350 Day of Action

IDEA participants take leadership skills beyond debate

This past Saturday, October 24th, was the highly-anticipated 350.org Climate Change Day of Action. With over 5,200 events in 181 countries, and 15,200 pictures submitted to 350.org, the Day of Action was considered a huge success! Participants involved with IDEA also played a significant role in the Day of Action. Students from IDEA’s Bosnia and Herzegovina Youth Leadership Program submitted their own photo to the movement.

Irena Pejic, Belma Sarajlic, Emir Duric, Andrea Tesanovic, Amer Suljendic, Nadja Jahic joined friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of the Day of Action.

The Climate Advocacy Institute, held in July by IDEA, Bloomfield College and 350.org, has encouraged its graduates to stay involved in the 350 movement. Franco in Panama helped raise awareness in local schools and universities by giving presentations. Nadim in Lebanon worked with 350 and IndyAct to involve youth from his region in the Day of Action. Here are some more reports on the involvement of CAI participants in Saturday’s events:

Samer organized a chain of events that took place across Lebanon, through his involvement with Rotaract Clubs in different cities. With his help thirteen clubs, from Beirut to Tripoli Mina, all participated in the Day of Action.

One Rotaract Club that Samer helped, took their 350 photo at the Sea Castle of Saida.

Dani from Kosovo got involved with the Speak Up movement that organized a symbolic event on Saturday, named “Grieving Planet Earth,” in which a globe was placed on the National Theater stairs above the number 350 decorated with flowers. Two national TV news stations reported on the event; and Dani’s own editorial about the event was published the next day in the country’s most popular newspaper, the Koha Ditore.

One TV reporter interviewing a member of Dani's organization "Speak Up"

Bhuwan from Nepal circulated an international petition to a network of organizations and individuals working on the climate change issue. The Nepal petition spoke on behalf of Nepal, one of the ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. It was delivered to the US, China, Japan, India, and EU embassies in Nepal on October 24th.

Vesna and Simona organized an event in Skopje, Macedonia. They invited citizens to put their painted handprints on a 350 banner, which was hung in the capital city’s Skopje square.

Citizen hand-printing Vesna and Simona's 350 banner to be hung in the Skopje square

With the help of IDEA participants, 350.org’s Day of Action sparked international interest to the movement’s mission- to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis, to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

IDEA staffer makes the front page with his 350 involvement

Mite, an IDEA staff member from Macedonia, wrote a photo story about the event that Vesna and Simona organized in Skopje. That story was published on the front page of demotix.com. Read Mite's full photo story here.