Teenagers Launch "Inconvenient Youth" Network to Fight Global Warming

Business Wire, August 15, 2008

Stanford Workshop Trains 80; Social Network Goes Live

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Inconvenient Youth, a new non-profit, non-partisan network for and by teens has started recruiting and training young people to fight global warming. Today the group launched with a three-day workshop on climate change at Stanford University attended by youth from around the world.

The inaugural training will run from August 15-17 and is based on the acclaimed "An Inconvenient Truth" presentation by former Vice President Al Gore. Eighty students from as far away as New York and Japan are learning how to educate others about global warming and what they can do to fight it. Sessions include environmental science backgrounders, breakout discussions, brainstorming and plenary meetings. Keynote presentations will be delivered by Mary Doerr, founder and executive director, Inconvenient Youth; Steve Shenbaum, president, GameOn Media; Adam Metz, president, Metz Networks; and Raj Shukla, project coordinator, The Climate Project.

Inconvenient Youth is a non-profit network founded and driven by a team of four teenagers based in Menlo Park, California. Their goal is to mobilize young people to educate their communities about environmental science and solutions using a youth-focused version of "An Inconvenient Truth." The network is working to build enough momentum to make a real impact in solving global warming. Among the actions recommended by the group are grass-roots campaigns, forming campus climate clubs, and video recording sessions with city council and congressional members.

"The world's youth have a huge personal stake in global warming," said Inconvenient Youth founder Mary Doerr, a high school senior. "After all, it is our future that hangs in the balance. The Inconvenient Youth network will give a voice to the many youth around the world who want to make difference now."

Miles Alkire, director of operations for Inconvenient Youth and a college freshman, added, "We believe the climate change problem can be solved and youth will make a difference. This group of 80 trainees will tap into their local communities and quickly grow to a network of over a thousand youth. We're already working to schedule sessions at campuses across the nation."

The student leaders of Inconvenient Youth believe their information-drenched, socially-networked generation can have a major impact on the problem. Doerr added, "We're going beyond Facebook to get this issue 'in the face' of adults and other teens. Together we can solve it."

Also today, the group is launching an education and social action network to connect youth and their local initiatives. It links videos, presentations, blogs, forums, discussions, news and events from around the globe. Please visit the network at www.InconvenientYouth.org.

About the Trainees

The 80 trainees hail from Los Angeles, Marin, Orange County/Laguna Niguel, Sacramento, San Diego/La Jolla, Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Palo Alto, CA; Armonk, New York City, and Pelham, NY; Cleveland, OH; and Tokyo, Japan. Select trainees can be made available for interviews to credentialed media.

About Inconvenient Youth Network

Inconvenient Youth is a non-profit, non-partisan network that educates and activates teens to join the fight against global warming. The student leaders believe every individual has a moral obligation to contribute to finding a solution to the climate change crisis. The group was founded by Mary Doerr, its executive director. The foundation is headquartered in Menlo Park and is an affiliate of the Alliance for Climate Protection. Additional information is available at www.InconvenientYouth.org.

About The Climate Project

The Climate Project, a nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN, began operations in June 2006 with the mission of increasing public awareness of the climate crisis at a grassroots level in the United States and abroad. By April 2007, a diverse group of 1,000 volunteers from throughout the U.S. had been trained by Al Gore himself to present a version of the slideshow featured in the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. As of August 2008, they had delivered more than 15,000 presentations and reached a combined audience of well more than a million people. The Climate Project thrives as a result of the commitment, dedication, and passion of presenters to educate, encourage, and promote dialogue about climate change as well as potential solutions. Additional information is available at theclimateproject.org.