You’ve got great ideas

* FLS Bulgaria wants to install a household-level energy tracker in every home.
* Mircea Eliade Lyceum in Moldova proposed transforming transportation in their city from cars to bikes.
* Riverstone International described plans for a virtual student climate conference.

You’re debating the issues

Hobby High School in Mongolia researched both sides of the nuclear power issue: they met with scientists in the nuclear power industry as well as environmental NGOs.

You’re inspiring us…

Villa Maria Academy created a school curriculum to be taught by 11th and 12th grade students to younger children.  Why did they start with their own school?  “Someone has to start this.  We can’t keep waiting for others to do it for us.”

…and you’re inspiring each other!

Students from Colegio Los Alamos in Peru worked with a local NGO to plant 350 trees on a rural mountainside.  They wrote: “The ones from Peru who were in the summit last July were surprised by what the students from Los Angeles and South Africa had done, and it kind of inspired us into doing a big project.”

Out of all of the great plans the UN Foundation received, IDEA chose these four schools to receive prizes:

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
Solvista Secondary School, South Africa
Alief Kerr High School, Texas, U.S.

RUNNER-UP
Orh Avner, Ukraine

ORIGINALITY PRIZE
Villa Maria Academy, Chile

Congratulations!

You’ve submitted great plans…now take the next step!  You can earn points for all sorts of activities aimed to put your plan in action:
•    Letters to the editor
•    Letters to politicians
•    Video public service announcements
•    Environmental service projects

But hurry!  December 31st is the deadline for Fall Global Debates activities.

Compete to win a trip to the 2009 UN Foundation Youth Leadership Summit in New York City!

Don’t forget: if you want to be considered for some great prizes from IDEA, October 31st is the last day to submit your Climate Change Action Plan.

Not sure what to focus on?

Have some ideas but lack the evidence you need?

Check out the great resources on Debatepedia’s Climate Change Portal.

Submit your plan by October 31st and your team could win great prizes…from free debate training to iPod shuffles!

Click here for details about this exciting contest.

For more information about the Global Debates visit The People Speak.

Need another reason to work on your Climate Change Action Plan? How about some great prizes for you and your school?

IDEA will award two grand prizes, with one prize reserved for a non-U.S. school. The TWO GRAND PRIZE winning teams will get to choose one of the two great team prizes:

1. A one-day workshop for your team or class with an IDEA expert

-OR-

2. Tournament fee waivers, room & board for the IDEA International Tournament of Champions (Salem, Oregon, U.S.; May 21st-23rd, 2009)

Each of the four team members on both GRAND PRIZE winning teams will also receive:

• An iPod shuffle!
• An IDEA prize package (IDEA Debatabase book, tote bag, timer, and other goodies; teachers get prize packages, too!)
• Official IDEA award certificate

RUNNER UP

One runner up will receive:

• A $150 Idebate Press voucher for your team, class, or school
• 6 IDEA prize packages, one for each student and 2 teachers (IDEA Debatabase book, tote bag, timer, and other goodies)
• Official IDEA award certificates

PRIZE for ORIGINALITY

IDEA will single out one plan that demonstrates exceptional creativity. The team that creates the most original Climate Change Action Plan will receive:

• A $150 Idebate Press voucher for your team, class, or school
• 6 IDEA prize packages, one for each student and 2 teachers (IDEA Debatabase book, tote bag, timer, and other goodies)
• Official IDEA award certificates

SUBMIT your ACTION PLAN by OCTOBER 31st

When you submit your Climate Change Action Plan online by October 31st, you’ll be automatically entered into a competition for the best plans.  The International Debate Education Association (IDEA) will evaluate plans on the following criteria, all of which are equally important:

• Focus (Your plan should propose a clearly defined problem, actor, and action.)
• Quality of Research (Excellent plans will demonstrate that you understand both climate change in general and your topic in particular.)
• Strength of Argument (Strong plans will use sound reasoning and research to show how the actions you propose will result in important benefits & advantages.)
• Originality

The most thought-provoking plans emerge from original analysis and creative thinking.  Your plan is your chance to speak up – don’t be afraid to take risks!

Winners will be announced on December 5th.All winning Climate Change Action Plans will be featured in the next issue of Idebate Magazine and posted online.