Youth Sustainability Leadership and

the Earth Charter

“Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management.” James MacGregor Burns

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible, and achieve it,

generation after generation.” Pearl S. Buck

Compiled by Jaana Laitinen, Earth Charter International Youth Facilitator

Youth Leadership

Youth • According to UN young people, youth, are between 15-24 years

of age • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth • In some regions youth includes people into the early thirties

• The youth cannot be considered as a homogeneous group; the term youth includes social groups with different and unique needs

• young women and men with disabilities, youth living with HIV/AIDS, indigenous youth, demobilized young soldiers, young migrant workers, other socially disadvantaged young people…

• The need to expand opportunities for youth participation has become even more urgent because today’s generation of young people is the largest in history; • nearly half of the population or three billion people are under the

age of 25, with most youth nearly 1,3 billion living in developing countries (UN 2005) where the demand for natural resources, including water far exceeds the supply

• As the world becomes more urbanized, more people, including younger people are expected to be living in urban areas in the coming years where their exposure to nature may become limited

• Education enables youth to become pragmatic leaders and stewards with appreciation and deep knowledge of their environment

Youth …• …have an outstanding opportunity to bring transformative changes

into societies around the world

• …are at the forefront promoting sustainable development values such as human rights and social justice

• …are best positioned to offer a new way of thinking and a fresh conceptualization– whether it is their commitment to greening of our colleges and universities,

participation in political mobilization for change, or different action involving peer education, young people are already at the forefront of change

• In large numbers never seen before, youth are organizing and mobilizing themselves into actions

• Most are doing this out of personal motivation since they are not being drafted or conscripted into institutions and structures that force them to be actors in any kind of social change

_

New opportunities to make a difference• Present young people have a unique greater opportunity to

influence the world like never before -• Modern tools and communications technologies are facilitating

sprawling global communities and networks, mostly internet based, spurring collaboration and learning around important issues prominent on the world stage but inspired by local pragmatism

• These recent advances in technology (internet, cellular phone technology and expansion of the global media) has expanded educational opportunities and these advances have significantly contributed to networking, collaboration, and shared learning among young people in different parts of the world– Youth have access to a range of circles and opportunities through youth

networks, mentorship networks, partnership network and networks of influence

• Networking power of ICTs has opened up new potential for people to create sustained movements for social change and educate and promote sustainable development

-• The internet has empowered youth in an unprecedented way, enabling them

to access information and mobilize across political and cultural boundaries

• When properly constructed and nurtured, the online services that facilitate these networks can lead to shared envisioning and the co-creation of ideas and action plans:

– Young people learn from each other about environmental issues, about technology and most notably building their own capacity to turn new knowledge skills and networks into tangible action

Sustainable world without participation is unthinkable

• Deep sustainability requires deep participation, while a shallow democracy will lead to shallow sustainability– Shallow = superficial, obligatory, detached, false, cosmetic – Deep = real, intrinsic, involved, genuine, meaningful

• There is still lot to do to fully incorporate youth and coming generations into a world in transition towards sustainability -– How do we truly include young people as participants in addressing

contemporary and future global challenges? – Any group in a society that is not given the option and opportunity to participate

in generating solutions remains a part of the problem

• Participation is a key element of any change or development process. Inclusion gives people and important sense of self and a connection to the world they live in

• inclusive participation is a core human value (incl. Earth Charter, principle 13)

– Happiest families, most successful corporations and organizations, healthiest communities and nations -> all give their people possibility to truly participate, be involved

• Educating the youth about the sustainability and giving them opportunities to discuss and act on sustainability issues and development options maybe one of the most effective ways of ensuring sustainable growth

• While youth can learn much from adult, they tend to absorb information more enthusiastically from their peers– Dynamic and creative learning opportunities designed and led by youth tend to be

more effective

Partnership• In best case, youth and adults engage in a dialogue and jointly

determine where to go next and for what purpose • This means that adults don’t drive the process, either covertly or overtly, but co-

create the process with young people as valuable contributors to the creation of a more sustainable world, having their own ideas, perspective and experiences

• As tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers, youth will be ones that will be living and dealing with the impacts of choices made by previous generations and who have to chart the course for more sustainable way of living. In this systems thinking will help!

• Because youth tend to be early adopters of new technologies, they are increasingly in positions of authority offering support, exercise, educations, and training to older generations

“Our common future depends on our actions today, not tomorrow or sometime in the future”

UNEP 2007

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves;

otherwise, we harden.”

Goethe

Sustainability Leadership

• What are the problems of today’s world? -• the problems of today’s world are more complex than ever → highly

interconnected and interdependent – climate change, vast exploitation of natural resources, population growth, growing gap

between rich and poor, social inequity…

• no longer are the models of traditional leadership adequate for the shared and interconnected challenges that affect our increasingly global community

• Changes are needed in our individual and social behavior, and in our use and management of the environment

(Future) leaders need a new and innovative interdisciplinary approach – a need to train the next generation of sustainability leaders

• sustainability leaders recognize that sustainable development is essential because it “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

Traditional leadership model• traditional leadership is centered on a small, elite group or one strong

leader and often relies heavily upon personal charisma – perceived as a “wise one” who “knows the way”

• the power is centralized, decisions are made by the experienced ones– people who do not have a great deal of power or formal experience are most often

left out of the decision making process

• can be effective, but it is usually effective for short-term goals

• once the strong, charismatic leader is gone, their vision and system is often collapses

• conservative → is not willing to initiate the transition and changes that are necessary today

• people who do not feel involved in the process often to lose their passion and motivation in working for their leaders’ agenda

Fundamental leadership skills

• providing inspiration, motivation, direction and building agreements with diverse parties through insight

• leaders need to be able to bring together different individuals – building and fostering the cooperation of likeminded people is extremely

important

• gaining assistance and cooperation requires the leader to have excellent communication skills

Looking to the future with

sustainability leadership

• to deal with our collective problems we need to use style of leadership that will help us collectively embrace fundamental changes in our underlying values and ethics that affect our societies, communities and ways of living

• traditional leadership values will not be sufficient to facilitate the transition to sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles– sustainability leadership is focused on long-term, substantive changes toward

sustainability and promoting the common good– values are inherently dedicated to promoting the development of a just,

sustainable future

• leadership by values and leadership by teams and networks of committed individuals

• we need to accept responsibility for the world we are living

• requires an in-depth understanding of the interconnected and interdependent nature of the components which comprise our systems– our leaders, therefore, need to be proficient in systemic thinking-

• The sustainability approach to leadership requires special competencies compared to traditional leadership;

– knowledge about the challenges of globalization– capacity for innovation– dialogue and communication skills– systems thinking– global mindset– peer networking ability– strong capacities in Information and Communication

technologies (ICTs)

Teamwork and collaborative leadership

• emphasis on teamwork and cooperation instead of following the instruction of a single, powerful leader– leadership as a team endeavour, rather than an individual pursuit– gives people a deep sense of ownership

• no individual, community, society or nation can effectively address the environmental, economic, and social problems it faces by acting alone– when working for the common good it is essential that we involve as many people

as possible

• the necessity of building strong teams → excellent team management skills; must be able to engage diverse groups of people, work across sectors and cultures, resolve conflicts and promote effective and constructive communication and exchange of ideas– peer-networking, supporting relationships and building partnerships

“Affirm that with increased freedom, knowledge, and power comes increased

responsibility to promote the common good”

Principle 2.b. of the Earth Charter

Ethics as the foundation for responsible leadership

• ethics and moral values greatly influence the development of our relationships and mindsets, but many do not realize that these beliefs are inextricably linked with sustainable development– the interaction of people with their environment and their political and economic

affairs are strongly influenced by their diverse moral values, cultural heritage and religious traditions

• addressing all of interconnected issues requires a shift in mindset, and this transition requires the inclusion of a new set of ethics

• sustainability leaders realize the integral role played by ethics in motivating people to care for the world around them

• the importance of values seems to be a distinguishing factor that separated professionals in sustainability work and those working in other fields

• training young professionals is no longer solely about deepening their understanding of sustainability issues – the actual essence is on strengthening values (and specific skills)

Ethics?

• Origin in the Greek word “ethos”, which means the behavior of a group

• It is formed by a set of principles that directs the attitudes of this group / society towards the communal property of this community system

• Principles are generated by values – They offer norms and guidelines for conduct and relate to

reasoning and decisions

• Values are related to the importance of something. They are subjective and are the first point that motivates an individual to make decisions

• what is right and wrong

• Ethical issues have to do with the actions that everyone, or at least most reasonable people, agree to be moral

• People inherit ethical values from their family and culture

Ethics and sustainability

• How ought we to live with/in the Earth?

• We are facing ethical dilemmas regarding the damages we are causing to the environment and the current inequities

• Approaches to sustainability ethics call for a global / universal responsibility – toward the natural world and to attain global justice

-

Universal Responsibility

• People and countries have a responsibility for what happens elsewhere in the world – such as extreme poverty, violation of human rights, wars etc – each and every person is equally responsible to the whole Earth community

• Fundamental importance in meeting the critical challenges– should not be delegated to any organization or group alone

• Civil society has a critical role to play in the transition to sustainable development:– The new global civil society has become a third force along with government

and business on the world stage• It can use its soft power together with its political power and its purchasing

power in the market place to move the world toward constructive change• However, this will not happen without a unifying ethical vision and a new

commitment to education for sustainable development

Motivational Ethics • Human behavior is deeply rooted in the human, cultural, spiritual,

social and ethical values which are the fundamental sources of motivation of the behavior of people and nations

• Ethic can motivate people to act in new ways – even against conventional assumptions, including the

determination not just to do what is right but also to promote what is right

• Motivational ethics need to be both emotionally and intellectually engaging

-

Global ethics

• A global ethic is an ethic which is about universal values and norms and which includes a principle of global responsibility

• In this interconnected world / global society global ethical consciousness is urgently needed to build a just, sustainable, and peaceful world community and to protect the integrity of Earth’s ecological systems

• We need something that combines concerns for human well-being with concerns for the environment

• So an ethic needs both to contain realizable requirements here and now, and, combined with these, ideals towards which we can strive

Earth Charter: An ethical blueprint for leaders

• the need to change our value systems to make transition to sustainable lifestyles is addressed by the Earth Charter

• it provides an ethical framework described as “a declaration of global interdependence and universal responsibility”

• the overall goal is to stimulate inner reflection of our own beliefs, values and priorities; it challenges us to examine our values and choose a better way

• the Earth Charter was written to fulfill the crucial necessity of a “shared vision of basic values to provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community”

• It is important to recognize that the Earth Charter contains general ethical principles as distinct from rules – Rules tell one exactly what to do in a specific situation – General principles tell us what to think about when we are deciding

what to do– We also live in a complex world and there will be at times conflict

between different ethical principles • There is frequently a tension between individual freedom and

securing justice for all• There can be tension between the needs of present generations

and the needs of future generations • Also between the short-term interests of people and the long-term

health of ecosystems

What Earth Charter can offer

• A global citizen who is in search of reasonable global ethic can find it in the Earth Charter– a concrete expression of a global ethic which otherwise might seem too abstract and

undefined

• Through the Earth Charter can be also found a genuine and real community of like-minded people across the world united in its inspirational power -> common ground although we are diverse

• It is not just an idea in the mind of the global citizen but actually shared by agents from all over the world -> It unifies us in our work for change

• The Earth Charter provides one approach for educating and motivating people and governments to act with the necessary sense of universal responsibility– stresses both the inner motivational resources of individuals and the external social

structures and institutions

Conclusions

• emphasizing the common good and promoting sustainable lifestyles will be facilitated by the effort of dedicated leaders

• in addition that these leaders will need to be able to be proficient in systemic thinking, initiate teamwork and have the capacity for innovation, they have to embody a lifestyle founded on a set of ethics that focuses on the importance of shared responsibility and the common good

• the Earth Charter provides us with a universal code of conduct to guide people toward sustainable development

• the Earth Charter is an instrument that can help leaders facilitate our progress to sustainable and responsible ways of living

Strength does not come from physical capacity.

It comes from an indomitable will.

Mahatma Gandhi

“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.”

— PreambleThe Earth Charter 2000

Young People, education and sustainable development Exploring principles, perspectives and praxisEdited by P.B. CorcoranP.M. Osano

Rethinking Leadership The role of the Earth Charter in fostering ethical leaders for the futureMikko Erpestad

Background reading: Earth Charter Virtual Library, http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/

The Earth Charter in Action Toward a Sustainable World

Mirian Vilela and Peter Blaze Corcoran History and Provenance of the Earth Charter Building Consensus on Shared Values

Parvez HassanA thematic essay on the historical context and significance of the Earth CharterEarth Charter: An Ethical Lodestar and Moral Force

Abelardo BrenesA thematic essay on responsibility to the whole Earth community and to promote the common goodUniversal and Differentiated Responsibility

Nigel Dower A thematic essay on global interdependence and universal responsibilityThe Earth Charter and Global Citizenship: A Way Forward

Steven C. RockefellerInterdependence and Global Ethics

Steven C. RockefellerThe Earth Charter: An Ethical Foundation

Steven C. RockefellerGlobal ethics, international law, and the Earth Charter

McGrady, Andrew G. , Regan, EthnaEthics in a global world: the Earth Charter and religious education

Nigel DowerThe Earth Charter and Global Ethics

Nigel DowerThe Earth Charter as a Global Ethic

David ChalmersProtecting Life from Climate ChangeThe need for synergies between policy, ethics, and education

Alan AtKissonGlobal Warming is an Ethical Issue

Ibrahima SeckWinning the Struggle Against Global Warming