In February, I was fortunate enough to attend the Amnesty International and Sierra Club Youth Summit on Globalization. I really did not know what to expect. My knowledge of globalization was limited and I did not fully understand the connection between economics, human rights, and the environment. My interest in attending the Summit was two-fold. I hoped to leave the Summit both educated about the issues, while also gaining knowledge about what I could do to combat world-wide human rights violations and environmental destruction. However, I gained a lot more than expected. The Youth Summit was an educational experience, but more importantly an inspirational experience.

It was inspirational to hear Owens Wiwa speak about the efforts of his brother, Ken-Saro Wiwa, to combat the oppression of the Ogoni people by the Royal Dutch Shell oil company, and to hear the stories of attempts to defeat the World Bank project in China. It empowered me to learn about what other people are doing to bring about change in the world, and how they have risked their own lives to take a stand against the greed of corporations.

Youth Summit partcipants brainstorm campaign strategies

For me, to learn about the stories of other activists and how globalization can lead to human rights violations is not enough. I needed to learn what I can do. From day one at the Summit, we were empowered to not just listen and follow, but rather to speak and to lead.

Some of the most powerful words that I heard at the conference came from Camilla Feibelman (Director of the Sierra Student Coalition). She called on everyone in the room, whether human rights or environmental activist, to unite and take action. Throughout the conference, workshops and discussion groups helped us plan out ways to take action. We weren't just attending a lecture series, but rather were active participants leading the workshops. The ideas of all of the youth were being pulled together to address concerns around corporate globalization. We, high-school students and college students, represent the next generation of activists to take a stand against human rights violations and the destruction of the environment. I truly believe that everyone will take the passion generated at the Summit back to their schools, to their campuses, to their communities, to the whole world.

I gained from the Youth Summit inspiration to become more active at Gettysburg College. As the President of Amnesty International, I immediately opened up communication between our group and the environmental group on campus. Our efforts to be involved in the Defending the Defenders Campaign have included numerous campus-wide letter writing campaigns and also educational programs. In conjunction with Earth Day, Owens Wiwa spoke at our campus. We also had a letter writing campaign throughout the week and educational displays on important environmental activists around the world at our annual Spring Fest. The environmental group on campus, GECO set up a small rainforest made of cardboard and paper. Within the rainforest maze was the story of Ken-Saro Wiwa, his words and his experiences. We also performed a short political skit. This is just the beginning. There is much more that we can and will do. The process of combating the ramifications of globalization is unending. We can honestly say that from the Summit we did not just learn about the Defending the Defenders Campaign, but became an active part of it.