Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.
Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, national youth organizations, topic experts, and celebrities discuss solutions to pressing global issues. CGI U 2012 will be held at George Washington University, Washington, DC from March 30-April 1, 2012. At this meeting, nearly 1,200 attendees came together to make a difference in CGI U's five Focus Areas: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.
But CGI U is more than just an event. It is a growing community of young leaders who don't just discuss the world's challenges - they take real, concrete steps toward solving them. Throughout the year, and as a prerequisite of attending the CGI U meeting, students and youth organization directors develop their own Commitments to Action: a specific plan of action that addresses a pressing challenge on their campus, in their community, or in a different part of the world.
Commitments range from installing energy-efficient light bulbs to establishing campus bike share programs, from distributing life-saving water filtration kits to designing medical backpacks for nomadic doctors in Africa. Since the inaugural meeting in 2008, nearly 3,000 commitments have been made.
Throughout the year, students are also invited to join the CGI U campus representative network. Nearly 200 student representatives from over 25 countries are working together to spread the word about CGI U on their campuses. To learn about becoming a campus representative, click here.
CGI U is proof that young people have the power to make a significant impact by confronting some of the world's most urgent challenges.
