Grassroots.org

Ordinary people can change the world. In fact, ordinary people impact the world in significant ways every day. You and I know these people as Activists, individuals that consistently advocate for a cause and seek to create change. From how nations practice democracy and form new ones, to how Human Rights and peace is spread within communities, Activists engage the masses. Human Rights Activists in particular require a lot of support to affect change, but often do not have safe access to development services outside of conferences. It then becomes necessary for Activists to be able to convene safely to learn and explore with each other. Such a place exists and is building capacity with the help of Grassroots.org; it’s called EOTO World.

EOTO World is an international organization that is dedicated to developing Human Rights Activists toward a world free of poverty and full of peace. The organization is entirely volunteer run and a young spirited start-up that has been blazing their path toward the world that they envision from its founding a little over a year ago. EOTO World seeks to engage Human Rights Activists through their five programs that address the needs of these Activists to convene in safe, convenient spaces to exchange resources, learn potential solutions from each other through critical writings about happenings in the field, identify and practice peace and gain tailored capacity building services to affect poverty.

As a member of Grassroots.org, EOTO World has been able to maximize its impact by using the licenses available to members by using Thrive to keep up their social media pages, and using We-Care.com (http://eotoworld.we-care.com/start) as a convenient way for supporters to give while shopping online for their favorite items. But that’s not all, EOTO World incorporates the volunteer community of Grassroots.org in ways that it works to affect sustainable development practices.

EOTO World’s vast mission includes the promotion of a culture of peace. A culture of peace is identified by the United Nations (UN) as a set of values and behaviors that guide how we can live in harmony with the self, others and the Earth, including using sustainable practices. Although sustainable development is included within a culture of peace, the UN invests in promoting sustainable development further through the Commission on Sustainable Development.

The Commission on Sustainable Development works with what are known as the nine major working groups. EOTO World has a representative from the organization working with others within one of these working groups, called the Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY). The network of MGCY is made of international young people and organisations that care about the future, the sustainability of our planet and represent the voices of children and youth globally in the processes of sustainable development to the UN.

In June of this year, there will be a conference on sustainable development known as Rio+20, where the international community of policy makers, civil society and nation delegates will convene to discuss critical issues affecting the world and propose a process to resolve them. In preparation for Rio+20, the MGCY network is busy working to educate young people globally on the importance of the Conference, and to increase their participation at local and international levels. What is amazing about this wide-spread engagement is that all the work being done by the MGCY are done by and for young people, including children. The MGCY has a goal to reach 1 billion youth, including 5 million without internet access with a toolkit made specifically to teach about sustainability, how young people can impact Rio+20 and continue sustainable development initiatives.

On the road to achieving ambitious goals, the MGCY needed the help of additional volunteers to help prepare some of the items for the toolkit. This is where EOTO World saw the opportunity to network. The organization used its access to great designers through Grassroots.org and wasted no time inquiring about how to obtain a youth designer under the age of 30. That's when Benjamin Cohen matched EOTO World with 24 year old Italian professional designer Dario Calonaci.

Mr. Calonaci accepted the challenge to articulate the 7 critical issues of water, food, energy, disaster, oceans, cities and jobs that will be focused on during the Rio+20 conference into a eye catching graphic that would be appealing to both children and youth under 30. With full artistic freedom to create a friendly, colorful yet professional image, Mr. Calonaci created a graphic that is sure to impress once the MGCY tookit is released!

Bravo Dario! What’s next for EOTO World? The organization's Executive Director, Elischia Fludd, says the organization will continue to use Grassroots.org services for website development and hosting as well as continue to lend energy to the MGCY goals by helping to distribute the toolkit in North America. If you are interested in learning more about the MGCY and its continual push toward sustainable development through policy worldwide, contact Organizing Partner, Kiara Worth at [email protected].

To become involved with EOTO World in engaging youth within the North American region to impact the Rio+20 conference and beyond, contact Elischia Fludd and her team at [email protected].