One highlight from our trip to NYC...
On the first night of our journalistic experience in New York City (Sept 19), we were invited to attend a dinner in the Hard Rock Cafe, where the gathering youth who focused their projects on effectuating the Millenium Development Goals through different online platforms.
Certainly, as every selected winner went to the podium and talked about their own ideas and selected projects, I felt so inspired and I believed that youth can create change in very innovative ways. In this article I would like to talk about some of the web pages developed in different countries that won this competition. I am 100% they deserve to have a place as the World Summit Youth Award Top Projects in 2010.
Some of the winners at the Hard Rock Cafe. 19 September 2010.
Talking about their project in front of an audience. 19 September 2010.
Natalia Corobco presenting her project. 19 September 2010.
BULGARIA: Nahrani.com
Fight Poverty Hunger and Disease
(English version http://english.nahrani.com/ )
This website is mainly a social project that focuses on improving people’s vocabulary and providing food to people who need it, by playing for free in the web.
Through correct answers, advertisers make donations to different Bulgarian institutions who support people in need of food.
INDIA: Youth Ki Awaaz
Education for all
In other words: “mouthpiece of the youth”. This platform supports online journalism made by youth in India. This website has around 1000 visitors per day and incorporates 400 writers from all over the country.
Raising the voice of youth and the issues they want to talk about is their main goal.
AZERBAIJAN: Women’s Forum
Power to women
This website gives women in Azerbaijan a chance to talk about several issues they might not be able to do at home, or with people that surround them in their communities.
As Natalia (the project developer) mentioned at the conference, some writers are paid and this can be a good incentive so they keep on writing about subjects important to raise awareness and continue the development in this country.
MALAYSIA: Colour me campaign
Create your Culture
http://www.colourmegreencampaign.com/
One great campaign that runs across Malaysia in order to promote environmental awareness and support students who want to take action around their schools and communities.
Students get a couple of tasks to complete as a part of the campaign, which include executing environmental programs and creating their own “green blog”.
MEXICO: JOIN – Informed Youngsters
Pursue Truth
An alternative way of communicating in Mexico, this project was born in 2007, as a need from youth in this country to get information from non-traditional sources.
Getting rid of youth apathy is another goal of this project, as leadership and the power of change are some of the issues this publication gets to their readers.
If you would like to learn more about these projects, or read about the other winners: http://www.youthaward.org/
And of course the journalists 
Lara, Luan and me outside the Hard Rock Cafe.
19 September 2010.
All the pictures in this post were taken by Andrea Arzaba
Indeed, Andrea, these were great projects. The whole event has really shown how much it is possible to accomplish through Internet, in very different settings, and for very different purposes
Thank you Larisa! Indeed, internet as a necessary tool for change!
I didn’t know these projects. Thanks for post.
You should explore all of these webpages! You will be amazed by the creativity and empowerment they create among youth
Yes, I will.
one of the most important things is that we must begin to live the present, many people are still criticizing and building an ancient society, we must begin to see the features and especially to see things as they are today, the world evolves , times change and the tools are not the same.
we must seek and meet the needs of today, and many of them are technology.
Youth is always a key to success.