If you still do not know what TED is:

One TEDTalk a day keeps the doctor away.

Dear friend,

I am standing to be a delegate to represent my generation at the One Young World Summit. This is the largest youth leadership summit in the world. Because I have proven myself as a young leader I will be travelling to London in February 2010 to discuss 6 key issues with 1499 other young leaders from across the world. The organizers are aiming to have every country represented, proportional to population. I am representing the Netherlands.

The One Young World Summit will be a platform for the brightest and best of the next generation of world leaders to make their voices heard on a global stage. Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu and Bob Geldof are just three of the counselors who will be running the sessions. Resolutions will be created in six key areas: the environment, politics, business, religion, healthcare and the media and will act as a youth response to conferences such as Copenhagen.

One Young World is 100% not for profit. We are all required to raise €3000 to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and the event itself. I need you to vote for my video on YouTube by visiting www.youtube.com/oneyoungworld, and click on my video and vote for me! If I end up in the top 20 of the list I have a chance of getting a free ticket.

Thank you ever so much for your support.

Yours Sincerely

Pieter Ploeg

October 19, 2009.

I am sitting in a large room in a white building on the Rudolf Steiner Seminar in Ytterjärna, Sweden. Outside the leaves of the apple trees have turned pale yellow and pumpkin orange, and the light grey clouds carefully water the earth. I am surrounded by 40 young people and we are listening to Helene Bank from Norway, who is speaking about the natural water-cycle and political economics. I just came back from a fourteen-day trip through Europe, via Göteborg, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Gent & Basel as part of my initiative week. I visited the different hubs in my network to check-in in with the young change makers that I have met in the last years of work for Idem – Identity through Initiative. Every time I meet these young people with ideals and dreams I encounter the creativity of human imagination, through the various meaningful conversation I have. However, in this interconnected world they still sometimes feel lonely and separated from society.

Individualism.

How wonderful is the first step of a child and how challenging that first walk. Have you ever wondered how often a child falls during the weeks of it’s first steps? And how it holds on to the structures and objects around him or her? It seems to me that people of my age are going through a similar process when entering society. When high school is over and the future calls, the first steps are taken. Are these steps taken because of the ability to walk, and passively guided by the status-quo? And how much of the curiosity of the child is left? And how much passion?

Adventure.

In July 2008 I decided to engage in the International Youth Initiative Program in Järna, Sweden, to witness and experience one of the most incredible learning environments one can be part of. After a few years of part time youth work in different organizations the time is ready to fully engage in this community experience. Some people asked me whether I am not too “old” or to “experienced” for this program. I say one can never be too old.
I have taken the initiative to start a Dutch youth platform in late 2007 and later initiated the organization of Connectivity 2011 in South Africa. In the last few years I developed myself into the world of social entrepreneurs, volunteers, development cooperation, international conference, civil society organizations as a curious and learning individual. In that process I discovered how absolutely exciting it is to work with socially creative thinkers and doers,  and especially youth.

Social creativity.

Here at YIP I witness how young people join in a community to develop tribe leadership in their own networks, and are encouraged to gain a conscious awareness of the world. Different leadership qualities empower these young people to face global challenges and to take action for social betterment and human development, with a strong sense for comprehensive sustainability and modern spirituality.
It is a place where I can work on life, live for learning and learn for work, and all other combinations. Theory can and is being put into practice right away, and there is an inspiring balance between informal, non-formal and formal education. The place is surrounded by beautiful farms, forests and fields, breathing peace and nature into my life.

You should come and visit.

Today, on October 15th 2009, more then 7000 bloggers all over the world are writing about “Climate Change”, the topic of the 2009 Blog Action Day. One can say that this topic is ‘hot’ and popular, and that that is the reason it is this years topic of the Blog Action Day.

When we look at the world today we can see more and more action around climate change. There have been many international events, and increasingly people are gathering to ‘have their voice heard’. More recently we have had a Global Wake-Up Call, an Avaaz campaign, and on October 24th millions of people are engaging in the International Day of Climate Action, organized by 350.0rg. I am also taking part in that event, with a big action in Stockholm with YIP.

One can sign petitions on hundreds of website, urging our political leaders to create a miracle in December, at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen.
At the same time we can discover more and more ‘alternatives’;, good practices, examples, new energies, eco-friendly products, zero-waste parties, organic food, local products, vegetable gardens, etc.

At the same time it is possible to book flights with Ryanair for € 13,- or less. In November I am flying more then ever before. I am flying from Stockholm to Brussels (€13,-), Oslo (13,-), Berlin (€48,-) & Basel (€38,-) for meetings, workshops and conferences, all ‘to make this world a better place’.

Where as this world needs world-citizens, it is not possible to be a world-citizen without a massive ecological footprint. One can improve internet communications and decrease travelling, but then again;

“Is this question of climate change all about CO2“?

When we take a closer look at these words Climate and Change we can find some other definitions as well (Dictionary.com)

Climate
“The prevailing attitudes, standards, or environmental conditions of a group, period, or place.”

Change
“To become different, altered, modified, transformed or converted.”

When we really try to look at that this movement is actually about, we can question what this time asks of the human race. Is it just protectionism, our ‘immune system’? Are we restoring our balance with nature?
I have always been fascinated by the way some, or maybe most people see nature as that chaos outside of the city, or in the parks.

We are cutting down the trees, but do we want to live in a world with trees? We are building roads, but do we want to live in a world where we have to drive cars to get somewhere?

As a kid I sometimes was afraid for the moment all particles in the universe would be in a order or position where something radically would change. I imagined the world being an unsolvable puzzle, that would sometimes be very close to a solution, before a radical change.

• Yes it is important to write this blog post today.
• Yes it is great to be part of an action of million of people on the 24th.
• Yes it is crucial that our politicians come to an agreement at the COP15.
• Yes we do need to start using alternative energy, sustainable products and local organic food.
• Yes I do need to limit my flying, and look for alternatives.

But is that enough? Maybe the most important question of today should be written in every single newspaper every day, in all school text books, tweets, blogs, television shows, etc:

How on earth do we want to live together?

Our prevailing attitudes, standards and environmental conditions of groups, periods and places need to become different, altered, modified, transformed or converted. It is so important to not only focus on reducing our emissions, but to consciously leapfrog our thinking and perception into a radically new perspective.

Constantly.

Environmental Climate Change and the story of CO2 is just a chapter in the journey of global human and natural development.

Are you ready for the challenges of a climate-neutral society?