Transcript The Earth Charter: A Holistic Vision for a Just

The Earth Charter
Values and Principles
for a Just, Sustainable, and Peaceful Global Society
in the 21st Century
e-GLO, Earth Charter Global Learning Opportunity,
is a semester-long, is an online leadership course inspired by the
Earth Charter.
e-GLO 2 is called
‘Earth Charter Guiding Leaders Towards Sustainability Action’.
Sep 2009 – Jan 2010
8th sessions
Every second Saturday
3-hour-long sessions
“Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management.”
James MacGregor Burns
E ARTH C HARTE R I NTE R NATI O NAL
e-GLO 2
Participants’ Testimonials
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Wajahat Nassar, Pakistan
e-ELO 2 has been the best
participation I have had
online. A real international
arena where one has the
opportunity to learn from their
colleagues and at the same
time from the guests and
facilitators.
The sessions really opened up
the box and allowed us to
think on how to apply the
Earth Charter to our local
communities and create a
better world.
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Ndenge Godden Zama, Cameroon
e-GLO 2 has been a learning experience of multiple benefits. I
didn’t know what to expect when I was selected but now I
benefited more than I could ever dream of.
The simple experience of having to be with people from all over
the world in an electronic interface is actually exhilarating.
The lessons were superb and the presentations were
excellent. The intercultural exchange was very good and in a
way we were able to share and learn from colleagues the world
over.
Youth leadership is one of the biggest challenges for me, for
Africa and the world at large. e-GLO 2 was a perfect platform for
me to be inspired to do more. I was able to observe the
similarities in the daily struggles and challenges of youth leaders
around the world and how we could do more if we come
together.
e-GLO is now a part of my life and the other participants now my
colleagues and friends. I hope to be able to make use of this
network to make lasting change in my community and sphere of
influence in the years to come.
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Wessam El-Baz, Egypt
In e-GLO2, I didn't just learn through the tutors/lecturers who gave us a great
information to assist us in planning the project, but I learnt too through my mates
who have several achievements, ideas, initiatives, and motives that
enhanced your knowledge and push you forward. Through out the lecture,
there was a kind of certain power and belief about having a sustainable society,
such thing has been born through belief of every one of us in having a better
world.
By the end of the e-GLO 2 I was able to develop my own project and make use
of the lectures, my mates comments and experiences in making it a more feasible
and successful. Finally, I want to say the e-GLO 2 was one of my best experiences
in my life where I met the best leaders in the world.
I will miss your [participants’] enthusiasm, your belief in having a sustainable
world and I hope this belief could sustain in our hearts as long as we live. I'm
proud that I was one of the participant of this course and I hope we could work all
of us one day together in on an international project or an event.
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Vinícius Almeida, Brazil
e-GLO 2 is a great connection experience. -- I believe this is not the end. It is the
starting point to a greater, new, healthier
and greener attitude. The world needs this
and e-GLO 2 proves that the world is
already doing this. Congrats to all of us. We
did it: After 5 months, planning, observing
and sharing, we are ready to keep the
beat and we are sure not to be alone.
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SHOPEJU, Zaid, Nigeria
e-GLO 2 help me resuscitate my innate and dormant sustainable leadership
skills. Through the programme I became self-aware, had sense of purpose,
clarity of vision and find it much easier to work with others in achieving goals
that are beneficial to all. I was inspired to create a fully functional youth
initiative that is geared towards finding lasting solutions to the
problems of my community with sustainability the hallmark of all our
programmes and projects.
I believe e-GLO will be in the nearest future the main hub of sustainable
young leaders that will bring about invariable development to their
immediate communities and the world in general.
I had several instances where the presentation struck a cord in me. During
the Learning from Successful Project presented by Jaana, I feel
automatically connected with the presentation because it addresses a lot of
questions and issues I do not have answers to prior to the programme about
sustainability. Also, while reading Professor Jurgen’s presentation slides my
eyes was open to the simplicity of proposal writing for funds. Additionally, it
was an eye-opener experience listening to Dominic present the visioning
process. Least I forget, Mike’s freestyle rap was simply creative and makes
me look forward to each and every sessions.
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Putri Ayusha, Indonesia
My experience with e-GLO is
my first great connection
experience to the world. It's so
sad when realize that it's going to
the final moment. Meeting and
sharing with the people on the
one vision, get inspired together
by Earth Charter, and having one
goal for the peace and
sustainable world are also the
unforgettable experience. This
finale session is not the end,
but this is the start of stepping
together to make a better
future for our world.
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Murtala Adogi Mohammed, Nigeria
Participating in e-GLO was an exciting
experience for me because I met
committed and hardworking youth from
more than 25 countries with common
goals and vision of having a sustainable
future and development. The memory
of e-GLO will remain in me for a long
time because is one of the most
inspiring and motivating programs
that connect our faces and voices
towards addressing a common global
challenges. I strongly believe the
knowledge, skills and experience we
acquired during this program, will
continue to deepen our sharing and
learning towards making a positive
impact in our respective communities.
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Jessica White, Astria / UK
e-GLO 2 provided me with the opportunity to connect with participants on
a global scale and link into their local projects. I was able to understand
more fully their difficulties, aspirations, hopes and how to overcome those
challenges.
The collective energy of the group was outstanding, it really enabled
me to keep motivated when my energies were low. I enjoyed the
interactivity of it all, being able to try out different exercises that fueled
the imagination. There were real solutions that were being posed to our
different obstacles and I felt a sense of community that I hadn't felt in
a while, especially when one has to bear the solitude of leadership on
some decisions at least. I felt that I had a whole new perspective to my
projects, that enriched it greatly. Working with arts projects, you have to
often sift through to get to real value and being able to have input from eGLO and Earth charter, then I was able to really take it to a whole new
level by enriching the content with Earth Charter's aims.
I have enjoyed meeting new friends and colleagues and receiving
valuable input that assisted me in receiving funding for my current
project. I would hope there are more initiatives like this and I am
looking forward to an ongoing dialogue with all these participants.
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Alusine Alex Kemokai, Sierra Leone
My experience with e-GLO was a
fascinating one, it was a means of
exposure and building on my capacity
on key developmental issues.
I have learnt a lot about sustainable
development, ways of making
differences in my own community, I
developed the notion of being the
change I want to see. I now know what
really project writing is and how to
outsource possible sources of funding.
In a nutshell I met a lot of mentors and
people that have inspired me and to say
it all I have been exposed to a new
technology of video conferencing.
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Atabek Anarbaev, Kyrgyztan
Before august 2009 I didn’t hear about the EC anything. On local website I saw announcement
‘Calls for e-GLO 2”.
I read the EC declaration and decided to apply for e-GLO 2 and learn more about the Earth Charter,
about sustainability, find like-minded persons and share our experience and bring the Earth Charter
to Kyrgyzstan. I knew that in Kyrgyzstan we didn’t have any representatives of the EC and I thought:
“Maybe it’s my turn now to bring the EC to my country, to form our own active group, who will work
with the EC and I will bring the new way of sustainable action.”
e-GLO 2 participants inspired me by their activities towards sustainability all around the world.
Presentations by e-GLO participants were informative and I wondered how youth from other
countries act and implement their projects. Commentaries by our participants and our inspirers,
ideas and our joint homework brought me new experience and new ideas. Now I think wider and my
vision of our sustainable world has changed. That’s why I decided to talk about e-GLO and the EC
with my colleagues. Fundamental values and principles of the Earth Charter are very close to us.
They supported me and were interested in our future cooperation. We want to support mission of
the Earth Charter and help in its realization completely. We want to be a part of the Earth Charter
Initiative and apply its values and principles in our country. We believe the Earth Charter activities in
Kyrgyzstan will bring positive impact on our society.
As a participant of e-GLO I reaffirmed that in globalization we have to cooperate and act together:
learn from each other activity, support each other in our beginnings and share with our experience.
We live in a great time when we can get good results by using our new technologies in different
areas of science but at the same time we live in “a fragile world” and in disorder. For putting it in
order we need a force. The force which will come from us. The first center of Origin of this force is
the earth charter global learning opportunity.
One man can't win a war. To implement our intentions, purposes we need a team where will be
people who hold the same views as we do. And we’re the Earth Charter Initiative must be driving
force to others.
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Amazu Damian Chukwurah Vincent,
Nigeria
My Family,
Finally it has ended but I kept wondering when I would meet
this wonderful and great people cum family again. Earth
Charter can only grow if we can implement all we have
learnt into service.
Dear family, let’s work it out and Earth Charter community will
become our pride. Dreaming of a new era, the growth of
Earth Charter, and how can we actualize that, only with
"empathy" and mutual service. Let’s keep the ball rolling, and
moreover, try to score even when the goal post is tiny with 4
goal keepers, I believe there must be a little space, utilize that
space and become victorious. See you soon, in the next eGLO learning session. Take care.
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Efret Rodriguez, Colombia
I am writing this from the heart of Colombia, feeling very nostalgic, as the
final session of e-GLO 2 is now getting closer. During those moments I
have shared with you I have truly learnt, how important it is to
respect the life in its all forms, and how essential it is to live in a
harmony with all the creatures on our beautiful Planet Earth.
Since me and my fellow e-GLO 2 participants adopted the principles
of the Earth Charter, the work we are doing in our communities has
improved enormously. Seeing the results, we are very satisfied and
happy with our projects.
I can honestly say that for me e-GLO 2 has been the best learning
and sharing experience ever. I have learnt so much about different
cultures and during my participation I have noticed, that regardless of the
distance and some communication difficulties, nothing is impossible.
We can always become better and learn every day something new from
each other. We should respect life and each other to be able to live in
peace and harmony on this Planet that is our common home.
Thank you for your time and for your wisdom. I hope to hear from all of
you in the near future!
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“We stand
at a critical moment in
Earth's history, a time when humanity
must choose its future. As the world becomes
increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future
at once holds great peril and great promise. To move
forward we must recognize that in the midst of a
magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are
one human family and one Earth community with a
common destiny. We must join together to bring forth
a sustainable global society founded on respect for
nature, universal human rights, economic justice,
and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is
imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare
our responsibility to one another, to the greater
community of life, and to
future generations.”
—
Preamble
The Earth Charter
2000
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