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Young people have the tools for change at their fingertips	Back
14 May 2008 It is imperative that our young citizens are given a fair hearing on the decisions that current leaders are making - and online social networking can help achieve this. The opportunities it offers play to the skills of young people. Web 2.0 emphasises online collaboration and sharing among users. By sharing knowledge and ideas, and by communicating them broadly, young people can enhance their own capacity to find solutions and make changes. The new social networking site Footprintfriends.com is an attempt to do just that. It was set up exclusively to join together young people who share a passion for protecting our natural environment. As a moderated site, it aims to be an enabler for young people aged 11 to 18 to act on their environmental concerns. Founder Karen Ford hopes "members will ask questions, change attitudes, and have a say in the future facing them". Footprintfriends, which has its own charitable foundation to which network members can apply for funding to implement their own projects, has already attracted hundreds of young people since launching last August. It is set to expand rapidly after establishing a new partnership with the British Standards Institute, which is using the site to promote a Sustainable Students competition, involving about 20,000 schools. We face tough choices in the battle to protect our environment. More than ever before, our young citizens have a way of collaborating to make their views heard. And, more than ever before, we have a responsibility to listen. For the Full story by Will Ashley-Cantello follow the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/14/ethicalliving.climatechange