Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN) , www.casin.ch, is now accepting application for the 30th Seminar on "Fostering Entrepreneurship & Leadership."

Apply to the YouthActionNet® Global Fellowship Program

Are you the founder of a youth organization that mobilizes citizens in addressing an urgent social need? Do you lead a team of dedicated young people in protecting and promoting children’s rights in your country? If you are a young person working to bring about positive societal change in your community, YouthActionNet® can help.

Each year, 20 exceptional young social entrepreneurs are selected as YouthActionNet® Global Fellows following a competitive application process. The yearlong Fellowship program includes:

Skill-building:

• A seven-day capacity building retreat in Washington, DC (all expenses paid)

• Development of a customized learning plan based on individual leadership learning needs. This learning is focused on six dimensions of leadership: personal, visionary, political, collaborative, organizational, and societal.

Networking:

• Networking with international and national aid agencies, NGOs, and coporate partners.
• Peer-to-peer networking throughout the year.

Advocacy:

• Training in communications and media outreach; public relations technical assistance.
• Access to global advocacy platforms and media coverage. Global Fellows also have access to potential funding opportunities.

 ****************************

Eligibility

• Open to all young people aged 18 – 29
• Applicants should be founders of existing projects/organizations, or leading a project within an organization
• Proficiency in English is required; applications must be submitted in English
• Must be available to attend full retreat, November 1-8, 2008, in Washington, DC

Key Dates

Application Deadline: May 15, 2008

Fellowships announced: August 1, 2008

Retreat: November 1-8, 2008 (Washington, D.C.)

Apply Online
Downloadable Application (PDF)
*See application for complete terms and conditions

Applications may also be sent by mail or fax to:
YouthActionNet®
c/o International Youth Foundation
32 South Street, Suite 500
Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
Tel: +1 410 951 1500
Fax: +1 410 347 1188

For questions and comments or to submit applications via email,
contact yan-info@youthactionnet.org

The Ceres Conference 2008: Building Leadership, Creating Solutions comes at a pivotal moment. National elections are looming, and with them the promise of forward-thinking climate and energy policies that might enable the U.S. to regain global leadership. But at the same time that we focus on policy solutions, we must also seize market-based opportunities that integrate sustainability more deeply into corporate decision-making.

The annual Ceres conference is a unique gathering of corporate, environmental, investor, governance, and labor leaders who share a collective vision of sustainability and capital markets functioning side by side. Together, we will identify the immediate approaches and tools for translating talk into action.

Don’t miss it! Show your leadership! Join us in Boston for the Ceres Conference 2008. Register now.

Ceres (pronounced “series”) is a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges such as global climate change.

Mission: Integrating sustainability into capital markets for the health of the planet and its people.

ideablob.com is where entrepreneurs and small business owners can share and grow their business ideas – and have a chance to win $10,000 towards fulfilling them.

Great ideas are generated every day by people all across the country, and now these ideas have a place to live and grow. Eligible individuals can submit their business idea to ideablob.com, and based on votes from the ideablob.com online community – which includes other innovators as well as friends, family, colleagues, associates, teachers and mentors – one idea every month will win $10,000.

Open to residents of the United States.  Submit your idea here.

Aaron Fleishman of State College, PA  was the recipient of $10,000 in the ideablob.com monthly contest winner for the best business idea in February.  Fleishman, a 23-year old Lewistown, PA native, is a Penn State senior majoring in chemical engineering. The concept for Mashavu came from a class design project to develop a prototype cell phone-based system to help victims in disaster situations and refugee camps. To pilot the program, Fleishman and Penn State Senior Research Associate Khanjan Mehta will lead a group of 14 students to Tanzania in June. His idea can be found at http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/1528-Mashavu-Networked-Health-Solu.

The Edge Upstarts Awards recognise excellence in all aspects of social enterprise, including providing a rich learning environment for the young and disadvantaged.

The Upstarts Awards began in 2001 to encourage and reward extraordinary vision, ethical business practice and social responsibility. They aim to showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social issues.

The 2008 awards recognise in particular those employers who pass on practical skills and those who benefit from learning-by-doing.

Make a nomination for Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year
This award is to recognise and encourage the next generation of social entrepreneurs under 30 years of age. The winner will possess the vision and drive to be a successful social entrepreneur. The judges will be looking for ambition, tenacity and a commitment to social enterprise.

Make a nomination for Social Entrepreneur of the Year
This award is to recognise the person who best represents the qualities and attributes of a successful social entrepreneur. The judges will be looking for initiative, determination and resilience.

Make a nomination for Social Enterprise of the Year
This award is to recognise the organisation that clearly represents the qualities and attributes of a successful social enterprise. The judges will be looking for transferability of the business model, sustainability and community impact.

Make a nomination for Social Enterprise Mentor of the Year
This award is to recognise the person who has inspired and encouraged others to develop confidence and life and job skills by sharing their expertise willingly over the long-term. The judges will be looking for the ability to motivate in a person who is exceptionally approachable, sincere and trustworthy.

Make a nomination for Social Enterprise Trainee of the Year
This award is to recognise the trainee, of any age, who has developed their skills the most on-the-job. The judges will be looking for initiative, hard work and commitment.

What are the rules?
Who won last year?

Contact

Please direct all inquiries regarding Edge Upstarts to Charlotte Eisenhart, upstarts@newstatesman.co.uk

New Statesman, Third Floor, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0AU
Tel: 020 7881 5649

Edge Upstarts is designed to encourage and promote social entrepreneurs. Especially those who pass on practical skills and social values to their employees, providing innovative and sustainable solution to social problems. A collaboration between Edge, a charity campaigning for practical learning, and the New Statesman, Edge Upstarts is a unique forum through which to discuss ideas, policies, and the impact of practical learning and social enterprise.

Pop!Tech 2008 Conference:  Scarcity and Abundance

For the twelfth year, the Pop!Tech Conference will again convene a network of 600 remarkable thinkers, doers, leaders and global change agents in science, technology, social innovation, business, environmentalism, globalization, media, education, and many other fields for a four-day exploration of ideas shaping the future.

This year, we will pay particular attention to the 21st century dynamics between systems based on scarcity and those based on abundance, in areas ranging from digital social networks to environmentalism, from biology to business, from peacemaking to politics. We’ll chart the core scarcities that humanity will face in this century, and how a wealth of new innovations, new bottom-up approaches to collaboration, and new insights into collective wisdom might hold the key to addressing them.

As always, there will be incredible performances, jaw-dropping technology demonstrations, spirited discussions, formal debates and surprises throughout. We will leave Camden with an inspired sense of our challenges, our potential, and the dynamics of positive change.

We invite you to see what others say about the Pop!Tech experience, and to register right away if you are interested.

Cost of Registration:$3,500

Social Innovation Fellows Program:  Providing world-class support to the next great generation of world-changing innovators.

This year, Pop!Tech will select up to twenty visionary change agents – chosen from around the world and from many different social-innovation fields – to participate in a unique, cutting-edge Fellows program designed to accelerate their impact.

Fellows will participate (all-expenses paid) in the 2008 Pop!Tech conference, the visionary annual gathering of thought leaders and change agents that will convene October 22-25, 2008 in Camden, Maine. Fellows will also take part in a unique, in-depth leadership and skills development program that will cover areas that are critical to success in creating “big bet” social programs, such as strategy, technology, communications, fundraising, media relations, digital storytelling, and how to take initiatives to scale, led by some of the world’s most successful social entrepreneurs and renowned specialists. Fellows will also have year-round access to Pop!Tech mentors and a network of support to aid in the advancement of their ideas, projects and collaborations.

Fellows will be selected based on their proven track record, as well as their interest in and high potential for generating significant cutting-edge, multidisciplinary, and socially beneficial innovations in fields such as education, energy, technology, global healthcare, development, environment, human rights advocacy, media, journalism and related fields.

To ensure diversity, both from a cultural and experiential perspective, at least one-third of the class will consist of participants from outside the US and at least one-third will be 35 years of age or younger.

Nomination forms for Fellows are available here. Selection of Fellows will be made on rolling basis throughout 2008.

There are just FIVE days left to nominate yourself or someone you know for the 2008 Tech Museum Awards. Reward those who are applying technology to benefit humanity in environment, education, equality,economic development and health.

They could be awarded $50,000!

The Tech Museum Awards program inspires global engagement in applying technology to humanity's most pressing problems by recognizing individuals, organizations, and companies that are utilizing innovative technology solutions to address the most urgent issues facing our planet.

The Tech Laureates are profoundly improving the human condition through the use of technology. It is the goal of The Tech Museum Awards to showcase their compelling stories and reward their brilliant accomplishments.

Criteria:  Ensure the candidate is eligible
Categories: Decide which category best fits the project
Nomination Form:  Submit your nomination
Visit our Facebook page,
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4911364053 to watch the Call for Nominations video, or go directly to www.techawards.org to fill out a quick and easy nomination form today! Remember, the deadline is March 24.

The contest is an invitation to reflect on the potato's key role in agriculture, the economy and world food security, to offer new insights into potato biodiversity, cultivation, processing, trade, marketing and consumption, and to contribute to a free and international exchange of information on this globally important food crop.

The following is a brief outline of the photography contest. Be sure to print and read carefully the contest rules before submitting entries. Entries close on 1 September 2008.

The contest is divided into two categories: Professional photographers (people who make their living from photography) and Amateur photographers. All entrants must be over 18 years of age.

Photographs must be submitted as digital files in JPEG format. Each entrant may submit either a single JPEG image or a "photo story" of from 4 to 8 related JPEG images. Images must be 300 dpi resolution, and 20 cm x 30 cm. They may be taken with a digital camera, or may be scans in JPEG format of negatives, transparencies or prints.

Prizes:

Professional photographers category:

• 1st place - US$4 000 and a Nikon D300 kit (D300 body + AF-S DX Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR lens)
• 2nd place - US$2 000 and a Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens
• 3rd place - US$1 000 and a Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR lens

Amateur photographers category:

• 1st place - $US2 000 and a Nikon D60 kit (D60 body + AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens)
• 2nd place - $US1 000 and a Nikon D40 kit (D40 body + AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G II lens)
• 3rd place - $US 500 and a Nikon Coolpix S600 camera

The IYP World Photography Contest, Focus on a global food, is proud to be supported by Nikon Europe.

For further information: IYP-Photo@fao.org

Win a trip to Hanoi to attend the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week !!

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is launching a photo competition for the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week (APFW), to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, 21-26 April 2008.

The competition is open to ALL photographers at least 18 years of age. We are looking for striking images of forests and forestry from the Asia-Pacific region. Photos will be evaluated according to how well they depict forests and trees and their place in people’s lives, conceptually and artistically. A panel of foresters and photographers will select the best photos for display during the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Hanoi.
The winning photographer will be invited to attend APFW in Hanoi, Vietnam. Selected photos will be published on the FAO Forestry website and in other FAO publications.

The entrants must be citizens or residents of one of the Asia-Pacific countries.

The photos should be submitted by 1 April 2008. Entrants must have full copyright to pictures submitted, which they must be able to certify if requested. Photos submitted to the contest will not be returned.

Submissions received will not be acknowledged. The winner will be informed on 7 April 2008. The competition is not open to FAO staff or family members.

Entry form and further information on participation is available here

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is launching an essay contest for Asia-Pacific Forestry Week.

Young professionals working or studying in the field of forestry, sustainable development, natural resource management or other related fields are invited to submit a short essay outlining their visions on Forestry in a Changing World.

The winners will receive expenses-paid trips to Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Hanoi, Vietnam on April 21 to 26.

Essays should focus on what contestants consider to the most challenging issue facing forests and forestry in Asia and the Pacific today. The challenge should be described, and creative and practical solutions for addressing the challenge should be proposed.

The Young Professionals’ Essay Contest provides a unique opportunity for dynamic young people from Asia and the Pacific to attend a career-shaping event. It provides opportunities to observe, first hand, discussions that help to shape the face of forestry in our region for the 21st century, and to meet some of the most influential people guiding forestry policy in Asia-Pacific countries, the region, and the world.

Rules
Essay contest participants should be between 18-30 years of age as of 1 April 2008, and be a citizen or resident in one of the following Asia-Pacific Forestry Commission’s member countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam.

Essays must be written in English and should not exceed 1500 words. Entries must be received by 1 April 2008.

A panel of FAO forestry experts will select the winning essay. The judges’ decision will be final.

The author of the winning essay will be invited to attend Forestry Week. Air tickets, accommodation and daily allowance to cover incidentals will be provided. The winner will be informed and announced by 7 April 2008.

Asia-Pacific Forestry Week
Asia-Pacific Forestry Week will be held in Hanoi Vietnam on 21-26 April 2008. Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week will provide a unique opportunity for forestry leaders, important regional and international natural resource organizations, key stakeholders and diverse sector professionals to share perspectives and seek solutions to the most challenging issues facing forests and forestry today.

Submission
The winner will be informed and announced by 7 April 2008.

Please complete the submission form available here and send with your essay via email to AP-Forestry-Week@fao.org with the subject line: Essay Contest.

 

Imagine this: Common steps up to the mic, the MTV Networks cameras are rolling, the beat kicks in, millions of viewers are listening to... that's right, YOUR ORIGINAL LYRICS! It's your chance to educate the folks out there about HIV, spread the word, in your very own words.

If you're between the ages of 13 and 25, it's your time to step-up and flow-over. We're looking for roots, rock, rhymin' style that inspires. Proliferations with pro-cause emissions! So get typing, scribbling, texting or recording! Send us your poems, spoken word, lyrics, rap, or video clips - your words make a difference.

The message is this:
It only takes "A Minute" to decide to get an HIV test.  Yet, many people still have not been tested. One in four Americans living with HIV today doesn't know it.  Let's turn that statistic on its head! That's where the "A Minute" contest comes in. It's your chance to inspire people to get tested! Let's make it happen.

The Hard Facts
We're now in the third decade of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. There are more than 33 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE living with HIV. More than half of all new HIV infections around the world are among those under the age of 25; about 40% alone occur among 15 to 24 year olds.  In the U.S., there are more people living with HIV than ever before and 1 in 4 Americans who is HIV positive does not know it.  People of color are especially hard hit and young people under the age of 25 continue to be at risk.   The good news: HIV is preventable.

What Are Lyrics?
Lyrics are any combinations of words that create poems, songs, stories, spoken word pieces, rap. The best thing is there's really no wrong way of doing it. Whatever your style! However your inner voice guides you! Whoever inspires you! The words don't necessarily need to rhyme. The structure is entirely your choice. It's about honoring the different styles of writing and performing out there, so remember, just be you!

The Recap
Thinking about a cause is one thing. Actively doing something creative to educate people your own age on the importance of getting tested for HIV will actually make a REAL difference! So get going. Use your voice and your words to inspire other young people to get tested.  Be creative.  Be inspirational. 

ENTER NOW
 
THE WINNING SELECTION WILL BE PERFORMED ON MTV Networks!

Conscious Lifestyle is looking for seasoned professionals to join our growing team of mentors.  Conscious Lifestyle supports students who create projects that encourage "conscious living" in their campus communities. Projects can run the gamut from recycling programs to lobbying for campus policy changes, from animal shelters to sustainable engineering projects. We ask that these students build a strong business plan and launch their venture -- we give them seed money and help them to hone their entrepreneurial skills.

MENTOR (or “Liaison”) PROGRAM
As a part of our venture program, we link venture leaders to successful businesspeople. The idea is to develop a network of support for these young leaders, and allow them to gain insight from industry professionals.

The responsibilities of a mentor (or a “liaison” as we call them) are few and far between: we ask that each liaison checks in with the venture leader once every two months and charts their progress. And, of course, dispense advice based on prior experiences.

CURRENT VENTURES
Conscious Lifestyle recently accepted new ventures for the 2008 cycle.  If you are interested in becoming a mentor to one of the ventures below, please contact:

Jenny Gottstein
jenny.gottstein@gmail.com
209.304.7870

A Greener Tomorrow, Fort Worth, TX,  seeks mentor to advise on: publicity/outreach, recruitment strategies, management
A Greener Tomorrow seeks to make Fort Worth Country Day a more eco-friendly environment by using alternative energy resources, expanding the recycling program, and raising awareness about environmental issues. This year A Greener Tomorrow will provide environmental education to the primary and middle school aged students, plan river clean ups, and transition school vehicles to run on bio-diesel.

Minor Changes for Major Impact, Pensacola, Florida, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, recruitment strategies, management
Minor Changes for Major Impact encourages community members to reduce, re-use, and recycle. This venture will empower people through education and provide practical ways to use new knowledge to protect and care for our natural resources. This year Minor Changes for Major Impact will host the "Choose -to-Re-use Fashion Show" that will feature fashions constructed exclusively from 2nd hand materials, help local businesses become sustainable, and organize a documentary series.

Energy Efficiency Project, Lopez Island, Washington, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, sustainable business design, tools for changing campus policy with regards to the environment
The goal is for the Island 's K-12 school (the only school and the largest employer on the island) to use solely 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper instead of the virgin, 0-10% recycled paper they are currently using. By making the school more energy efficient, the gap between learning about a problem and doing something about a problem would be filled. Once this initial goal is achieved, the project will be replicated in other schools and country offices.

Project Peace in the Holy Land, Dearborn, Michigan, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, educational campaigns, event planning, fundraising
Project Peace in the Holy Land (Dearborn) works with university administrators to ensure that the university’s endowment is not invested in companies that perpetuate violence and environmental degradation in the Holy Land. In addition its socially responsible investing campaign, Project Peace organizes educational events and fundraisers. In the fall of 2007 P.P. will host a symposium on key issues in the Holy Land.

Green Camp Initiative, New York, NY, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, budgeting, resource management, program development.
Students on campus are working to “green” Jewish summer camps. The purpose of the initiative is to maintain and promote the mitzvah [Jewish religious obligation] of Ba’al Taschit [environmental stewardship] and the deeply rooted Jewish value of environmentalism. Activities include generating awareness through environmental education, training staff and campers alike in conservation methods, work with camp administration to accelerate waste reduction and diminish the camp’s carbon footprint. Eventually, the GCI will be folded into regular camp programming.

Animal Welfare Project, Atlanta, GA, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, website development/maintenance, fundraising
Each year, 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized in animal shelters because homes are not available. This number does not include the animals euthanized because of illness or old age – these animals are simply killed because of space. The primary goals of the Animal Welfare Project are to raise awareness about the problem, help local animal shelters, open a new shelter and link abandoned animals with healthy homes. Students are working to build a website with a networking component, a calendar of events, and an educational portal. They are also partnering with the campus housing department to implement a foster animal program in the dorms. With the money raised by fundraisers, the venture will eventually build a shelter on or near Georgia Tech’s campus.

In Their Shoes, Montreal, seeks mentors to advise on: publicity/outreach, program development, recruiting, fundraising, creating a blueprint for subsequent chapters
In Their Shoes is committed to bringing awareness of poverty and conflict to Canadian adolescents through interactive presentations on global citizenship and respect for universal human rights. I.T.S. brings presentations on global issues to classrooms with students between the ages of 13-18. Using a combination of multimedia, survivor accounts, personal animation and student participation, In Their Shoes will offer students a unique chance to learn and ask questions on topics such as war, genocide, and religious conflict, while also offering follow up mechanisms for kids to get involved in social justice campaigns.

interrupcion*  is a stakeholder community that is working to build a sustainable future through responsible consumption, sustainable development, organic farming and fair trade.

The journey toward a sustainable future begins when we interrupt* habitual ways of understanding our personal impact on the world to develop a new, global sense of influence that creates responsible action. This concept of interrupting* to create a more responsible, healthy and sustainable form of participation in society gave us our name: interrupcion*.

Responsible Consumption Campaign (RCC*) Liaison - Focuses on increasing the reach of the Responsible Consumption Campaign in the US with interrupcion* fair trade produce and grocery items. This interrupter* will invest their time in 4 key local retailers, conduct in-store RCC* sessions weekly, and work directly with retailers through the communication of responsible consumption in their stores. This involves calling stores and speaking with store managers, offering tools and communication materials, and conducting in-store follow ups to tally results and measure success. The end goal is completion of a ‘Bring Fair Trade to your Store’ document that will be used to encourage more retailers to work through Fair Trade and benefit from a growing group of conscious consumers.

Internship Duration: 4 month minimum
Time Commitment: 14 hours per week
Compensation: All internships are time investments and unpaid except compensation for Responsible Consumption Campaign Sessions. Opportunities for college credit and future employment.
Deadline: April 15, 2008

Qualifications