Director Speaks at UN Environmental Youth Conference

LSS Director, Marilyn Mosley Gordanier, and members of the LSS staff were proud to participate in the United Nations International Children's Conference on the Environment held in Putrajaya, Malaysia, from August 26th to 30th. The conference, entitled Save a Tree, Save our Lungs, is part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an education program for young people ages ten to fourteen.

School children from Zimbabwe, Japan, Russia, Kenya, Qatar, Norway, Cambodia, and Kenya joined over 40 Malaysian students in two LSS workshops which highlighted key activities from the new LSS online environmental course, Kids4Earth. Presented by LSS staff, the workshops gave the children an opportunity to learn how they can become Eco-Heroes by taking personal action in their local communities and the world.

The United Nations calls its youth program TUNZA (a Kiswahili word meaning to "treat with care and affection"). The program's mission is to treat our planet with care and affection and build a network of caring children who treat each other and the earth with love and respect. Participants, chaperones, facilitators, and volunteers worked in concert to create a unique, meaningful experience for the children.

Preparations are underway for the next TUNZA Children's Conference (for ages 10-14) which will take place in Norway in 2008, as well as the TUNZA Youth Conference (for ages 15-24) planned for next summer in Germany.

Laurel Springs is a United Nations Global 500 Laureate. We'll keep our students informed on the upcoming Youth and Children's Conferences through our newsletters and the LSS Family Center website.

The UN chooses delegates to these conferences on the basis of participation and commitment to environmental action. Our students are eligible to apply to attend the conferences as delegates. For more information on how to become a conference delegate, please write to marilyn@laurelsprings.com.