Penseès

The heated debate sufficed to warm the chilly morning; it was quite animated and thorough, and it all centered on the relevance of international conferences to the lives of people. As diverse as the opinions were, there was consensus on the fact that it is our role to implement the policies agreed upon at such conferences with regards to our target community's context. This was the morning of April 22, 2012: Earth Day.

Members of Kenya Youth Climate Network (KYCN) and African Youth Initiative on Climate Change Kenya (AYICC-K) left together for Thogoto Center, on the outskirts of Nairobi, to spearhead Earth Day celebrations. The main event that marked this day was the Earth Race, a cycling event aimed at creating awareness on the need to conserve our environment and engaging the relevant authorities and local communities in environmental governance.

All was set for the event

The world's demography is quickly changing, and there has been one defining factor: the percentage of young people has been growing. In tandem, the number and magnitude of human challenges has increased, and this has led to rethinking of how we actually tackle human development challenges. Engaging young people in addressing these issues is one of the most important strategies.

If there is something that I cannot give up now, then it must be growing up at this age and time. There are many interesting things which are taking place, and they are all epic in nature. The most defining events for me are those concerning efforts to restore the environment and rethink the whole concept of development. In this special series, Bridging the Green Divide, I will explore various aspects which are being addressed, and others that need to be addressed, in order to bridge the Green Divide.

The Voice of Children and Youth for Rio+20
2011 Tunza International Children and Youth Conference
Bandung Declaration
October 1, 2011

§1
We, the delegates to the 2011 Tunza International Children and Youth Conference
representing 118 different countries, are united in calling upon world leaders to
move to a sustainable development pathway that safeguards the Earth and its
people for our generation and generations to come. We urge governments to
respond to and not ignore the demands of the children and youth.
Section 1: Rio+20 and the Promises to Our Generation