Esperanza Garcia

3/17/10

Esperanza Garcia Work 2009-2010

Climate Hero Forum, Philippines January '09

Esperanza Garcia is inspired greatly by the youth and believes that we are the generation who can find innovative solutions to avert the global crisis. She is Co-Founder & Director of Climate Change Initiatives for the International Youth Council,
(IYC). Since 2007, IYC has brought together and supported hundreds of young leaders from around the world in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.

UNFCCC COP15, Copenhagen in Dec '09

She was an official delegate of the Philippines at the UNFCCC COP15 conference in Copenhagen. She served as a Climate Change consultant for the Philippine Senate Oversight Climate Change Committee. During her term at the Senate, she founded the Philippine Youth Climate Movement,
(PhilYCM), visiting every school and university in the Philippines awarding Climate Heroes and raising climate change awareness. From January - May 2010 PhilYCM engaged 30,000 young Filipinos in the campaign to urge the Filipino youth to take action on Climate Change. In PhilYCM’s commitment to enhance the role of Philippine youth in international climate negotiations, five members of the PhilYCM will be joining the official Philippine delegation to represent the Philippine youth at the Conference of Youth (COY) and the 16th Conference of Parties (COP 16) under the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Convention on November 26-December 10, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.

Workshop on MDG's & Youth, UN Headquarters, NY, August '09

She was a Development Associate of Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, where she focused her efforts organizing the 7th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquaters in August of 2010 attended by hundreds of young global leaders from around the world. She was a member of the Millenium Development Goals Awards Committee, who recognizes outstanding achievements being made by individuals, governments and civil society to achieve the UN MDG's. She also worked as design consultant for South-South News, which works with UN agencies to help South-South countries develop programs in the areas of capacity building, bridging the digital divide, transfer of technology, renewable energy and culture and development. She is working in cooperation with the International Youth Climate Movement to empower youth to take their voices in to decision making platforms and focused on having stronger representation in International climate negotiations by the Global South Youth.

She was a journalist for UNICEF's 'Unite for Climate' Campaign & 'Climate Voice' writer for Oxfam covering news from the UN General Assembly & Clinton Global Initiative. In 2010, she was a journalist for South-South news at the Clinton Global Initiative, interviewing heads of states, A-list celebrities, nobel peace prize laureates on their work helping humanity. Esperanza is invited to speak at international conferences, including the UN Headquarters in NY, about the importance and necessity of young people’s engagement in global affairs and environmental sustainability.

Raised in a family of leaders, she is the daughter of Winston Garcia, GSIS President & General Manager, the niece of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and grand-daughter of Deputy Speaker, Congressman Pablo P. Garcia and Judge Fiel Esperanza Garcia. She is a mother of a beautiful 5 year old who is her source of inspiration.

NEW YORK: Receiving an FAF Youth Leadership award from Dr. Arun Gandhi

SAN FRANCISCO June '09: Raising funds for Diabates and biking at Tour de Cure

NEW YORK Aug '09: At the UN headquarters with inspiring youth leaders, colleagues and team of the International Youth Council, Asha Castleberry, James Ansorge, Angela Jhanji, and Miguel Toro (l to r)

NEW YORK September '09: at the World Trade Center interview with 'CHOOSING GREEN'

NEW YORK September '09: As journalist at the Clinton Global Initiative

NEW YORK September '09: As a youth journalist for 'Unite for Climate' campaign at the Age of Stupid Global Premiere

NEW YORK September '09: with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Earth Institute of Columbia University, as journalist at the UN General Assembly

NEW YORK October '09: With mentor, Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC Chairman and recipient of Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore

NEW YORK October '09: Bill Mc Kibben, Founder of 350.org, at Times Square with our 350 Philippines picture behind him

COPENHAGEN December '09: With mentor, Dr./Atty. Antonio La Vina, Dean of School of Government of Ateneo de Manila University and Chairman of the REDD negotations at UNFCCC COP, as Philippines delegate at the UNFCCC COP15 conference

COPENHAGEN Dec '09: Global South Youth at the Climate March, the biggest Climate demonstration in history

PHILIPPINES: Celebrating New Year's Eve with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

PHILIPPINES January '10: with Senator Loren Legarda, Regional Champion of UNISDR & Philippine Senator running for Vice President in the Philippine election

PHILIPPINES February '10: Mobilizing Philippine Youth to take action on Climate Change

PHILIPPINES: Planting 1-Milion trees with the Philippine Youth

2/22/10

Climate Change work in the Philippines 2010

http://philycm.wordpress.com/

Change? You start where it matters, at home.

WHEW What a month!! Recently, I have had the opportunity to work for the Philippine Senate Oversight Committee on Climate Change, formed by Senator Loren Legarda. It has been an honor to travel around my beautiful country to visit schools, universities, & barangays to run 'Climate Hero' forums. We award 'Climate Hero's,' stewards of Climate Change in my country, and help educate the youth on Climate Change. I was greatly inspired by the International Youth Climate Movement that I had the fortune to experience in Copenhagen at the UNFCCC conference last December. Since then I have been able to build the Philippine Youth Climate Movement. Our goal is to mobilize all the youth in the Philippines to take action on Climate Change.

So far, in the past month, Climate Hero Forum has accomplished:

1. Visit of 25 Schools in Luzon, Visayas & Mindanao

2. Engaged 30,000++ students

3. 1,000++ members who have signed up with Philippine Youth Climate Movement

4. Awarding of 20 Climate Hero's

5. 100,000 trees commitment to join our World Forest Day launching of 1-M tree Challenge!

Create Your Own

At the 'Suroy-Suroy' Sugbo event in Cebu, a project by Governor Gwen Garcia. Esperanza Garcia with Senator Loren Legarda, Regional Champion of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction & Philippine Senator running for Vice President in the Philippines election 2010.

'Climate Hero' Forum in Western Visayas State University in Ilo-Ilo City on January 16, 2010.

Climate Hero: Senator Loren Legarda awarding Climate Heroes: Mark Popioco, Nestor Necesito, Jemuel Garcia & Camille Potato

The launching of the Philippine Youth Climate Movement at Bohol State University with 4,000++ students.

The happy faces of University of Cebu students during our workshop, as they gather to plan activities for the Philippine Youth Climate Movement.

Climate Heroes from Cebu: Emmanuel Albano of the University of the Philippines Ecological Society (Cebu) and the NSTP class students of STI College Cebu with Climate Leaders Rafa Abubakar & Karen Gatus.

Climate Change spiel during 'Forum on Women and Children: A Discussion on the Laws and Bills sponsored by Sen. Loren Legarda' arranged by Christina Garcia Frasco on February 21, 2010 in Liloan, Cebu City.

Tree Planting activity in Barili, Cebu City

"For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever." - Henry David Thoreau

I would like to thank Sen. Legarda, Atty. Antonio La Vina, Karen Gatus, Rafi Abubakar, Jessie James Marcellones, Bek Evangelista, Joy Aquino, Loraine Tala, Zyon Aquino, Jella Villanueva, Arch. Chris de la Cruz, Nestor Necesito, Edgar Geguiento, Ernie Rojo & ATTY Tony Oposa, amongst many other people, who helped in building this team & integral movement! We have grown so much in a month- which only goes to say how dire this movement is in our country! I arrived in the Philippines two months ago without any environmental networks- YOU MADE THIS HAPPEN! SALAMAT PO SA INYONG LAHAT for all your hard work & time!

1/12/10

Join the Philippine Youth Climate Movement!

Welcome to the 'Philippine Youth Climate Movement!' In the upcoming months, we will be campaigning with Sen. Loren Legarda all over the Philippines developing the Philippine Youth Climate Movement. Our goal is to mobilize youth all over the Philippines to take action on Climate Change.

We are seeking to recruit young 'Climate Hero's' from every region, city, school, university in the Philippines to help develop this movement. This group will become a forum where members can share and discuss their ideas, projects, campaigns-- a platform to express & initiate action. Please invite your friends, classmates, students, colleagues, NGO's involved to participate.

This movement will be made for the Philippine youth by the Philippine Youth. We work in close cooperation with the global youth climate movement to empower youth and take their voices into decision making platforms.

12/21/09

Esperanza Garcia interviews Thom Yorke at Copenhagen Climate Summit

At the Bella Center, Pia Faustino (GMA7 journalist) and I decided to go on a hunt for Thom Yorke, frontman of Radiohead. Sure enough we found him, at an angry state.

12/20/09

The Shameful End of COP15

On the last day of the negotiations, inside the plenary at 6 am, Ben Powless, youth leader and activist, explains the current state of the negotiations.

Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General, Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Lars Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark and other world leaders convene.

President Mohamed Nasheed of Maldives speaks with a youth leader

Inside the plenary at 6 am

Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary General & Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Exexcutive Secretary on panel

World leaders convene to end the COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen. 6 am update. hagen- a 6 am update.

12/15/09

COP15 at midnight

What really happens at the plenary sessions. It is midnight - and with everyone tired, we had two youth delegates entertain the other delegates.

12/14/09

The Biggest Climate Change Demonstration in history

The Climate March

On Saturday 12th of December, midway through the UNFCCCClimate Talks 2009, Climate and green organisations and networks, trade unions, peace, solidarity and human relief organisations and movements, political and other civil society organisations and individuals-- come together to bring to the negotiators in Copenhagen a massive, loud and visible demonstration of the world’s will to act.

photo credit: Adrian Dennis
Over 100,000 people converged in Copenhagen on Dec. 12, 2009 to march towards the Bella Center and demand a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty at the end of the Conference of Parties.

The Global South Youth joins the Climate March

Youth bring out 350 ppm message

3,000 signs in yellow saying, "There is no planet B", and "Change the politics, not the climate", "Climate Justice Now"

The 5-hour march fro climate change

Green Monster smoking

People inside Bella Center watching people outside Bella center

12/12/09

COP15

11/27/09

Copenhagen DAY 1 experience

November 21, 2009

After 8 hours of waiting for the delayed flight to depart for CPH, $150 worth of overweight luggage, and 40 hours or so of no sleep, I am in Copenhagen. Finally, after months of exchanging emails, I meet my host from New Life Copenhagen, Ann Sofi Benzton who greets me at the CPH Airport. Since I was packing for a Eurotrip/COP15/Philippine vacation, I had two luggages, each weighing 70 pounds, that Ann had to help me carry four flights of stairs with to her apartment (and of course, that is just the perfect way to greet a gracious host whom I had never met and letting me stay in her home with). Ann was absolutely welcoming and accommodating. As we start chatting in her living room, I find out about her interest in helping women in developing countries and about the volunteer work she did in Kenya teaching English for six months. She shows me an article from a local newspaper that was written about her offering her home to someone attending the COP15 conference. She is apparently the only one from Ishøj, Denmark who is doing so. She teaches me how to pronounce her city properly, since I am quite ignorant with the Danish alphabet. “Is-shoj,” she tells me with a smile.

An article from Vestegnen, a local Danish Newspaper, on Ann Benzton on her New Life Copenhagen experience. Of course, since it is in DANISH the only thing I understand is my Name, and now, Ishøj.

Preparing for COP15 events...

The preparations for the COP15 conferece in Copenhagen on December has become more than just a conference on Climate Change, it has become a Global Movement that will go down in history books (the ones your toddies will read about). It's about the Nation-States, the Global North, The Global South, The academics, The NGO’s, The Grassroots organizations -- all uniting (or attempting to at least) to find a solution to the global crisis. The participation of each sector is just as important as the other. The question is, how successful will our efforts be in Copenhagen?

Pre-COP events in November 2009 in NYC (pics)

"The Rising Tide at Copenhagen: A 'Win-Win' Solution for Industrialized and Developing Nations in a Changing World" Luncheon

A luncheon at the United Nationson behalf of The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Columbia University Consortiumfor Risk Management on "The Rising Tide at Copenhagen: A 'Win-Win' Solution for Industrialized and Developing Nations in aChanging World." The event was joined by other scholars, diplomats, and business leaders who will address a new technical and financial proposal to help Small Island States respond to climate risk.

DPI/NGO Briefing - Global Action to Seal the Deal on a New Climate Change Agenda, in reference to the Seal the Deal Campaign in Copenhagen

This campaign is about mobilizing political leaders, the business sector, NGOs, women's groups, youth organizations and civil society around the issue of climate change to ensure that a definitive, fair, balanced and effective climate agreement is reached when governments meet in Copenhagen from 7-18 December, 2009. Seal the Deal! is about drumming up support at every level within the global community for urgent and united action on climate change.

Climate Justice Fast UN Vigil

"Under certain circumstances, fasting is the one weapon God has given us for use in times of utter helplessness." - Mahatma Gandhi. Climate Justice Fast! is an international hunger strike taking place from the 6th of November 2009 to call for strong, just action on the climate crisis.

11/25/09

Job opportunity in Copenhagen during COP15 (full-time for 3 weeks: 1-20 Dec)

FYI - this has been circulated on behalf of YOUNGO to contacts and organizations in Copenhagen.

** PLEASE CIRCULATE TO CONTACTS IN COPENHAGEN **

The UN climate negotiations will bring more than 1000 young people from around the world to Copenhagen. These youth will work together on lots of different activities inside the conference and need support to help make this possible. If you have skills in managing details, can work hard and remain focused, and have a flexible schedule from 1 - 20 December, we are looking for you. There are 3 positions being filled for the job of youth logistics support staff.

Responsibilities of the positions:

- Perform data management and administration duties such as maintain contact lists, staff the Youth office, and maintain an updated library of relevant youth information.

- Help setup, run and takedown youth events

- Help track expenses and basic financial management

- Facilitate local transportation needs

- Purchase supplies around Copenhagen on behalf of Youth

- Support other youth activities at COP as needed

If you are interested, please send a short cover letter and resume by email to applications@youthclimate.org with the subject heading of: “Application for youth logistics support”. Candidates must have a good knowledge of Copenhagen and lived in the city for at least 2 years. The position will require working flexible hours, including evenings and weekends.

Applications will be reviewed, and candidates selected as soon as possible (on a rolling basis) so apply right away. Please do not apply any later than 30 November at 2359GMT, but applications received earlier have a better chance of being interviewed. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.