – for the benefit of the entire IYONS Community – since these TEENS shatter every limitation we have held in our minds about the transformational power of one, of our young generation and of our societies as a whole.

These kids re-define possible, inspire millions, are all over the media, in high demand as speakers as schools, and they eclipse adults in their impact, wit and genuine presence. They represent a new species of youth rising, that has made youth action on local and global issues part of learning culture in more than 10,000 schools in Canada and the USA, where We Day events unite 250,000 activist kids with an 8 hour live webcast on MTV.

That is the new Sixties, the movement of our time – teenagers taking action for peace, sustainability and abundance for all. And the dazzling uber changemakers of this emerging movement are united at IYONS!

YOUTH-LEADERS AMONG THE 350 SPEAKERS

THIS IS A WORLD CLASS PREMIERE IN HISTORY

Adora Svitak, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Rachel Parent, Cassandra Lin, Emma Mogus, Robyn Hamlyn, Avalon Theisen, Rhiannon Tomtishen, Chloe Maxmin of Divest Harvard – leaders in their fields, they have gone where no adult has gone before.

These stellar changemakers are usually booked as the celebrity speaker of an event, and – speaking to a beginner’s audience. At IYONS, they all share the stage, and they meet a 120+ nation audience of hand picked young changemakers embedded in national multiplier networks, delivering a rich 3 day program making them omni-present for the entire audience of IYONS delegates, changemakers, celebrities, media and guests – also beyond the event.

We are joined by our Indian Field Partners – Babar Ali, “the youngest headmaster in the world”, and Usha Vishwakarma, founder of The Red Brigade Lucknow, who will freshen us all up with a workshop on martial arts for self-defense against sexual assault. Yessss.

YOUTH-LEADER CAMP // THE IYONS YOUTH CAMP

IYONS PLACES OUR YOUTH AT THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION

They all speak to the Assembly, they give five of eleven official workshops for the Assembly and 2,000 students, and we have an entire zone at the main auditorium dedicated to these TEEN-AGE youth-leaders, the YOUTH CAMP

with stands for each, see the full list of speakers in the booklet above or in brief here
a rich workshop program of 30+ sessions
an XL Poster Exhibit of 48 Hero/ines for exploration by school classes
as model for Informal Sustainability Learning Environments ISLEs at school
as stage and backdrop for interviews, hosted conversations, media interactions and celebrity photoshoots

IYONS shares our vision of promoting youth leadership to schools across India.

You can explore a lot about the phenomenon of Youth Leadership and our media, methods and “live services for non-formally introducing, sustaining and evolving it at school in friendly collaboration between students, teachers, student clubs and YL Teams – Warrior Clans – in our website menu and in the YL Portfolio.

POST-IYONS ACTIVITIES

WE ARE SEIZING THE OCCASION OF BEING IN ONE PLACE

for hugs
for experiencing each other in action
for 2 more concerts
for school and college presentations

for example at Loyola College – can you believe it? A full day for 300 faculty-picked students passionate about social and environmental activism. You can find out on the amazing global network of Loyola Jesuit Colleges here.

YOUTH-LEADER RETREAT WEEK & IMMERSION

FINALLY, WE UNITE OUR YOUTH-LEADERS FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK with outstanding Indian activists for a Retreat Workshop Week near visionary ecocity Auroville

for bonding, sharing our solutions, collaboration and shaping alliances
Immersion in YL media, methods, services and using them to the fullest
co-development of CHANGE GENERATION RISING, our leadership program for youth at schools, non-formal curriculum for units across subjects and cross-platform reality game starring 96 young and adult hero/ines of our time, powered by student clubs

for taking our collective force, solutions and “live” support services to our global young generation at school!

ALL THIS IS INCLUDED IN YL@IYONS!

Summed up:

world premiere super star line-up
world premiere best imaginable young changemaker audience from 120+ nations
world premiere YOUTH-LEADER CAMP uniting 15 hero/ines as exhibit, learning environment, workshop space, headquarter
with super rich program of 40 workshops and sessions
world premiere teenage hero/ine Retreat Week for bonding, sharing, learning, collaboration
world premiere Change Generation Rising leadership program development
+ school and college presentations
+ 3 Earth Guardians music performances
+ big media interaction, film team
+ pre- and post-event outreach to schools and delegates

= HUGE !

TO MAKE IT TRUE – WE NEED A LITTLE HELP

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION so we can all get there

WE HAVE WORKED HARD FOR MONTHS AND ALIGNED THIS CONSTELLATION,

but there is also need to arrange AIR TRAVEL, and we have urgent need for donations and sponsorship to our

The Emergency Travel Fund for teen delegates

$25,000 in total. $1000 (1 person from Europe) to $3,000 (1 youth + adult chaperone from USA and Canada)
The Youth-LeadeR Camp Fund $500

YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE

Finance

AS ALWAYS, we have excellent win-win benefits to offer in return. Click here for infos for sponsors
Time

for sending our Calls for Support to Philanthropic Clubs, Celebrities and Potential Sponsors.
What sponsors? Whoever comes to mind! Use the online club finder of Rotary and Lions Clubs (we hold each other in high esteem, they have honored some of us with their highest awards), it only takes three clicks and a couple of minutes to copy-paste a few words and attach our PDF.

We’ll thank you with a special gift in return, and the Winner of our Fund Hunt will get a big fat surprise. Click here to join the FUND HUNT.

WE GIVE BACK TO DONORS and SPONSORS

View our extraordinary offers to donors, companies, media, airlines, celebrities… (PDF)

We can’t really leave you without video, can we?

First off, personal greetings!

Wrapping up with Xiuhtezcatl, who’s just rocked to badass over the couple of months.

His speech opening the UNITED NATIONS high level event on climate change has been called “historic” as he was speaking, and it is, adding to “the defining speech of his generation” held at Bioneers Conference last fall. It’s been going viral the same day, just like his Kid Warrior documentary clip, showing that he is an ordinary kid, has to be – and that it is precisely this lively magic that makes us hero/ines!

Concerts at IYONS, Loyola, Auroville? Oh Yeah! Earth Guardians with Nahko Bear and Medicine for the People : RYSE UP!

And for the deep ones … “WHO AM I” at Unity Concert, with spiritual leaders from across the Americas.

DO YOU WISH to see this happen everywhere?

I ask you – at this time, when we all species and generations to come depend on the people alive right now, and we have 5, 10 years to shift…

WHERE TO INVEST in this time but in the finest of humanity – to gather and upgrade the best changemakers, and equip them to reach into education on a grand scale?

To me, this is the only chance to achieve a generation that is completely different from our failing adult generations. That’s why I have been doing day in day out for ten years with YL. And it’s manifesting in splendour! So, all I can do is emphasize :

INVEST IN YL@IYONS to set new benchmarks in the minds, hearts and hands of thousands of young changemakers from 120+ nations, throughout India, decision-makers, celebrities, sponsors and event organizers … and to kick off *CHANGE GENERATION RISING* – our new leadership program for youth at school!

Hey – and come and join us!

Eric Schneider, YL Director
Images and Voices of Hope Award 2012
UNESCO Round Table for the Implementation of the UNITED NATIONS Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

FUND YOUTH-LEADER delegates to attend IYONS World Summit!