The UN recently launched the Seal the Deal campaign, encouraging youth to sign the Climate Challenge Petition. This online, global petition will be presented to world leaders to remind them to sign off on an effective agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December. The petition also calls upon leaders to seal a deal to power green growth, protect our planet and build a more sustainable, prosperous global economy that will benefit all nations and all people. 

There are many ways you can join in the campaign. You can start by signing the petition, of course, and getting your friends to sign too. Then learn about other youth activities coming up this year. Also in the works: Global Climate Week. This event will involve  synchronized actions such as tree planting and media events in 100 cities around the world. During this week, mass rallies will deliver the Climate Challenge Petition to world leaders in selected capital cities.

Let your voice be heard - sign up and spread the word! 

Many of you are probably familiar with the song "Imagine," by John Lennon, in which he sings about his vision for a perfect world. It's one of my mother's favorite songs, so growing up I heard it a lot, but never gave too much thought to the specifics of his message; I just assumed it was generally about love, harmony and world peace: stuff everyone would pretty much agree upon. 

Highlights of the essay by Kwasi Gyeabour (Ghana) who is one of the eight finalists of The World Bank Essay Competition 2009.

"He acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions."
                                                                                                       - Confucius

Kwasi, along with his friends, wants to establish a Green Mutual Fund for initiating “green” enterprises. Apart from professionals, this fund will appeal to the general public to invest in, as it serves the dual purpose of avoiding “natural” calamities by protecting the environment, and of having a return on the investment. With this fund, Kwasi wants to pioneer such enterprises in his country.

We asked for your views on the financial crisis; how you're seeing it impact your countries and how it's changing people's everyday lives around you.
We got answers from all over, and want to say thank you to all those who responded. From Chile to Nigeria, we got a really broad range of insights, and it was interesting to get your views and experiences. Some said their countries were feeling a tremendous impact; for others, only in certain sectors.

In any case, the global economic situation is certainly affecting everyone. Sharing ideas, discussing the issues, and understanding them, is one place to start tackling it. As Cécile from France writes, "new information and communication technologies, especially the Internet, allow each individual to become an international cooperation actor."

Take a look at what you said.