Entrants's Name: Abigail Falik

Country: United States

Field: Education

Innovation - idea: To address the need to ensure that young Americans develop a more global perspective , through my work at NetAid (www.netaid.org) I have developed the Global Citizen Corps (GCC) – a national network of student leaders working to raise awareness and inspire their peers to take informed action around issues of global poverty and development.

Innovation - why it is pioneering: By training a national Corps of young change agents – students with passion, commitment and entrepreneurial flair – the GCC leverages the power of peer-to-peer exchange to create a momentum greater than the sum of its parts: a coordinated youth movement working to alleviate global poverty today and for generations to come.

Strategy - how it achieves impact: The Global Citizen Corps (GCC) model grows from two assumptions: there is no shortage of young Americans who are already committed to the fight against global poverty, and these young people have the potential to be highly effective messengers global citizenship among their peers. Through extensive outreach we recruit a Corps of ‘GCC Leaders’ -- emerging social entrepreneurs who are passionate about the alleviation of poverty. Following an intensive training, GCC Leaders receive ongoing support from NetAid, a pool of adult mentors, and an innovative Online Action Center as they implement a series of coordinated ‘Global Action Days’ in their schools and communities. These days raise awareness about key development themes, and mobilize support for meeting the MDGs, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and to ensuring universal primary education.

Strategy - growth plans: Riding the momentum of a tremendously successful pilot, we designed a model for expanding the GCC nationally in the 2005-6 school year. The model combines in-person training with online learning, media and technology to foster a sense of community among students participating from disparate geographic regions. A national ‘GCC Summit’ brings together leaders from across the country for a face- to-face training held in New York City each summer. In future years, a regional training model which draws on partnerships with local NGOs, Universities and funders will allow ever increasing numbers of young changemakers to participate in GCC trainings in key geographic regions– thus growing the base of young leaders who are empowered to educate and mobilize their peers in the fight against global poverty.

Impact to date: In two years we have trained 150 exceptional student leaders from as many high schools across the country. These young leaders have, in turn, have engaged over 200,000 of their peers in Global Action Day activities. Beyond raising awareness, GCC Leaders have raised tens of thousands of dollars for grassroots development projects around the world and have collected thousands of petition signatures to pressure the U.S. government to provide more and better aid for development. GCC leaders have also used creative media to amplify their messages: through dozens of articles in local, regional and national media, and appearances on MTV, CNN and the CBS Early Show – GCC Leaders are reaching ever-broader audiences with messages about the need for responsible U.S. engagement in the world.

Future impact: My vision for the Global Citizen Corps is that it becomes as influential as Teach for America or the Peace Corps. Through efforts like the GCC we can build an undeniable new force: a base of young social innovators who are supporting civil society movements and demanding national policies that support long-term poverty alleviation efforts. As the pool of GCC leaders and alumni grows, I envision a new generation of Americans leaders – whether in politics, education, medicine or social work– who carry a more global perspective, and a commitment to making poverty history. It is only with more leaders like these can we imagine that the U.S. might begin to play a more cooperative, engaged and responsible role on the global stage.

Sustainability - resource base: The peer-education model of the GCC gives us tremendous financial leverage. With each trained GCC Leader reaching on average 1500 of his/her peers, and as we continue to find innovative ways to provide the GCC training through an online platform, the program can be scaled cost effectively. Additionally, as the program grows, we will continue to rely on a growing base of committed mentors – educators and other adults who support the training and ongoing work of the GCC Leaders (both in person and online). We also will grow our network of strategic partners in the U.S. (with educational/development orgs), as well as in the field to provide meaningful ways for GCC Leaders to have a direct impact on the issues they support.

Major challenge for the field: The political climate in the U.S. reinforces the challenge- - and necessity -- of engaging young Americans as global citizens. If we’re to see the emergence of a global partnership for development among today’s youth, we must find creative ways to forge connections among young global citizens from around the world.

Contact Information:

Name: Abigail Falik
Country: United States
Website: www.globalcitizencorps.org