annualreport2011

TakingITGlobal’s Annual Report is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, made from 50% recycled content (of which 25% is post-consumer material).

TakingITGlobal is a registered charitable organization in Canada and has 501(c)(3) charitable status in the United States.

Canada 19 Duncan Street Suite 505 Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3H1 Tel: +1 (416) 977-9363 Fax: +1 (416) 352-1898

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E-mail: info@takingitglobal.org http://www.tigweb.org

Theory of Change

A Message from our Champion

A Message from the Co-founders

2011 Highlights

Online Community

TIGed

Shout

DeforestACTION

Tread Lightly

Defining Moments

Adobe Youth Voices

Youth for Change

Sprout e-Course and Change Inc.

Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation

Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)

Global Youth Action Network (GYAN)

Youth Movements

Global Dignity Day

Internship Programs

Research

Financials

Balance Sheet

Supporters

Special Thanks

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theory ofchange

A youth developmentIndividuals increase their awareness about issues of public concern, and begin to show interest in staying informed on an issue or issues.

D societal valuesIndividuals who self-identify as informed and skilled begin to connect their efforts to affect policy, build movements and support existing projects and organizations.

We believe change occurs when individuals have the opportunity, ability and motivation to engage

meaningfully. Our own theory of change includes four phases in a cyclical path. Through collective

action, young people possess the capacity to direct change. Awareness about key issues

and the capacity to identify an issue as problematic are critical components that

serve to distinguish those who lead by initiating projects from those who follow by participating or learning about them.

Support that builds consensus around outcomes creates alignments among

a collective of young people, fostering connections that lead to mobilization

and action. Outcomes from this mobilization can affect change at both the project and systemic levels, i.e. for

individuals at the local level and systems at the institutional level. It is through this

process that TakingITGlobal, as a practitioner organization, fosters the development of leadership

behaviours among young people globally.

TakingITGlobal 5

C social movementsIndividuals begin outreach at the institutional level, appealing to organizations or those connected directly to political processes, and creating opportunities for others to take action on projects they initiate.

B youth action and participationIndividuals find others who are interested in issues of public concern, identify skills that are required to contribute to affecting change, and begin to actively develop these skills.

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a message from our championDr. Ismail Serageldin

Today, about half of the world's population is under 30 years of age. It is the largest cohort of youth the world has ever known. In the previous twenty years, youth have transformed the world. For it is youth who have led the global revolution in Information and Communications Technologies, from the creation of the Internet to the iPad. They have transformed science, business and civil society. They have taken human rights, environmentalism and globalism from the issues of the few to the convictions of the many. They have created a world more connected, more informed, and more committed to these global values than any of their parents could have dreamed of… and they are just coming into their own!

TakingITGlobal is a prime example of how these young people work. Teenagers when I first met them, Jennifer Corriero and Michael Furdyk had this dream of linking youth across national and global boundaries, of establishing a platform for free expression, created by youth and for youth. They saw the potential of what the new Information Technology (IT) could do, and they were determined to harness it for the good of all people and for the welfare of the planet. And they did. Beyond our wildest expectations. Even those who, like me, believed in youth generally and these young people specifically, could not imagine the enormous success they have made of TIG.

It is a privilege for me to send this message of congratulations to TIG and its many friends around the world. It is also appropriate to call on all the not-so-young people to be young at heart, and support and follow these young people as they create the world of tomorrow. For, remember: you are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, and you will remain young at heart as long as you believe in the beauty of your dreams.

May TIG and its friends continue to lead us into a better future for all.

Ismail SerageldinDirectorBibliotheca Alexandrina Alexandria, Egypt

TakingITGlobal 7

a message fromthe co-founders

It has been an important year — July, in particular, marked the culmination of the United Nations’ International Year of Youth, the power of social media to effect social change as showcased through the Arab Spring in the Middle East, and the need for the problem of youth unemployment to be properly tackled by governments through dialogue and by listening to youth voices, best indicated by the London Riots. While these events stand out as important global news stories, the common trend shared across them is their growth from youth-led demands for change in their communities.

TIG’s projects and programs continue to support youth in their ambitions to inspire, inform, and involve their friends, family and community in issues that matter to them by providing them with the tools to be agents of change — whether it be offline or through an online platform. 2011 saw a huge expansion of our Online Community membership — we hit a historical landmark of over 400,000 members, revealing that youth around the world are looking for a place to grow and expand their minds collaboratively.

In Canada, highlights include the launch of our Defining Moments digital-media arts project, and globally, we launched YouthMovements.org. We kick-started new partnerships with Canadian Heritage, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, York University’s Faculty of Health, and the Talloires Network. We had the continued pleasure of working with our valued partners at Adobe Foundation, the Library of Alexandria, Microsoft, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Cisco Systems, Pearson Foundation, Staples Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, UNFPA, and UNAIDS.

Mike had the honour of delivering the Closing Plenary at the Community Foundation Conference in Vancouver, following President Bill Clinton and the Governor General of Canada, and keynoting the Microsoft Innovative Education Forum in Taiwan. Jennifer continued her involvement with the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment, and was appointed Canada’s Country Chair for Global Dignity Day.

Michael Furdyk Director of Technology

Jennifer Corriero Executive Director

In taking a moment to slow down to reflect amidst the fast-paced lifestyle of our increasingly-globalized world, we are pleased to share with you our Annual Report highlighting a particularly fruitful year filled with rewarding partnerships and meaningful projects!

We continue to work with a strong and passionate team here in Toronto. Our projects and programs have been represented at dozens of international events throughout the course of the year, which couldn’t have been done without the work of our staff, interns and online volunteers. We would like to thank our Board of Directors and our Advisory Board for their dedication, enthusiasm and insightful contributions to our work.

We thank you for your ongoing support!

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2011highlights

● Project Highlights ■ Event Highlights

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

■ TIG represented at the British Educational Training and Technology Show in London, England.

■ YFC Winners participate at the Economic & Social Development Summit hosted by the Arab Youth Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

● Sprout video launched.

● Launch of two Professional Development e-courses in global education.

■ Shout and TIG booths at Naace Annual Strategic Conference in Reading, England.

■ Mike presents with Pearson at Consortium on School Networking conference in New Orleans, USA.

■ Adobe Youth Voices visits partner sites in México and Brazil.

■ Mike delivers keynote at the Microsoft Innovative Education Leadership Conference in Taipei, Taiwan.

■ Ed Tech Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., USA.

■ Green:Net Conference in San Francisco, USA.

■ Mike delivers closing keynote at Community Foundations Conference in Vancouver, Canada.

■ GYCA’s Regional Focal Points and staff participate in UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention.

■ Mike gives keynote address at the CollaborIT Conference in Winnipeg, Canada.

■ Jennifer presents at the Youth Policy Symposium put on by the Open Society Foundation and British Youth Council in London, England.

■ Jennifer delivers keynote at Talloires Network Leaders Conference in Madrid, Spain.

■ Sprout team visits with government representatives in Extremadura, Spain.

■ UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in New York, USA.

■ Jennifer attends the World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia in Vienna, Austria.

■ ISTE Conference in Philadelphia, USA.

■ Western District Rotary International Conference in Athabasca, Canada.

■ Jennifer attends Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece as a All-Star Fan.

● Online Community Member Advisory Committee launched.

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JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

■ UN High Level Meeting on Youth in New York, USA.

■ YouthMovements concept launched at UN High Level Meeting on Youth.

● GYCA Focal Points Retreat in New York, USA.

● Defining Moments holds Regional Facilitators Orientation Week with representation from all 10 provinces and 3 territories in Toronto, Canada.

■ GYCA at the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific in Busan, South Korea.

● Launch of research partnership with York University’s Faculty of Health, Department of Psychology.

■ Jennifer presents as a Counsellor at One Young World Summit in Zürich, Switzerland.

■ Jennifer on Closing Plenary at the Young Global Leader Summit and the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China.

■ DeforestACTION’s EcoWarriors arrive in Borneo, Indonesia.

■ Jennifer moderates an Intergenerational Dialogue on Youth Unemployment at the World Economic Forum HQ in New York, USA.

■ Adobe Youth Voices at CIVICUS World Assembly in Montréal, Canada.

■ DPI NGO conference in Bonn, Germany.

■ EU-Canada Roundtable on Youth Participation in Helsinki, Finland.

■ Banff Forum X in Banff, Canada.

■ Sprout and Defining Moments at YMCA International Conference in San Francisco, USA.

■ Adobe Youth Voices exhibits at UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris.

■ Canada celebrates Global Dignity Day October 20th.

■ Jennifer attends 2011 Summit on the Global Agenda in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

■ G(irls)20 Summit in Paris, France.

■ Tread Lightly European tour.

● TIGed's school count reaches 3,000!

■ TIG delivers two keynotes at Microsoft Worldwide Partners in Learning Global Forum in Washington, D.C., USA.

■ International Conference of the Association for Experiential Education in Jacksonville, USA.

■ UNFPA Global Youth Advisory Panel strategic retreat.

■ Youth for Change at Meeting on the Arab Spring at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt.

■ GYCA at the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

■ COP17 in Durban, South Africa.

● TIG celebrates hitting the milestone of 5 million visitors!

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In 2011, our online social network grew to welcome 78,059 new members from around the globe to our Online Community! It is inspiring to see our membership continually grow to reach more youth looking to explore their ambitions, connect their passions with others, and collaborate with like-minded individuals through Opportunities featured on our site.

Building on the potential of our growing membership, our most exciting achievement was the formation of our Member Advisory Committee (MAC). Created in an effort to increase avenues for our members’ voices to be represented in our decision-making processes, the development of our exhaustive recruitment process resulted in the selection of five young women and five young men to represent TIG’s Online Community of over 400,000 members through their roles on the MAC. These ten youth were chosen to lend a fresh perspective and a neutral viewpoint to our Online Community programming, and have been holding monthly meetings to gather input for updates to the Online Community, recommendations for monthly themes on tigweb.org, and to discuss partnership ideas.

Building on current event-related content posted by our members, the Online Community hosted three major online discussion panels through our Live Chat tool. The

The Online Community provides an online forum for young people and organizations from around the world to connect, discuss, and get involved in the issues affecting their communities and the world at large.http://www.tigweb.org/community

online community

78,059 New members joined tigweb.org

12,413 Total content submissions were posted

307,599 Total Actions taken

1,901 Organizations joined our network

8,128 New Gallery submissions

discussions were formed around global events that affect and are important to TIG’s membership, including: Let’s Talk Revolution, where young people from Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Algeria and Yemen discussed the political shifts taking place around them; Road to Recovery, featuring Japanese youth working as volunteers in recovery efforts after the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown; and London Riots: Youth Side of the Story, where two marginalized youth from London shared their perspectives on the London Riots, as well as the reactions of the police and government in their city. The online space was created to provide an alternative viewpoint from the mainstream debauchery of youth in worldwide media reports, and proved to be an extremely insightful platform for understanding the importance of youth in society.

TakingITGlobal 11

Connections through TIG make the world grow, and I want to continue expressing my ideas through TIG. I would recommend it to others in my generation… It is a continuous accomplishment... TIG links me to people who inspire me and drive me to be more creative. I believe, with education and health, accompanied by food and shelter, people would know better how to live peacefully.

— Emmanuel Abere Ngaywa, Kenya“

I might not be able to change the world all by myself but there are millions of people out there with [the] same yearning for change. If we all could come together as one people, with one goal, in one network, then we could bring about change. That is why l joined [TIG] and my quest for change has just begun.

— Victor Dike Wokekoro, Nigeria & Sweden.“

As a part of the Member Advisory Committee, a gate to more opportunities has opened, where the online volunteer spirit has empowered me to make more impactful actions for the communities I am involved with. Beyond that, the experience that I get with MAC in working with youth across the globe gives me a wider perspective and grassroots understanding of various cultural expressions and to see differences as powerful opportunities towards the betterment of the world.

— Gigih Rezki Septianto, Indonesia

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From top: TakingITGlobal hosted three major online discussion panels, including London Riots: Youth Side of the Story; "Urban Life” by Global Gallery featured artist Ehsan Farid Afshar. TakingITGlobal’s online community continued to grow with 78,059 new members in 2011.

MEMBER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Abhiroop Jayanthi, India

Gigih Rezki Septianto, Indonesia

Hayk Hakobyan, Egypt

Korey Anthony Chisholm, Guyana

Mai Hong Khoa, Vietnam

Priya Verma, India

Qaisar Roonjha, Pakistan

Rahinatu Sulugu Abubakar, Ghana

Ruth Howard, Jamaica

Shelby Levesque, Canada

Shobana Nair, Malaysia

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It has been a year of growth for the TIGed network, which nearly doubled as the community grew from 4,300 globally-minded educators in 115 countries to over 7,800 members in 129 countries. The TIGed platform also grew in a technical capacity, with the addition of new tools and features within the virtual classrooms — including a multilingual option which makes it possible for users to set their own language and express themselves in any of the thirteen languages available. Educators now have the option to make virtual classrooms public to their entire school — while still being closed to the public at large — which is useful for school-wide initiatives that make use of more than one virtual classroom.

We launched two five-week professional development e-courses in global education, which were delivered twice in 2011 to a total of 60 educators from 12 countries around the world, with 10 educators from developing countries participating on scholarship.

TakingITGlobal for Educators (TIGed) aims to empower teachers around the globe to utilize technology to create international learning experiences that build 21st century skills and foster global citizenship amongst their students.http://www.tiged.org

Counter clock-wise from top left hand corner: Sara chatting with educators about Tread Lightly; Katherine sharing ideas about TIG's educational games at the ISTE Conference; Kate and Joshua of the Smithsonian Institution spreading the word about TIGed's Shout program; A glimpse of a Global Encounters video conference discussion in action.

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TakingITGlobal 13

PARTNERSHIPS AND INITIATIVES

The video conferencing program operated in partnership with the Centre for Global Education evolved to be renamed Global Encounters — a title suggested by participating students. The program ran eight video conferences over the course of the year, engaging over 3,000 students and connecting them with their peers, knowledgeable mentors, and dynamic guest speakers from around the world in a real-time, interactive global learning experience.

TIGed also partnered with the Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health (SLFCAMH) to develop a thematic classroom addressing issues surrounding mental health, containing a teacher toolkit, a youth Guide to Action, and 22 interactive educational activities adapted from lesson plans provided by SLFCAMH and the Canadian Mental Health Association. This multimedia package was used as the basis of an Ontario-wide research study on youth awareness of mental health.

In partnership with Youth4Health — a program of the University of Toronto’s Youth Voices Research Group, TIGed launched Navigate This! in March — an interactive website, art contest, and game for Youth Health Navigators so as to learn to benefit from their community health systems to help themselves, their families, and friends.

TakingITGlobal continued to host the Student News Action Network (SNAN) — a student-run, interactive online newspaper that addresses local and global issues through multimedia journalism. In 2011, SNAN partnered with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting to run a competition for UN World Water Day, challenging student journalists to submit work related to the theme of “Water for Cities.”

We are also excited to be working with Pearson Education to provide powerful online engagement tools to support its myWorld Geography and myWorld History programs. This past year, we launched myWorld TIGed — a customized edition of the TIGed website and virtual classroom platform that complements Pearson’s educational resources.

Through myWorld TIGed, students can connect to different cultures and people, experience the world in new ways, and understand the key ideas of world geography and history.

We also worked with our partners at World Vision Canada to update the World Class global education program portal, and to employ TIGed virtual classrooms to host a range of Take Action Project (TAP) spaces. Designed to make learning relevant while mobilizing students to act as global citizens, three TAP spaces were launched in 2011 to help students explore sustainable livelihoods, the impacts of famine, and children’s rights.

TIG had the pleasure of working with MindShare Learning to promote and support its fourth annual 21st Century Classroom Video Challenge — a contest celebrating Canada’s most tech-savvy teachers. In addition to promoting the challenge through the TIGed website and social media outlets, we co-hosted two related online events to launch the contest, answer questions, and connect participants with past winners.

This course has helped me to understand how to teach global issues and why to teach them. It has given me ideas of resources and ways I can use the Internet to help teach global issues.

— Professional Development Course Participant“

This course emphasised the need for keeping things real, relevant and connected to others beyond students' immediate school community. The tools available to extend and connect more freely are also causing me to rethink how I might engage students further.

— Professional Development Course Participant“Navigate This! contest winners. Students using their 21st Century Skills to collaborate in the classroom.

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In 2011, the Shout program directly reached over 200,000 educators worldwide through presentations delivered at numerous global conferences, including the British Educational Training and Technology Show, various Microsoft Innovative Education Forums, and the Naace Annual Strategic Conference in England.

The Shout team created teacher guides that supported a number of environmentally-focused themes, each featuring a live event connecting students and teachers, and fostering collaboration and increased engagement. The teacher guides proved to be a powerful tool as educators downloaded over 150,000 guides in 2011.

In partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, we also organized the Shout Online Conference Series, which featured some of the world’s leading environmental experts and scientists speaking on current global environmental issues. Featured guests included botany, ecology, and geology experts from the Smithsonian Institution; a geographer from the National Air and Space Museum; and educators from the Osage Nation and Citizen of Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma, among many others.

Shout also launched the Tree Banding Project, which aims to use citizen science to create the first global observatory serving to examine how trees respond to the climate. Over 150 schools worldwide are working together to monitor the rate at which their local trees grow in comparison to Smithsonian research findings. In the upcoming year, we expect the Tree Banding Project to grow with the help of a new online tree-banding monitoring website.

Shout empowers educators and students to take an active role in global environmental issues by providing educational tools to increase collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking.http://www.shoutlearning.org

11,165 participants for Shout online conferences

10,000 educators engaged in the Shout community

138 countries participating in Shout program

The Shout environment is a dynamic and responsive resource and at its heart, its purpose is to connect peers with purpose to take action to address the global challenges we are currently facing.

— Mark Sparvell, Executive Advisor for Principals Australia in ICT Innovation and Capability“

We have a long history of doing interactive education and we believe that the approach for this work is an approach we can get behind. We like the fact that students can learn from scholars, we appreciate the fact that they will be doing work that allows them to participate in what some people have been calling citizen science and that they will be collecting data that will actually be used. We really appreciate having students becoming actively involved in work where they have a passion, where they learn and where they are collaborating with other.

— Claudine Brown, Smithsonian’s Director of Education

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Focus group discussion in Ghana, Africa on alternative energy sources to minimize the impact of human activities on the environment.

Presentation and user education of improved charcoal cook stoves to school kitchens in the remote areas of Ghana where LP gas is hard to get.

TakingITGlobal 15

DeforestACTION is a global movement of youth and schools taking action to stop deforestation and create a permanent habitat for orangutans and other species that depend on forest ecosystems.http://www.deforestaction.org

The most empowering thing about being involved in the project is that our students are developing an awareness that technology provides the potential for them to be more powerful and influential than any generation that has come before them. By participating in a project like DeforestACTION our students are developing an understanding that by sharing their voice and connecting and collaborating on a global scale they can become the architects and problem solvers of their own futures.

— Lis Turner, Waggakine Primary School, Australia

“Students use satellite imagery to track any notable land changes and usable intelligence to local authorities to investigate deforestation.

EcoWarriors listening to the stories of the Dayak people who are fighting to save their land.

Orangutans Jojo (left) and Juvi (right) were rescued through the funds raised by students through DeforestACTION.

The DeforestACTION program experienced unprecedented growth throughout 2011 due to the student and school-driven nature of the project. In collaboration with the Centre for Global Education and Microsoft Partners in Learning, we hosted a series of international student video conferences and webcasts for thousands of participating youth and students; provided guidance to school-driven initiatives; and supported educators through the development of online educational resources and teacher’s guides.

We also supported the launch of Earthwatchers — developed by Geodan and supported by Microsoft Partners in Learning — which allows students worldwide to monitor forests in Borneo, Indonesia, via satellite imagery. As Earthwatchers, students can mark and track any notable land changes in order to provide useful intelligence to investigate deforestation.

Fifteen passionate EcoWarriors were selected from videocontest applications to lead rainforest protection and animal rehabilitation projects on the ground in Borneo. Working with Dr. Willie Smits and the Masarang Foundation, the EcoWarriors made their first trip to Borneo in September, where they gained exposure to the issues and politics of deforestation, saw first-hand the impact it has on local communities, and relayed this information to the global network of students raising awareness and funds.

The EcoWarriors will be returning to Borneo in March 2012 for an 80-day mission to implement projects in the following areas: protection and regrowth of rainforests, education of local communities on deforestation, and orangutan rehabilitation. To date, DeforestACTION has raised over $90,000 USD to support land conservation, educational awareness, and animal rehabilitation in Borneo.

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In 2011, TakingITGlobal and the Staples Foundation moved into the third year of the Tread Lightly program — a climate change education and engagement initiative designed to inspire teachers and youth to reduce their ecological footprints and take action on climate change.

With this renewed support, the Tread Lightly team introduced new educational tools and convened several global events to promote environmental awareness, including an international student video conference organized around the COP17 Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. A series of five Youth Environment and Education Forums were organized in Europe throughout November, and successfully engaged 120 youth from the United Kingdom, Norway, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. Youth, educators, and environmentalists from each city were brought together to discuss important environmental issues in their community, and to collectively make recommendations for the agenda of the UN Rio+20 Earth Summit.

Tread Lightly empowers youth to reduce their ecological footprints and take action on climate change by providing innovative online educational tools and resources.http://www.treadlightly.me

The Tread Lightly Forum in Paris was an amazing experience: over 25 youth sharing their ideas and working hard to produce recommendations for the UN! [...] It is the first time that so many youth organizations in Paris met and worked together to write recommendations with other Europeans...

— Sarah Toumi, Youth Environment and Education Forum participant and co-founder of DREAM“

Frederico Brocchieri, founder of the Italian Youth Climate Movement, was among the youth and educators gathered to discuss important environmental issues at the Tread Lightly forum in Milan, Italy.

Participants in Paris, France at one of five Youth Environment and Education Forums engaging youth, educators, and environmentalists.

330 students participated in a video conference, representing 11 schools from around the world

3,648 Tread Lightly Challenge commitments taken since 2009

70 Staples associate Lunch & Learn participants

As an extension of the travelling series concurrent to the youth-based events, a Lunch & Learn session was delivered at Staples offices in three countries, serving to engage Staples associates in methods for reducing their ecological footprints. The Staples associates learned about their company’s support for the Tread Lightly program, learned how to promote the Tread Lightly tools at schools within their community, and discussed how to take action in their own lives by adjusting their daily habits to reduce their ecological footprints.

In partnership with Zerofootprint Software in Toronto, we proudly unveiled the Carbon Footprint Calculator. The Calculator, which is integrated into the Tread Lightly Challenge platform, enables users to determine the ecological benefits they have attained as a result of making environmentally conscious changes to their daily routine, and allows participants to track progress as they reduce their impact on the earth over an extended period of time.

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Launched in January with the generous support of Canadian Heritage, Defining Moments successfully engaged over 800 youth across Canada on topics of identity and artistic expression in its first year.

Over the course of 2011, TIG developed the canadianmoments.ca website, recruited 35 workshop facilitators from every province and territory, and formed partnerships with the National Film Board of Canada, the National Capital Commission, and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, along with over 30 regional partnerships. Additionally, we designed the Defining Moments workshop to engage youth on topics of Canadian history, personal versus national identity, the ideas and expectations youth have for Canada’s future, and how these ideas could be transformed into an artwork for the national collection.

Our 20 regional workshop facilitators joined us in Toronto for five days of orientation and training in August. The facilitators participated in a number of activities, including a panel discussion on identity and multiculturalism in the Canadian context with members of local non-profit organizations, as well as workshops geared towards artistic development and expression with the National Film Board. Following the orientation, facilitators kicked off the program by running workshops within their local communities, often convening at high schools, universities, YMCAs, Native Centres, and Youth Centres. A total of nearly 70 workshops were held nationally.

The Defining Moments: Discovering our Canadian Stories art contest and collection invites youth nation-wide to explore, express, and showcase their identity and experiences living in Canada.http://www.canadianmoments.ca

The energy of the participants in the Defining Moments Workshops is truly inspiring. By empowering the youth to explore and express their Canadian identity, I know Canada’s future is in good hands.

— Janet Ramsay, Defining Moments Facilitator from Bathurst, New Brunswick“

Defining Moments Art Contest submissions.

Separate from the national art competition, we introduced a new component to the project geared towards young emerging artists. Offering the chance to be exhibited in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, the June 2012 exhibits are expected to showcase budding national talent and kick off the Travelling Exhibit of selected submissions. The exhibit will culminate in 2013 at the February Winterlude Festival in the nation’s capital with support from the National Capital Commission.

Twenty regional facilitators joined us in Toronto, Ontario, for five days of orientation and training.

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Adobe Youth Voices provided us with an exceptional opportunity to empower youth to express their own ideas. The program is ideal to encourage youth to take action and commitment. We are really happy with the results and we have found that this program has a great potential in violent societies.

— Miguel Rivera Camblor, Educator, Guatemala“

Adobe Youth Voices supports youth around the world in developing their voices and expressing themselves creatively to effect positive change within their communities while being active global citizens.http://adobeyouthvoices.tigweb.org

Now I am able to do something about social problems. I have started thinking differently. Adobe Youth Voices is changing me and my vision also. I can do something good with my education.

— Aashi Sharma, 13, Youth Participant, India“

The Adobe Youth Voices exhibit at the CIVICUS World Assembly in Montréal.

Educators and youth participants in Montevideo, Uruguay celebrate a successful program cycle during their end of year exhibition.

Over the past year, TakingITGlobal continued to work alongside 46 organizations and 125 committed educators to deliver the innovative Adobe Youth Voices program, seeing an increase in impact as Adobe Youth Voices doubled its youth outreach numbers by engaging close to 3,000 youth in 18 countries.

Through Adobe Youth Voices, over 300 youth media projects were submitted and exhibited around the world. Exhibition sites included print and digital gallery-style exhibits at the ISTE Conference in Philadelphia, the UN High Level Meeting on Youth in New York City, the CIVICUS World Assembly in Montréal, and the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris, reaching an audience of over 14,500 diverse individuals. Issue 5 of TIG Magazine, featuring the work created by the program’s participants, was distributed at these international conferences and events, giving visibility to youth perspectives on important issues such as human rights, gender equality, education, and climate change.

Additionally, Adobe Youth Voices engaged educators by offering two professional development e-courses. The courses provided the tools to aid educators in implementing the Adobe Youth Voices program, and provided new ways to support youth media-making. A series of webinars were also organized to provide a space for educators to share and collaborate in a live setting.

This year, we conducted visits to four partner sites – A PratiqEcologia in Brazil, Fundación Proacceso and Gente Diversa de Baja California in México, and Fundación TierraVida in Argentina. The Adobe Youth Voices team delivered youth media workshops with these groups, during which youth participants created and presented videos and photography projects.

46 partner sites

18 countries

3,000 youth trained

200+ media projects

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Phase III of Youth for Change was aligned with the theme of Dialogue and Mutual Understanding: Take Action designated by the UN’s International Year of Youth. Building on our success from earlier years, we selected 36 Coordinators to join the 6 winners from our previous phase in working on their local development projects, reaching all 22 countries in the League of Arab States.

Although the Arab Spring created interruptions to our regular programming by delaying the implementation of the local projects, the movement was effective in bringing the role of youth in society to the forefront of global issues. In a region where youth face obstacles such as unemployment, deteriorating public education, and gender oppression, Youth for Change tackled the issues associated with the Arab Spring head on by peacefully continuing both online and offline activities throughout the year — a number of open forums were organized in Bahrain, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, creating important venues for expressing the challenges and dreams of young people.

Youth for Change is a youth-led program that aims to inspire, inform, and involve Arab youth as agents of change in their communities.http://yfc.tigweb.org

350+ mini-grant proposals received

2,430 YFC community members

300 Live Chat and proposal writing sessions participants

Youth for Change grant winners and coordinators during a meeting in Alexandria.

Youth for Change Coordinators contributing to a workshop discussion.

Three Live Chats — Let’s Talk Revolution, The Revolution and Beyond, and The Arab Spring and Youth Empowerment — were conducted in both English and Arabic, focusing directly on the implications of the Arab Spring in real time. With the entire world watching, the movement saw young people using social media tools — including our own online platform — to encourage involvement, activism and empowerment by offering youth a space to share their views and to have their voices be heard. These platforms provided an opportunity to discuss the positive changes visible in their communities and the types of ideas being developed for the foreseeable future, giving the movement even more strength by focusing on the outcomes surfacing in society as a beneficial result of the revolution.

The Youth for Change program is designed to speak to the issues of awareness and developing the skills of young people to inspire and enable them to invest their energies in their communities, as they are a powerful resource of creativity and forward thinking. The Arab Spring provided a boost to this mandate by reinforcing the need for youth engagement, the value of dialogue when faced with obstacles, and the importance of entrepreneurship opportunities. Youth for Change has encouraged young people to seek out a role in their communities by being agents of change, and we have already noticed a difference since the movement succeeded in shifting society’s values — our applicants have been younger on average, and conference attendees have been noticeably more knowledgeable due to personal connection or imperative for action on the issues that affect their communities and country.

In December, our team of Coordinators attended a three-day Orientation and capacity-building session hosted at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt, alongside Advisors and local host organizations. Topics covered at the Orientation included leadership, fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, and social media.

20 annualreport2011

We delivered the first cycle of the Change Inc. online e-course in partnership with the Public Policy Forum and the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. The 9-week e-course, which offered access to training in the skills that are essential to crafting effective social innovation projects, was delivered to a total of 75 students across Ontario between the ages of 16 and 21. Partnerships with the Ministry of Education’s Student Voices Program as well as our ongoing relationship with the Ontario Student

Trustees Association aided us in recruiting rising stars with innovative ideas who are driven to combine social justice with enterprise by exploring entrepreneurship models that creatively address a community challenge.

Change Inc. is a program for Ontario youth aged 16-25 that aids in building the knowledge, skills, connections, and resources needed to turn their ideas into initiatives and enterprises that drive positive change.http://changeinc.tigweb.org

My motivation [to enroll in Change Inc] was my desire to see change in the world and my belief in my ability and responsibility to create that change.

— Change Inc. e-course participant“

This past year saw three cycles of the Sprout e-course, which was recognized as an exemplar in applied learning technology at two international events: the One Young World Summit in Zürich, Switzerland, and the YMCA International Conference in San Francisco, USA. Celebrated for its ability to engage youth with aspirations in social entrepreneurship looking to develop the tools necessary to propel their ideas into comprehensive plans for launching a project. The skills and knowledge acquired by Sprout graduates include the development of clear and effective mandates, identifying stakeholders, team building, financing and sustainability, and marketing.

Another major highlight of 2011 was the production of two videos featuring the Sprout e-course and Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation. The videos enabled us to profile the Sprout experience and the program’s alumni, helping us to attract extraordinary talent and new partnerships, notably with the Centre for Social Innovation in Ontario, Students Without Borders Academy in British Columbia, and the Louis Riel School Division in Manitoba. These partnerships allowed us to deliver our innovative online learning experience to engage high school students in developing the creation of social innovations.

The Sprout e-course aims to equip a diverse group of courageous youth with the essential skills to craft effective social innovation projects and change their corner of the world for the better.http://www.sproutecourse.org

I learned that starting something is not as difficult as I once thought it was. I now know that, should I ever have another long term project idea, that I shouldn’t feel discouraged by my lack of experience, because I now have all of the tools and resources that I need to create change.

— Bailey Guenther, Canada, Sprout 2011 Graduate“

Sprout has exposed me to a variety of global issues and the projects my peers are undertaking to tackle them. It has definitely ignited my flame to make a difference in marginalised communities.

— Zi Xuan Yap, Singapore, Sprout 2011 Graduate and Global Teen Leader“

Students lining up to learn more about the Sprout programme at a conference.

TakingITGlobal 21

The Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation is an international fellowship program that supports the most promising social change projects created by TakingITGlobal's network of youth leaders.http://www.pearsonfoundation.org

The purpose of the Pearson Fellowship for Social Innovation Program is to offer a framework of support for Pearson Fellows to leverage their existing knowledge, skills, and capital to advance their world-changing initiatives.

This year’s group of selected Pearson Fellows hailed from nine countries including: Cameroon, Canada, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The 12 Fellows evolved the projects they had developed in the Sprout e-course from the planning stage to reality with the aid of four months of peer learning, pitch training, business consulting, marketing, and mentoring.

The program incubated the Fellows’ projects via access to industry experts, mentors, and strategic advisors, to bolster the potential success of their start-up social ventures. Ten leading experts in entrepreneurship, social innovation, and philanthropy, and six subject-matter experts came together in an online capacity to work relentlessly with the Fellows toward launching their change-initiatives. In addition to participating in the Fellowship program, ten Fellows received seed grants of $1,000 USD, and two top recipients received grants of $5,000 USD each.

Five subject-matter experts were engaged to deliver four webinars on topics of universal benefit to our budding social innovators. Webinars covered everything from spreading social good through social media, digital storytelling and marketing, measuring social impact, and sustaining the change-maker.

100% of participants were either ‘Satisfied’ or ‘Very Satisfied’ with their Pearson Fellowship experience

85% of participants are ‘Promoters’ of the Pearson Fellowship and would recommend it to other Sprout graduates

Overall 73% of Pearson Fellows believe, to a very large extent, the Fellowship played a crucial role in moving their initiative forward

42% of Pearson Fellows are female participants

75% of participants are college graduates

We can only lift others to our level that’s why it is important to learn more. The training I got from Sprout/Pearson Fellowship has been fundamental [to Self Help’s growth].

— Edna Akullo, 24, Uganda“

Pearson gave us an impetus to expand our outreach. With that came a lot of responsibilities on the team. The [program] helped me design evaluation tools that helped us all take decisions as a team based on evidence rather than speculation.

— Pankaj Jethwani, 22, India“

Students brainstorming on how to move their business ideas forward.

Social innovators collaborating during the incubation phase of their project. Pearson Fellow in India doing business with members of his community.

22 annualreport2011

In partnership with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, GYCA continued to offer free e-course training in project management, political advocacy, and fundraising through TakingITGlobal’s online learning platform. Participants acquired the skills to effectively develop and manage local projects, locate potential funding and write persuasive grant proposals, and implement political advocacy campaigns to hold governments and institutions accountable to commitments made on youth and HIV/AIDS.

Throughout the year, GYCA members traveled extensively to participate in multiple international meetings and events. The GYCA Southern Africa Focal Point represented our project at the UNAIDS High Level Commission on HIV Prevention in May. The meeting addressed leveraging social media for social change and the important role of mobile technology for HIV prevention. In June, members traveled to New York to join staff to participate in the UN High Level Meeting on AIDS, where we advocated the importance

Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS empowers young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources, and opportunities they need to escalate HIV and AIDS interventions among their peers.http://gyca.tigweb.org

GYCA network comprises of 6,500 young leaders and adult allies in 170 countries

To date, over 800 young people have been trained through the GYCA e-courses

In 2011, 107 young leaders were trained in comparison to 64 young leaders in 2010.

Please accept my appreciation and gratitude for all your effort in helping me to undergo this great e-course. This e-course definitely improves my knowledge and skill in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating a project.

— Fita, 25, Project Management e-course participant, Indonesia“

The e-course has given me the confidence to approach donors and try untested avenues to get funding.

— Kambasu, 27, Grant Writing and Fundraising e-course participant, Uganda“

of the Mali Call to Action and the strengthening of youth organizations during an official side event. During the UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS, held later in June, our members participated in a session focusing on access to information and services for key young affected populations, and provided recommendations to be included in the Call to Action. GYCA staff and Focal Points took on strong leadership roles as members facilitated a presentation on strategies to influence regional and international policies; ran a session on human rights; led a session on stigma and discrimination; and served on the Drafting Committee for the Call to Action.

We also had a strong and visible presence at the events throughout the UN High Level Meeting on Youth, where we had the opportunity to showcase winning artwork from the Global Creative Contest during a side session focused on Social Media Activism. In tandem with the meeting, our New York staff hosted the Regional Focal Points for their annual training and to chart the future course of the program. Future plans put forth included the development of an alumni program to bridge the gap between those who age out of the GYCA system and those who remain, and to leverage the talent and skill sets of alumni towards organizational development.

GYCA focal points participating in a strategic retreat in New York City, USA.

Lindsay speaking on the Women Deliver panel at the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS.

TakingITGlobal 23

In November, the GYAN team supported international youth delegations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s COP17 Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa. We worked with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition to raise the profile of young people at the event, to hold polluting governments accountable, and to represent the youth voice in the policy discussions by supporting YOUNGO, the official youth constituency. In a meeting with the UNFCCC Secretariat and other youth leadership organizations, we presented recommendations and feedback for ways to improve youth support processes through the COP process.

A GYAN representative was selected by the UNFPA to be a youth rapporteur at the UN Department of Public Information and Non Governmental Organizations Annual Conference themed “Sustainable Societies; Responsive Citizens.” In this role, we were able to report on the outcomes of the event, while advocating for strong language in the outcome statement to emphasize overlaps between environmental issues and gender, sexual health and population issues. The team also provided input for the UNFPA youth engagement strategy at a strategic retreat of the UNFPA Global Youth Advisory Panel. Input from this meeting will help to direct a youth focused strategy which sets the course for the 2014 International Conference on Population Development.

GYAN’s developments centered around providing opportunities for young people to be represented at international forums, strengthening connections and overlap across issue focused networks as part of the YouthMovements program, and supporting the international mobilization toward the upcoming Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, taking place in June 2012.

In July, GYAN attended the UN High Level Meeting on Youth where we announced the launch of YouthMovements.org, tracked the commitments made to youth by governments at the General Assembly, and supported the release of The Youth Effect—a toolkit for decision makers on how to effectively engage young people in their work. We contributed to a panel discussion alongside other international youth networks on the role of social media in raising the profile of sustainable development issues, and the role of mobilizing young people towards Rio+20.

The Global Youth Action Network is among the largest networks of youth organizations in the world, acting as an incubator of global partnerships and a global information provider.http://gyan.tigweb.org

Accredited more than 30 youth to attend UN meetings over the year

Participated in Road to RIO+20 mobilization along with 50 other partner organizations around the world

Executive Director Jennifer Corriero and members of the GYAN team attended the UN High Level Meeting on Youth.

International youth delegates at a group work session at UN Headquarters in New York.

24 annualreport2011

YouthMovements exists to create a global support network for mentorship, collaboration, and the sharing of resources through networks that support an environment of transparency, aggregation, and co-operation across the youth engagement sector. Building on our pre-existing social action "Projects" platform, we developed the program by identifying a need to overcome fragmentation, increase visibility, and create connections across and between movements of youth. As it stands, information — intended for, and created by young people — is spread across multiple platforms, organizations, and social networks, which each present their own challenges in accessing and aggregating. While there are a wide range of levels of technological expertise associated with accessing this data, the varying capacity can sometimes create barriers from a data sharing and management perspective.

YouthMovements is a collaborative program that connects, supports, and promotes youth-led and youth-serving projects by mapping visual data and increasing contact between diverse networks of engaged young people.http://www.youthmovements.org

A panel discussion celebrating the International Year of Youth at the UN.

The Opening Reception of The Nexus Youth Summit in tandem with the UN High Level Meeting on Youth.

With funding from the Knight Foundation, the YouthMovements concept officially launched at the UN High Level Meeting on Youth in July, celebrating the International Year of Youth. We experienced a strong and positive response to the value YouthMovements has to offer to the youth engagement sector. Through initial outreach, our team created momentum to attract key partnerships, allowing the project to kickstart with strong supporting ideas and collaborative inputs from inception. Shortly after, we hosted two inquiry group webinars — on The Digital Divide and Models of Change — taking place in the form of collaborative online meetings that engaged with leading youth organizations and serving to explore common themes across the sector. With over twenty participating organizations, we shared best practices and

common challenges in an effort to learn from the past, and document the takeaways in an effort to move forward collectively in setting priorities for YouthMovements. In doing so, we contacted key UN agencies to research their current engagement with young people in order to accurately reflect the pathways to action and opportunities available.

Still in the project’s early stages, we developed the YouthMovements map, which aggregates project information from youth organizations around the world in order to showcase effective projects in the field and to provide young people with a visual representation of what is happening in their communities. In gearing up for the 2012 YouthMovements Summit, we focused on recruiting Network Partners and Knowledge Partners in order to broaden the impact of YouthMovements on the sector, and to plan an inclusive conference. These preliminary steps strengthened our mission and our understanding of the importance of the work ahead of us!

TakingITGlobal 25

Global Dignity Day is an initiative that aims to instill a positive, inclusive and interconnected sense of value in youth and adults from around the world and from all walks of life — guiding them to become their best selves through the power of dignity, as well as shared stories of dignity.http://www.globaldignity.org

Inspired by a gathering with fellow Young Global Leaders in Norway last spring, our activities in Canada, led by Canada Country Chair Jennifer Corriero, were modeled after insights gained through shared experiences and combined with the unique perspective shaped by our nation’s diverse and multicultural landscape. Hosted in Canada through TakingITGlobal, over 3,400 students from 22 schools across the nation joined the Global Dignity movement on October 20th, 2011.

Children and youth everywhere face an opportunity gap. However, the fact that the gap is man-made means that we have control over its size, and we can narrow this gap by fostering school learning environments that are respectful of diversity, and are caring and collaborative. The goal of Global Dignity Day is to start our students on their journey of cultivating the ability to empathize with others and to instill in them the recognition that every

TIG team members celebrate Global Dignity Day on October 20th.

Students participating in Dignity Day storytelling.

life has equal value. Some may be born into affluence and some into poverty, but every person deserves their own sense of dignity by having access to education, healthcare, income and security. By acknowledging existing inequalities, students will see that they have the ability to impact and enrich the lives of others through their own actions and choices, thereby promoting awareness and a social conscious during a key time in their development.

THE PRINCIPLES OF GLOBAL DIGNITY:

1. Every human being has a right to a dignified life.

2. A dignified life means the opportunity to fulfill your potential. This means having a humane level of healthcare, education, income and security.

3. Dignity means having the freedom to make decisions about your life and to be treated with respect with regard to this right.

4. Dignity should be the basic guiding principle behind all actions.

5. Ultimately, our dignity depends upon the dignity of others.

The one-day program contributes to strengthening character development among students by staying within the spirit of the Global Dignity Principles. Students learn about the importance of dignity in their own lives and the lives of others, and realize that many people around the world are treated as if their lives are of lesser importance than others. From there, they learn how to express in their own words what dignity means for them in their life, and will learn how their own dignity is mutually dependent on the dignity of others.

As part of TIG’s involvement in the project, we recruited a nation-wide Steering Committee to cover outreach, and internally we developed material for both elementary and secondary schools, specific to each province’s curriculum. We assisted with setup, organizing guest speakers and providing online support to Youth Coordinators in their schools. Our highlight was involving 1,500 active participants from six schools in a Canada-wide interactive videoconference led by the Centre for Global Education in Edmonton. Through a series of activities, students discussed the significance of dignity, shared personal experiences of strengthening another person’s dignity, and created pledges committing to helping others live dignified lives.

internship program

As part of our ongoing efforts to address issues of youth unemployment, we are continuing to invest in our growing internship program. Approximately 15 positions are posted in a quarterly cycle, creating opportunities for young people to develop relevant work experience in our Toronto office on both internal and external projects.

In addition to tactical skills built through efforts to support TakingITGlobal projects, the internship program creates relevant experiential learning through in-house professional development workshops, participation in open-forum organizational planning, and opportunities to represent projects and programs at conferences.

Through an increasingly rigorous orientation and professional development process, our interns have been involved at all levels of the organization. In addition to acquiring valuable experience working as members of cross-functional teams, internship participants are encouraged to define their own success trajectory, blending personal and professional goals with TakingITGlobal’s project or program objectives.

Through this combination of bottom-up and top-down collaborative planning, the ambition is to create work plans that allow TakingITGlobal staff to support internship participants in furthering the development and application of their skills within a professional context.

Through the guidance of the TIG staff, I was able to receive hands-on experience managing and liaising with a dedicated group of volunteers from different parts of the world. I was given the freedom to take initiative and encouraged to make my own choices, within the scope of my position.

— Harpreet Sehmbi, Volunteer Management Coordinator

“

Through amazing guidance by TIG mentors, I was able to expand and develop my communication, research, and analytical skills immensely. I was introduced to various tools and applications, such as Microsoft Project, where I learned how to better organize project information and create timelines to track and control different projects effectively. The valuable project management skills I have gained through my internship will be applicable throughout my professional career.

— Jignasa Patel, Research & Communications Coordinator

“

26 annualreport2011

TakingITGlobal 27

28 annualreport2011

Each time a young person stands up for what they believe in, another young person who shares that belief is motivated to stand up as well. And in the end, you will see a sea of people who share your belief. I realized the power of my voice because of TIG. TIG connected me to inspiring young individuals who are doing great things in their communities. It’s when I saw this that I asked myself, 'If they can do it, why can't I?'

— Shobana Nair, Malaysia

“

research

Building upon the momentum of the 2010 Member Research Survey, this past year we actively created opportunities for TakingITGlobal members to share their reflections on their work with and through our network. We invited 30 youth participants from the 2010 research initiative to partake in one-on-one phone, chat, and Skype interviews.

The one-on-one interviews focused on recognizing the diversity of approaches to leadership and impact that are represented within the TIG community. The interviews referenced TIG’s Archetypes of Youth Leadership, and served as a point of departure for deeper efforts to understand leadership within the TIG online community.

We were inspired to see that over 75% of those who partook in the 2010 Member Research Survey were interested in participating in follow-up research initiatives, which has resulted in plans to increase research efforts moving into 2012.

TIG’s focus on exploring leadership and motivation through the youth lens was shared by researchers at Toronto’s York University. Working in collaboration with Dr. Michaela Hynia, head of York University’s Psychology Department, we worked to connect the discussion of leadership in the classroom with leadership as it is expressed among TIG members online. Working as a community partner, TIG supported three groups of fourth-year psychology students in framing online surveys that will be launched in early 2012.

This past year has also seen TIG work in conjunction with Coburn Ventures as a key contributor to an ongoing series of gatherings taking place in New York City. By convening groups of experts across a host of fields from the financial and business worlds to academic and not-for-profit, these working sessions create an opportunity for new questions, ideas, relationships, and insights to develop.

With an increasing focus on inter-generational dialogue, TIG has been involved in facilitating discussions and bringing members from the New York City area into the conversation directly. Far from a traditional focus group, participants actively participated in the conversations that were of greatest interest to them, providing their own insights and own perspectives.

34.3%North America

1.1%Central America& Caribbean

3.3%South America

10.2%Europe

19.1%Africa

18.9%Asia

5.7%Oceania

0.3%Polar Regions

7.1%Middle East& North Africa

34.3%North America

1.1%Central America& Caribbean

3.3%South America

10.2%Europe

19.1%Africa

18.9%Asia

5.7%Oceania

0.3%Polar Regions

7.1%Middle East& North Africa

TakingITGlobal 29

Currently we run 3 projects aimed to empower rural youth, and one of the main components is teaching them to use ICT's for development, we even have an online community for each of our projects on TIG and we register everyone on the group, they are able to interact with each other, share pictures, experiences, discuss, explore new opportunities, etc.

— Eugeniu Graur, Moldova

“

One of the reasons why I suddenly started [my] environmental campaign was because I was reading a lot about young people around the world doing different things to change something. These stories were from TIG. Now we have more environmental groups in Vietnam, but back then in 2005 when I started the campaign, it was something rare for a group of people to start something out of 'nowhere'.

— Hong Anh Nguyen, Vietnam

“

What separates a successful youth from one who is not successful is not money but the availability of relevant information and a platform for collaboration and the exchange of ideas and experiences. TakingITGlobal has been a great resource with regards to information access and dissemination. It brings together individuals and institutions of similar interest and helps young people understand the potential that lies in using technology to champion activities in a manner that is easy.

— Issac Chanda, Zambia

“

I realised from TIG that involvement is the only way to get things done the way we (youth) want them to be done! The information about HIV and human rights issues truly mentored me into volunteering! I am sharing content all the time, trying as hard as I can to promote diversity and acceptance, advocating for the voices of people with mental and physical disability to be heard and to have the same share of the national cake!

— Sulaiman Kikulwe, Uganda

“

34.3%North America

1.1%Central America& Caribbean

3.3%South America

10.2%Europe

19.1%Africa

18.9%Asia

5.7%Oceania

0.3%Polar Regions

7.1%Middle East& North Africa

34.3%North America

1.1%Central America& Caribbean

3.3%South America

10.2%Europe

19.1%Africa

18.9%Asia

5.7%Oceania

0.3%Polar Regions

7.1%Middle East& North Africa

We reached 5.1 million visitors in 2011. Our members are socially engaged youth between 13 and 30: active members of change, informed consumers and the most influential demographic in today's world.

30 annualreport2011

2011 2010

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash $ 63,364 $ 152,080

Accounts receivable 452,041 322,530

Prepaid expenses and sundry assets 42,662 23,232

558,067 497,842

Capital - at cost less accumulated amortization 150,184 76,076

$ 708,251 $ 573,918

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 112,028 $ 95,012

Deferred revenues 115,641 90,926

227,669 185,938

Long-term

Deferred capital contributions 101,164 31,724

328,833 217,662

NET ASSETS

Unrestricted net assets 379,418 356,256

$ 708,251 $ 573,918

Unrestricted 2011Total

2010Total

BALANCE Beginning of year $ 356,256 $ 356,256 $ 268,790

Excess of revenues over expenses 23,162 23,162 87,466

BALANCE End of year $ 379,418 $ 379,418 $ 356,256

statement of financial positionCanada

TakingITGlobal 31

2011 2010

REVENUES

Grants $ 974,217 $ 644,980

Program licensing and public speaking 311,628 323,123

Unrestricted contributions 186,518 129,584

1,472,363 1,097,687

In-kind contributions 540,754 500,281

Amortization of deferred capital contributions 25,275 18,027

2,038,392 1,615,995

EXPENSES

Salaries, benefits and internships 785,530 609,627

Advertising and promotion, in-kind and other 484,708 488,184

Project support services 171,257 12,867

Travel 169,058 107,259

Office and general 98,386 56,219

Memberships and dues 60,233 4,852

Rent 53,160 47,286

Professional fees 41,117 33,528

Communications 34,223 40,874

Bad debts 25,336 42,306

Bookkepping fees 17,423 11,535

Foreign exchange loss 15,638 23,214

Insurance 9,333 10,867

Technology support 8,318 7,561

Amortization 41,510 32,350

2,015,230 1,528,529

Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues over Expenses $ 23,162 $ 87,466

statement of operationsCanada

32 annualreport2011

statement of financial position

2011 2010

ASSETS

Cash (Note 5) $ 110,892 $ 169,001

Unconditional promises to give (Notes 1b and 3)

Unrestricted 6,162 4,500

Restricted for future programs and periods 84,438 -

Security deposit 1,300 1,300

Property and equipment, at cost, (net of accumulated depreciation) (Notes 1d and 4)

17,336 28,337

Total Assets $ 220,128 $ 203,138

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued expenses (Note 6) $ 79,415 $ 22,274

Commitment (Note 7)

Net assets

Unrestricted (57,463) 68,864

Temporarily restricted (Note 2) 198,176 112,000

Total Net Assets 140,713 180,864

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 220,128 $ 203,138

United States

TakingITGlobal 33

2011 2010

CHANGES IN UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS

Revenue and Other Support

Grants and Contributions (Note 1b) $ 261,520 $ 391,219

Service contracts 498 29

Interest income 335 693

262,353 391,941

Net Assets Released from Restrictions

Satisfaction of time and program restrictions 107,150 144,272

Total Revenue and Other Support 396,503 536,213

EXPENSES

Program Services 442,101 310,801

Supporting Services

Management and general 47,191 146,953

Fundraising 6,538 14,691

Total Supporting Services 53,729 161,644

Total Expenses 495,830 472,445

Increase (Decrease) in Unrestricted Net Assets (126,327) 63,768

Changes in Temporarily Restricted Net Assets

Contributions 193,326 112,000

Net Assets released from restrictions (107,150) (144,272)

Increase (Decrease) in Temporarily Restricted Net Assets 86,176 (32,272)

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets (40,151) 31,496

NET ASSETS Beginning of Year 180,864 149,368

NET ASSETS End of Year $ 140,713 $ 180,864

statement of activitiesUnited States

34 annualreport2011

partners and supporters

US BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Benjamin Quinto (Chairman)Founder, Global Youth Action Network

General Manager, Natural-Immunogenics Corp

Michael Furdyk (Treasurer)Director of Finance & Technology

TakingITGlobal

Ellen Ratchye-FosterPrincipal

Burning Glass Consulting

Ricardo BaruchYouth Force Co-ordinator

International AIDS Conference

Vivianna GuzmanExecutive VP, CFO & Treasurer

American Management Association

Joshua GormanFounder

Generation Waking Up

THANK YOU TO OUR INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Amy Meyer

Benjamin Quinto

Cheryl Hayden

Chijioke Okonkwo

Danielle Naretto

Dawn Dusevic

Denise Jeffs

Donation Report

Ellen Ratchye-Foster

Emily Lowing

Fabrice Marre

Franziska Seel

CANADA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ron Mitchell (President)Executive VP, Marketing & Communications,

Fujitsu Consulting

Ellen Ratchye-Foster (Vice-President)Principal

Burning Glass Consulting

Matthew Pupic (Treasurer)Director, Finance and Development

Project Ploughshares

François-Philippe ChampagneStrategic Development Director

AMEC

Kevin FritzPartner

Wildeboer Dellelce LLP

Rahaf HarfoushAssociate Director, Technology Pioneers

World Economic Forum

Virginia MantyckiClient Executive, Consultant & Facilitator

Critical Path Strategies

Guillermo Labrada

Idit Harel-Caperton

Jason Dorsey

Jordana Fraider

Kevin Fritz

Kim Samuel Johnson

Mark Weber

Matthew Pupic

Megan Taslaman

MindShare Learning

Morgan Plant

Natural Immunogenics Corporation

Neena Dhanda

Paul Clemens

Rex Lee

Robert Potter

Robert Martelacci

Ron Mitchell

Simon Heppner

Stefanie Wilson

Veena Gondhalekar

Win Ling Chia

Zuzana Stehlikova

PROGRAM PARTNERS

Adobe Foundation

Alberta Education

Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation

Best Buy Children’s Foundation

Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Canada Council for the Arts

Canadian Heritage

Centre for Global Education

Coburn Ventures

Government of Extremadura, Spain

John S. and James L.

Knight Foundation

LEARN Quebec

Microsoft Partners in Learning

MTV Staying Alive Foundation

National Capital Commission

Pearson Education

Pearson Foundation

Service Canada

Smithsonian Institution

Staples Foundation for Learning

World Vision Canada

YMCA of Greater Toronto

TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

Adobe Systems

Assistly

Cisco Systems

Google

JanRain RPX

Microsoft

Pingdom

Riverbed

Salesforce.com Foundation

SendGrid

Server Density

UserVoice

WorldLingo

Special Thanks to our Partners and Supporters in 2011!

TakingITGlobal 35

special thanks

STAFF AND INTERNS

Abra Rissi

Adrian Deachman-Lachance

Amanda Cembal

Amerti Arity

Andy Tran

Anique Jordan

Annika Waddell

Arman Hamidian

Ayla Khosroshahi

Cameron Klapwyk

Chris MacDougall

Christine Kissoore

Christine Thompson

Connor Maultsaid-Blair

Dalia Rashid

Daniela Herrera

Daniela Kiszti

David Tran

Deanna Del Vecchio

Duri Song

Edgar González Rodríguez

Ella Huang

Ellen Martin

Fatima Jafri

Francisco Pereira

Frank Goerz

Gayatri Relan

Hadia Raheel

Harpreet Sehmbi

Jaclyn Perlman

Jeff Clemens

Jennifer Corriero

Jignasa Patel

Joyce Chen

Julie Baldassi

Katherine Walraven

Kathryn Gatto

Kelli Korducki

Kelly Hazlett

Kendyl Sebesta

Kerri Scheer

Kristen Gamble

Kristle Calisto-Tavares

Lavinia Sharp

Leah Gardiner

Liam O'Doherty

Lily Wu

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Lindsay Menard-Freeman

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