Program

Gen7: Youth at SR'04

we can't wait—and neither can the future.

In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations –The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Faced with ineffective solutions to insidious problems, we, the next generation, may sit back in complacency. But something's different at SR‘04: we're not just talking about the world's problems—we're doing something about it. So. You're here. We're here. Let's connect. Now. We can't wait—and neither can the future.

Mission Statement

Gen7 aims to harness the potential of the next generation of leaders. Through bringing together the voices of youth, celebration, hands-on education and exchanges between cultures, generations and ourselves, we are determined to discover new solutions to old problems.

What We Are Doing

In no time at all, the next generation—the largest in history—will be charged with guiding the world's future. But, beset by complacency, speed and materialism, tomorrow's leaders are set to become a part of the problem. That's where the Youth Track at Sustainable Resources 2004 comes in. This year is the first year of the Youth Track and it has become a large focus for the conference as a whole.

Since youth is relevant to and interested in every aspect of creating a sustainable world—from ‘ecotourism' to ‘creating global partnerships' the Youth Track will connect with each of the conference tracks at the second annual Sustainable Resources Conference '04. The Youth Leadership Team is composed of 15 persons. Each Leader is working with one of the conference tracks to keep each track's discussions of the next generation on the table. Our goal is to give our generation tangible, hands-on ways to learn, share and make a tangible difference, wherever their passion lies.

Gen7 Presentations and Events at SR4:

• Leadership on the Ground:  An Intimate Discussion with World Leaders (Friday, October 1st)
• Bio-diesel Bus tours
• Voter registration
• HIV/AIDS: The biggest challenge to the next generation (Saturday, October 2nd)
• Generation WWW.: Learn to use the internet for maximum activism organization and impact. Digital films, media and websites
• Saturday Night Celebration:  A global celebration of the world's cultures with a host of international and local perfomers (Saturday, October 2nd)
• Youth Outreach Program for 16-28-year-olds (see below)
• Youth Focus Day (Saturday, October 2nd)
• Children's Torch of Hope

Pre and Post Conference Opportunities

• 6-Day Emergent Leaders Seminar (September 28th-October 3rd)
• Poetry slam contest: live bands, DJ's, and SLAM contest with great prizes.  Sep. 12th @ Trilogy
• Creating a Culture of Nonviolence Workshop (Tuesday, Septemer 28th)
• World Without Borders Day:  Giving participants hands-on solutions, clear action steps, job opportunities and connections to create ongoing action in their communities (Sun., October 3rd)
• Hands-on sustainable building project

Youth Outreach Program

One of our biggest priorities is to integrate young people into the dialogue on sustainability and our impact as a species on the world.  Gen7's biggest, overarching goal is to create a place at the table for youth in this important discussion.  Our Youth Outreach Program facilitates this goal with a number of initiatives, including:

•A Student Outreach Program which involves partnering with local high schools and colleges who will sponsor selected students to attend the Conference

•A series of Poetry Slams, themed "Letters to the 7th Generation", that encourage dialogue on the issues through the vehicle of artistic expression and raise awareness of the Conference among young people.  A closing celebration for the conference featuring performers from around the world that will highlight the amazing diversity of the world's peoples and the intimate commonality of getting down and having a good time.

•Providing scholarships and work-study to young people who otherwise would be unable to attend.

•Collaborative work with several local schools, including:  the Eagle Rock school of Estes Park, Colorado, is developing a curriculum based on the SR‘04 Tracks, and will present what they learn to other schools in the area.

Just as with as any large group, we can have a direct, powerful impact when we vote. So SR '04 will promote the importance of getting involved, of voting, and of in-depth political thought. We'll offer a forum where young people can express their ideas and views and get answers from a variety of presenters. While we will avoid partisanship, as a manifestation of misdirected passion, we will seek to go deep into issue that effect our future, and that of the world's. We will offer voter registration—the conference is about a month before the presidential elections.

Our inspirations—and needs—are many. We want to provide scholarship to all of the young people need assistance locally and internationally. This conference will be a powerful and fulfilling opportunity for the voice of young people, primarily between the ages of 16 and 25, to be heard. It will be a forum to bring us together from all walks of life, and join our passions and dreams. We will begin to create concrete action and a new way of thinking to solve the problems of the past.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information about the Gen7 Track contact Jenica Kline:

jenica@sustainableresources.org

W (303) 998-1323  x124

C (303) 875-7186