You Can Change The World

Wendy Kopp
Founder of Teach for America
There is plenty of evidence that it is possible to provide all children, including those who grow up in low-income communities, with an excellent education. Given the magnitude and systemic nature of educational inequity, however, we will need to challenge traditional paradigms in order to realize this goal. The single most important thing we can do to solve educational inequity is to marshal the energy of our society's future leaders against it. We need not just a few, but many, of our top recent college graduates to teach in our highest-poverty communities and then act with the conviction and insight they gain to effect the fundamental changes necessary to bring educational opportunity for all.

Want to take action? Go to teachforamerica.org

Nicholas Negroponte
Founder of One Laptop Per Child
Provide each child in the developing world with a connected laptop. These need to be powerful, rugged, sunlight-readable machines that can be either solar- or human-powered. They must have content and software designed for collaborative, creative, joyful, self-empowered learning. A child should own the laptop for use inside and outside school, for music, games, books—seamlessly integrated in his or her life. I used to think they should cost $100, but now believe they should cost $0. Yes, zero. This is achieved by asking people in the developed world to give one or more, or to buy two, but only get one.

Want to take action? Go to laptop.org

Carla Del Ponte
Former chief prosecutor of U.N. international criminal-law tribunals
The world must be based on democracy, and democracy depends on strong, independent judiciaries. The creation of the International Criminal Court was a breakthrough step toward a world ruled by law, but now the world is falling back into power politics. Many people worldwide lack trust in justice brought by the international community because they have seen such double standards. By refusing to bring justice to certain victims, the international community is creating perfect recruitment fields for terrorist organizations. All crimes must be investigated. All victims have the right to see justice done. To ensure this, we need a world police supervised by the International Tribunal. Peace without justice cannot be sustainable.

Want to take action? Go to carla.delponte@eda.admin.ch

Jeffrey Sachs
Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's most important cause. Achieving the MDGs—to reduce hunger, disease and extreme poverty by 2015—would save millions of lives every year, slow the rate of global population growth, enable impoverished communities to break the poverty trap and eliminate the dire conditions which are fostering extremism and terror. The goals are achievable through proven, cost-effective technologies and global cooperation. By championing the MDGs, the next administration would restore moral luster and can-do leadership to U.S. foreign policy, greatly enhancing U.S. national security in the process.

Want to take action? Go to millenniumpromise.org