Passing the Torch: A Letter to the Next "Greatest Generation" (Part 3 in a series)

[Update 16 JUN 07: This is Part 3 in a series. Click here for Part 1, here for Part 2, and here for Part 4. Part 5 is a 5-minute video invitation to global teens that lays out the simple steps to making this happen by Earth Day 2008. Please simply forward this to high school students in your area. It doesn't require teachers or classrooms (though part 4 argues it could be a powerful Understanding by Design thematic year in all classroom disciplines).]

Since school next fall will get in the way of organizing the world teen rock festivals against global warming next year, I’m inviting student leaders to start now.

An interesting side-note: they don’t have an “edublogosphere” to help them on this, but the do have Myspace, YouTube, and so forth. I’m curious to see how much momentum for this project comes from the teens, and how much from the adults.

So here’s a letter I sent to selected students on my 9 English and 9 History Moodle emailer today. Feel free to copy and adapt. It’s cool how web 2.0 keeps the class together, after the school year is over.

Dear All,I’ve chosen a dozen of you, out of all 45 of my English students, to invite to take the lead on the “Community Service 2.0″ world rock against global warming concert next year.

I want to get started now. And I want any of you who want to be involved in launching it to respond to me now.

Paul, Kyong-min, Jiyeon, I know you’re leaving, but I want you to think about taking this project with you when you go, and adding your cities to the list for next year’s late-May concerts that will be “points of light” on the globe. It will be a great way for you to arrive to your new homes with a purpose, and meet and work with the most powerful students there.

I have ideas of basic things we can do over the summer: start a planning wiki with pages for promotional ideas, fund-raising ideas, slogan ideas, (self-made) multimedia advertising ideas, networking ideas (how many of you, for example, could spread the word to friends in other cities, and get them on board?), and more.

Some of you will have ideas too, that will probably be as good as mine, maybe better.

Only reply to this if you really see what a great way it is to show your generation that you can make a difference. And don’t forget: it will be fun. We’re talking a music festival, after all. (And not some stupid high school talent show in the gym.)

My closing shot: Americans call the generation of young people who fought in World War II “the Greatest Generation.” While they (and the Soviet and British soldiers) deserve our respect for fighting Hitler, you face a much more destructive enemy in the future. We need you to be even greater.

Global Warming will be your challenge. You’ve got an advantage over the old “Greatest Generation”: you already know the war is coming, and you have this opportunity to start making a difference in it now, and training and educating those your age, and younger–and older–to make the changes to give this planet a chance. And, with web 2.0, to create a “world army” of others your age to join you in this fight.

So let me hear from you, whether you want to contribute a lot, or just a little. I don’t want to rely on adults here. I want to rely on your generation. We’ll all be depending on you in twenty years. You’re the future.

Mr. B.

PS. Massachusetts has already said yes. It’s only been a day and a half since I blogged about the idea. And many edubloggers are at a conference in Atlanta right now, so they’re too busy to reply (I hope).

Photo credits:
“Yer Blues” uploaded on June 28, 2006 by snowriderguy
“A Time to Remember” uploaded on April 18, 2006 by Riv
“New York City 2100″ uploaded on May 31, 2007 by mpecarevic

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