GENEVA (June, 2009) - The British Council’s Global Changemakers will bring four teenage climate activists from South Africa, India, Canada and Myanmar to the second Global Humanitarian Forum. They will share their experiences of the impact of climate change on their communities and what they are doing personally to tackle it with Heads of State and CEOs of international corporations.

Global Changemakers are a select group of youth who have demonstrated a significant track record of achievement in their local communities through social entrepreneurship, community activism, and voluntary work. These youth are part of a global network whose purpose it is to share knowledge, ideas and best practices, and work individually and jointly on projects that have direct impact on the lives of those in their local communities.

The four Global Changemakers attending the GHF have developed projects of their own to combat climate change at grassroots level and will be voicing the actions and initiatives of the young generation.

Linn (18) from Myanmar is working on a tree-planting project in Myanmar; Happy (19), an environmental activist from Johannesburg, is creating a network of primary school learners to inspire awareness that individuals can make a difference; Lavanya (17) leads an environmental movement in Delhi and works with slum children there; Lauren (18) founded a schools environmental programme in Vancouver.

Chaired by Kofi Annan, the Global Humanitarian Forum will hold its second meeting from Tuesday 23 to Wednesday 24 June 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Over 400 high-level international participants from wide-raging sectors, including Heads of State and government, ministers, and heads of major corporations, and development and humanitarian organisations will gather in the humanitarian capital, Geneva, for the event.

For further information, please contact Katherine Hermans on +41315603781 or e-mail katherine.hermans@britishcouncil.org

www.global-changemakers.net

Notes to Editors:

The British Council

• The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
• We operate in 233 towns and cities in 109 countries and territories worldwide.
• We build relationships and understanding between people in the UK and other countries and increase appreciation of the UK’s ideas and achievements overseas.
• The areas we focus on are creativity, education and civil society.
• We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government.