The UNICEF Junior 8 Summit 2009

What would YOU say if they had the chance to speak with some of the world's most powerful leaders about the future of our planet? Every year, UNICEF gives Canadian young people the opportunity to do just that. The annual UNICEF Junior 8 Summits bring together young people from Canada, the other G8 countries and from non-G8 countries to meet with world leaders and discuss how to change our world for the better. The Junior 8 Summit is a joint project of UNICEF and the country with the presidency of the G8; and is the official youth meeting at the G8 Summit.

The Canadian UNICEF Junior 8 team travelled to Italy to share their well-researched and thoughtful opinions on climate change, children's rights and development in Africa with Stephen Harper, Barack Obama and the other G8 leaders. Representing Canada at the J8 was team "Carpe Diem," four passionate students from Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario: Jona Nahyun Cho, Steve Seungjoon Lee, Nigel Wodrich and Corinne Boudreau. These young ambassadors have canvassed the views of their fellow youth across Canada, presented on G8 issues to schools across their city, and planted 400 trees in their community to offset the carbon emissions generated on their flight to Rome. See the "earful" they gave the world leaders at www.unicef.ca/junior8summit.

Steve Seungjoon Lee, Jona Nahyun Cho, Corinne Boudreau and Nigel Wodrich