The event I helped make happen in NYC at the end of July, in partnership with the UN, got some good publicity online.  Here are some links.

-Jonah

 

Primary event website:

http://www.nexusyouthsummit.com

Articles

http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2011/07/29/nexus-summit-inspires-next-generation-of-billionaires-to-give-back/

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/08/it_s-catching--the-un-galvanizes-philanthropy-among-the-super-ri

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/april-rudin/nexus-youth-summit-2011_b_914007.html

http://blog.registeredrep.com/rep-writes/author/aprilsadventure/

http://philanthropynews.alliancemagazine.org/the-social-engagement-of-young-wealth-holders-and-entrepreneurs/

http://philanthropy.blogspot.com/2011/07/institutions-by-and-for-their-users.html

 

UN Webcast

http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/07/giving-it-back-passing-it-on-part-1-corporate-engagement-and-youth-philanthropy-as-pathways-to-development.html

http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/07/giving-it-back-passing-it-on-corporate-engagement-and-youth-philanthropy-as-pathways-to-development.html

 

Some photos

http://www.patrickmcmullan.com/site/event_detail.aspx?eid=38349

 

Some internet posts about the event

http://www.asianamericangiving.com/2011/08/the-nexus-youth-summit.html

http://www.globalpf.org/newsroom/articles/gpf-participates-in-the-nexus-global-youth-summit.html

http://nourishinternational.org/blog/nourish/2011/07/14/nourish-staff-at-the-uns-global-youth-summit/

http://www.iidac.org.br/iidac.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185:iidac-incorpora-novas-acoes-em-encontro-mundial-focado-em-juventude&catid=25:iidac&Itemid=70&lang=en

http://www.gatheringweb.com/blog.php?ac=post&id=13&p=1

http://fitzgerald-analytics.blogspot.com/2011/07/quick-nexus-update-in-pictures.html

I'm preparing for a UN young philanthropy event that I helping to convene next week, www.nexusyouthsummit.com, and I thought I would post a paragraph describing the event that I just wrote.

Building Bridges for the Millennial Generation - New Inspiration, New Resources

 

Dear Obama administration team,
(and the General Public)

As you know, I played a leading role in making this event happen on Tuesday:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/07/28/conference-next-generation-leadership

Wow. What an event. Thank you for helping to make it successful! You helped open a door that millions of young people around the world have been hungry for ever since Obama took office. As you know, while Obama’s unprecedented candidacy and character were certainly part of the draw to his platform, what was perhaps, more powerful, was his call to all people, especially young people, to participate in shaping their future.

I believe that one of the greatest stumbling blocks to the social and political transformation that we dream of, is a widespread “inspiration deficit.” When people do not feel in control of their future, participation no longer feels like a priority. The minimal cultivation of young voices after Obama’s inauguration may, in part, be responsible for his decline in popularity. Opening doors for people to participate and be heard, like you did on Tuesday, responds to the zeitgeist of American youth today. Working with high-level influencers makes it particularly strategic.

But, as I’m sure you recognize, there is still a long way to go.

If we are to unite our generation, the way that most of us dream is possible, then we’re going to need to 1) unleash tremendous financial resources and 2) build bridges between polarized social groups.

In my analysis, one of the greatest untapped financial resources within reach, is that of the young wealth-holder crowd. This community in particular suffers from an inspiration deficit because of the often burdensome quality of extreme wealth. There are a few programs out there that catalyze this group but they are small, under-developed, and seldom integrated with strategic philanthropy. Convening and facilitating this integration process, and bringing these programs to scale, was a key goal of mine for the White House event. It can still be done and I’m dedicated to making it happen.

“Depolarization,” or “uniting divided cultures and social groups,” is actually easier than it sounds, especially with young people. Programs like Seeds of Peace, Camp Rising Sun, Interfaith Youth Core, Concordia Language Villages, United World Colleges, etc. and many more have been doing it for years. They bring young people together in diversity and help them discover their common humanity. Unfortunately, most of these programs work at an international level, and are expensive as a result. Some similar locally organized efforts exist, but they need to be systematized and brought to scale. I believe that the simplest and most productive way to do this is by uniting the arts of diversity celebration with civic engagement. More than 100 member countries of the United Nations have national youth councils, which by virtue of their mandate, convene young people in diversity for policy deliberation and development. When well facilitated, this process transforms the traditional political struggle for power into a celebration of diversity. It expands people’s consciousness to understand that “we’re all in this together.” And from that place, even divergent groups cooperate to make good policy that serves the whole, rather than specific interest groups.

Engaging young wealth-holders, who are suffering from an inspiration deficit, into communities of purpose and diversity can catalyze new ways of thinking and new kinds of generosity. The effort could become self financing, and set in motion a major cultural shift.

I recognize that my ideas are visionary, or perhaps quixotic in some eyes. However, I’ve been working towards this vision for much of the past decade and I can assure you that from my own empirical observations, this is an idea whose time has come.

I hope that we can continue to partner to make it, at least some part of it, a reality.

Best wishes,

Jonah

I've been trying for years to build bridges between communities of young wealth-holders and youth movements. In the past five years dozens of groups relevant to this vision have sprung up. I've also been working to inspire the White House to embrace at last part of this the idea. Take a look at one result:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/28/white-house-taps-young-entrepreneurs-to-get-things-done/?fbid=4eKlPSM_W4L

Should every city have an event like this to catlyze the synergy of young professionals?

http://blog.trendctv.com/glamorous-life-blog/2009/04/10/one-week-until-the-big-ygl-event/

There are a lot of young people serving in very senior positions in the Obama administration. Here are three:

Joshua DuBois, 26, Head of White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1877501,00.html

Jon Favreau, 27, Director of Speechwriting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Favreau_(speechwriter)

Chris Hughes, 25, Coordinator for Online Organization of the Obama Campaign
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hughes_(Facebook)

Sure, I'm aware that this "advice" might be published somewhere.

Sure, I'm aware that this "advice" could be used for the Obama-Biden administration staff selection process, which I'm interested in, so I'll go with a first person narrative.

In 2000 I co-founded the Global Youth Action Network, with a dream, much like Obama's platform, of empowering greater youth participation in politics. I believe that when young people are given a voice, a place to stand, or a voice, and are inspired and unencumbered, they are capable of great things. Many have called young people the "world's greatest untapped resource."

My advice to the administration is to set in motion a series of structural and political "opportunities" that open the door for citizens, and especially young people, to "participate" in greater and greater ways.

I helped Brazil develop its national youth policies. One piece of legislation requests that all high schools in the country create environmental councils. Picture students organizing to be stewards of their school, working together to map its carbon footprint and reduce waste. It's inspiring a new generation of environmentalists. Another policy, created by earlier creative legislators, requests that all schools have student unions and elections. They encourage democratic participation early on. Another "innovative" idea, in the laboratory of social technologies, which is Brazil, is the "Participatory Budget." Picture a city setting aside 1% of its annual budget, each year, to projects determined by consensus-inspired, citizen-led decision-making processes. Imagine dozens of young people getting together to determine whether their town should invest in a job training center or a music recording studio. They learn from each other in the process, and realize that "job training" serves a greater community. I saw it happen and that kind of deliberative process created more trust, ensuring that the Job Training Center was very successful, with lots of participation, doing much more than your traditional center could ever do.

Brazil is just one of many countries in the world with innovative social technologies that bring people (especially young) together in new ways. 45 of the 46 countries in the Council of Europe have "National Youth Councils." They provide a platform for young people to engage in the democratic process and deliver their political recommendations to national legislatures. Dozens of countries around the world have "National Youth Service" programs where "conscription" doesn't mean serving the army, but serving communities instead. Malaysia has National Youth Awards which recognize the extraordinary contributions of young people to their communities each year. The honor inspires many to choose community participation over materialism. My friend in Viet Nam runs a radio show where young people talk about their solutions for the country's problems. Another friend manages a Latin American network of young people who read newspapers, identify mis-representations of youth, and youth issues, and then respond by writing editorials and educating journalists. Another friend in the Gambia brings truck loads of city youth into the countryside. They connect with the land, the produce, the origins of their food, and commit themselves to an organic, independent future. The global food security alarms that went off earlier this year were silent in his backyard.

The world has a lot of wisdom and ideas to offer us, here in the USA. Many of these programs don’t cost a penny. All we need is the idea, or the visibility, or the convener, or the wave of the legislative wand. Maybe it's coming?

The Bush administration looked out into the big unknown world with fear and suspicion. This new administration doesn't. I think we should create a Presidential Commission on Youth and Intergenerational Partnership. I'd be happy to share my vision of what it could be… but who's ear do I have? Yours? Email me: jonah@youthlink.org (www.bridgingnetwork.org)

I haven't posted to my own blog for years.

I'm now living in the USA, near Washington, DC. I'm a dad. My son is almost four. I helped build the Leverage Alliance (a network of young philanthropists) and then the Bridging Network (www.bridgingnetwork.org) to consult on young philanthropy.

In July of 2007 I launched www.ezintouch.com to help people with contact management and email marketing and in September of 2007 I became the chief system geek at Distributive Networks (www.distributivenetworks.com) to be part of the team that developed the technology for Obama's text messaging platform.

Oh, I also just helped my Dad launch a bed and breakfast / vacation rental on his farm in Union, WV. Check out www.pynemountainfarm.com

Captured from the very back of the hall, without a tripod and with a 24X zoom (eek!) here's a pic of K Rudd speaking to the plenary.

Prior to the high level speechs, TJ and Nick hung out at the Australian desk and chatted with Penny Wong, Peter Garrett, Wayne Swan and Victorian Premier John Brumby. Wong (back turned) and Brumby are here, behind TJ.

The main plenary of the conference, this is where all the countries get a seat. Here, we see the beginning of the High Level Dialogue, with ministers and heads of state. PM Kevin Rudd is speaking.

Abby and Nick from Greenpeace meet up at the Kyoto Protocol Birthday Party hosted by Solar Generation.

This the bunker, under the stairs, behind some pot plants - home of the international youth caucus of the COP MOP. And they said this international conference stuff was glamorous!

Well, there is no doubt. I have an urge to hug the strangers sitting around me in the Conference plenary, having just heard our Prime Minister speak the words “Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation”. Kevin Rudd’s speech was not radical in some ways – he did not strongly call on the Summit to commit to specific targets. But it was a transformation of Australian government rhetoric not just on climate change, but on the need for a multilateral solution to global problems where all countries work together.

While referring to the upcoming Garnaut report he has commissioned to set national emission targets, he called for this conference to commit to a process that determines strong and binding international targets, based firmly on the science. In a stark departure from Australia’s previous slavish following of the United States, Rudd called on ALL Countries (and he repeated “All Countries”) to commit to be part of the process, and flatly rejectly unilateral forms of action in favour of a global solution.

Prior to the opening today, Tammy-Jo and I went up to the Ministers assembled at the Australian desk, including Climate Change Minister Penny Wong, Environment Minister Peter Garrett, Victorian Premier John Brumby and Treasurer Wayne Swan to say hello, congratulate them on their election win, and mention our support for Australia to take very strong action on climate change.

This morning’s opening plenary was certainly galvanizing – speakers from the UN Secretary General to the Prime Minister of the small Island of Palau spoke passionately about the need for urgent action. As the Palau PM said in 2000, and again today, time is not running out – it has run out.

Bouyed by Rudd’s speech, I hope this is a start but know there is an incredibly long way for them to go. One thing is certain, I’m glad I was not sitting here listening to John Howard continue to deny climate change, committing our country to pariah status on the world stage. Anyway, this is an emotional high point for me.

Also staying with the Australian youth delegation is a crew of young Americans from Step it Up, an amazing initiative that facilitated thousands of grassroots actions around US last year. They've also authored a book. Here, Will from "Step It Up" takes part in the Avaaz.org delivery of hundreds of thousands of petition signatures.