RSS
Digg | 
Del.icio.us
by Whit Jones, SustainUS Youth Delegate
In the halls of the UN Climate Negotiations, there is a new presence felt. A growing, cohesive group of youth is storming the negotiating sessions, holding daily creative demonstrations, and meeting face-to-face with their government delegations. They are here to provide a face to the future, to speak for future generations, and to plan for the future of their movement. We've made formal interventions in the negotiations, hosted "mock swimming lesions" to emphasize the urgency of the situation, and are actively broadcasting a fresh perspective of the conference through photo and video.
The youth are carving out a space of their own here at the UN. In the true spirit of global cooperation and collaboration, daily meetings are held for regions, continents, and global youth. The meetings are held to plan for both activities here and in the coming years. Since we are not afforded office space, many of these gatherings are held underneath a staircase, in an area affectionately known as "The Bunker." It is a source of incredible energy and enthusiasm, and the hub of all things New Media. Youth are email blasting their home networks, blogging, uploading to YouTube, all to tell their own story. It is a story of frustration and enduring vigilance; but it is also a story of hope that if youth continue to emerge as leaders, we can set an example for the global community and lead the way to a scientifically-credible and just global agreement.
Each day of this conference, I have been amazed by new youth organizations, networks, and activities around the world. We are working to make our communities sustainable, organizing at the grassroots, and building stronger, more robust movements. We recognize that climate change is the issue of our generation, and we intend to take our future into our own hands. We'll be forging new partnerships across boundaries, and working strategically together, so that we can create a powerful global youth climate movement that cannot be ignored.