Make a lantern and vote for earth!

12 November 2009

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is sending a large delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15), including 18 young delegates from the five WAGGGS regions. These delegates will ensure the voice of girls and young women are heard at this significant event on the climate change agenda.

WAGGGS is also partnering with WWF on its Earth Hour Lantern project, where children around the world will assemble paper lanterns and send them to Copenhagen, inscribed with their personal message to world leaders.

You can create simple paper lanterns expressing your reasons for voting Earth with words or symbols. Then mail that lantern to Vote Earth in Copenhagen and it will be displayed with all the other lanterns received by 10 December in a Vote Earth exhibit at COP15. You can download the instructions (English only) from the resources section of this website and make your vote count.

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and WWF partnership enables girls and young women to have a voice in the debate on climate change. Through educational programmes and advocacy action, girls and young women are directly influencing decision-makers and their own futures. Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world have always taken leadership roles on important issues and at COP 15 they continue their almost 100 year tradition of caring for the planet

Mary Mc Phail, Chief Executive of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley, says the Earth Hour lanterns will project the silent voice of millions of children across the planet.

“Our children are the ones who have the most at stake from the climate deal in Copenhagen,” says Mr Ridley, “They deserve to have a voice in these discussions and the Earth Hour Lantern Project gives them an opportunity to have a say on the planet they inherit.”

Earth Hour and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts encourages the use of recycled paper for making lanterns and will ensure that all paper lanterns received in Copenhagen will be recycled.

Educational packs

Accompanying the lantern project, Earth Hour has produced fun and creative Vote Earth Education Packs for kids. The education packs, separated into two age categories: 8 to 12 and 12 to 16, were developed by an award-winning education specialist and address the issue of climate change and the Copenhagen summit using youth friendly, informal education techniques.

You can download the packs (English only) from the resources section of the website (8 to 12 years old and 12 to 16 years old). French and Spanish version will be available soon.

Food security and climate change challenge badge

WAGGGS and the FAO have developed a new Food Security and Climate Change Challenge Badge to make young people aware of the issues of environmental protection and food security and inspire them to be an active part of solving the problems.

The Badge curriculum is now available to download from this website.

What can you do

There are heaps of ways you can have your voice heard and your actions count in the climate change debate. So support the WAGGGS delegation at Copenhagen by:

Becoming a member of the WAGGGS group on UniteforClimate, a Unicef youth platform on climate change
Upload a tck on the Time for Climate Justice website – time is running out to get a fair deal at Copenhagen
Check out our Take action against climate change section to find out other ways you can get involved and make a difference
Send out the media release on our environment work to your local media contacts

About Earth Hour’s Vote Earth

Earth Hour’s Vote Earth campaign builds on the call for action on climate change provided by millions of people, companies and communities during Earth Hour. The campaign aims to provide a platform for the people of the world to deliver world leaders a mandate for the right decision to be made at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. Find out more about the campaign at www.earthhour.org Earth Hour’s Vote Earth is organized by WWF.

Your comments

Megha Tiwari - 8 December 2009 - 10.14AM (GMT)

My Best Wishes to all the young delegates Representing WAGGGS at Climate Change Conference, I am Sure They'll Rock!!! :) ..

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