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Summit in Kobe (Japan)
youth summit for Environment
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Youth Summit for Environment, meeting in Kobe 2008 .
Kobe, an unforgettable meeting.
The world organization iEARN and the Japanese government organized the "Youth Summit of Environment " from 22 to 24 of may in Kobe in the same period with the G8.
At the meeting there were 20 Nations represented by 60 delegates chosen from the iEARN’ s national coordinator of the G8 nations.
Moreover, India, China, Brazil, Mexico and other African and Asian nation were represented.
Every delegation was composed by one boy and one girl between 10 ad 15 years old and a Japanese boy and a girl of the same age.
Paolo Di Antonio and Elisa Pacilli were chosen to represent Italy; They’re both 15 years old and they’re attending the high school " Liceo Scientifico Ghandi" in Narni Scalo.
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The students went to Japan with their teacher Stefania Nullo and with Giuseppe Fortunati an engineer who is the representative of the iEARN Italy.
To be chosen for the important Japanese meeting, the students needed a fluent English, a good knowledge of Internet and they had to participate to some studies about the environment and the Kyoto’s protocol.
The summit had quickly discussions with a lot of meetings in which the students talked to each other divided in groups and with the tutors who stimulated the discussions about the environmental problems.
Every nation presented a poster section in which it had been presented the national situation and the best practices.
This exhibition was visited by thousands of japanese students and teachers who could have known reality and environmental problems of all over the world.
Moreover, in the main theatre there were presentations of every nation with audiovisual supports, presentations and films that helped the students in their explanations.
For Italy the main subjects were:
- Bio-plastic made by Novamont;
- The Narnia – Narni binomial : from Disney tales to the Italian city of Narni;
- the sustainable solar energy with alternative architectures for the installations proposed by Energia Futura;
- the recycling of waste matters, like Linoleum waste, that are recycled by Tarkett.
- A lot of Japanese schools participated to the
summit.
In Kobe's meeting there was a discussion focused on three themes:
- Climatic changes; Biodiversity; The three "R" ( Reduction, Reuse, Recycling ).
The students, divided in small groups, elaborated some messages to send to the Ministers of Environment who were at the meeting;
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at the end the students presented a joint dispatch to all the ministers who were at the convention.
Many television and the press were at the meeting and the Japanese television spoke a lot about the meeting; the Italian students were interviewed many times.
Instead, the youngs Japanese were surprised to discover that Narnia is not only a tale's town but a real city in Italy.
In fact, in these days in Japan the second movie of Narnia " Prince Caspian " is in theatre and is having a great success.
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The reports of Princess of Japan Takamado were especially interesting.
The famous Japanese actress Norika Fujiwara showed how the South Pacific islands are in great risk of flood because of the global warming that is melting the ice in the poles so that the level of the sea is growing up.
Even the coral reefs in Australia are suffering a lot of damages because of the high water temperature.
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During the meeting we had the honor, as Italian representatives, to meet our Minister Prestigiacomo.
The Minister appreciated
both our report about Italy and the printing offered from the city of Narni to her as
gift. 
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Elisa and Paolo met the Princess Takamado too.
The students realized all together some murals for the peace with the Japanese Art Miles Murals organization.
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- At the end of the meeting the students who participated to the " Youth Summit for Environment" decided to found the " Republic of the Youth for the Future" assigning very particular Minister, such as the Minister of the Future Industry, the Minister of the Happy Economy, the Minister of Trains and Bicycles, the Minister of the Blue Sea and the Coral and some other different minister.
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The twenty appointed Ministers elected the President of the " Republic of the Youths for the Future" .
- The Parliament of the Youths for the Environment wrote a final document that they presented to the Ministers who participated to the G8 in Kobe.
The world organization iEARN is a global non profit community that works in internet. More than a million of students and teachers participate every year to a hundred of projects. 20.000 primary and secondary schools and educational organizations work together with schools belonging to more than 110 countries.
iEARN allows students and teachers to share projects that are intended to give a contribution to the health and the well-being of the earth and the people.
With their educational projects, the students are able to develop the necessary abilities for the 21 century. iEARN gave a contribution to realized these educational projects on internet. Moreover, it helped to create contacts and meeting all over the world since 1988. iEARN ( International Education And Resource Network ) is a world network of teachers and students; they believe that : " Connect the young people makes the difference in the world".
The representative iEARN for Italy is Giuseppe Fortunati who, from 2002, made the Italian community grow ; at the moment there are a thousand students followed by hundred of teachers in the community.
thanks to Francesca Treggia
for Traslation