The J8 gives children and young people an opportunity to speak directly to world leaders, decision makers and the public about global issues that affect them. All children and young people share a fundamental right to participate in voicing their opinions and participating in decision-making processes around issues that affect them. The J8 Summit was created as one of many worldwide institutions and traditions to uphold and protect this right.
The Junior 8 encourages young people to learn about global issues, form their own ideas about these issues, and have their say in a global dialogue with other young people.
This section includes links to learning materials around J8 topic areas. We hope that the materials below will be helpful for your work with young people.
Climate change and global warming
Games
- Columbia University's Earth Institute Sustainable Development Quiz
Lesson plans
- Saving Tomorrow's World lesson plan from UN CyberSchoolbus
- Cleaner Oceans lesson plan from UN CyberSchoolbus
- Teachernet's resources for teachers on Sustainable Schools
- Resources for teachers from Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
Learn more
- Learning and Teaching Scotland's Global Footprint Calculator
- Ozzy School learning tools about the ozone layer from the United Nations Environment Programme
Take action
- TUNZA Youth network from the United Nations Environment Programme
Global health: Child survival, infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS
Games
- What would you do? game about HIV and AIDS (UNICEF's Voices of Youth)
- Water Alert! game and facilitators' guide from UNICEF's Voices of Youth
- MTV ME game about life skills, HIV and AIDS from the MTV Staying Alive Foundation
- Water Quiz from UN CyberSchoolbus
- Brain teasers on HIV and AIDS from UNICEF's Voices of Youth
Lesson plans
- Fighting Disease lesson plan from UN CyberSchoolbus
Learn more
- Youth Centre with learning materials for State of the World's Children 2008: Child Survival report
- 10 Facts on Child Health from the World Health Organization
Take action
Poverty and development
Games
- Ayiti: The Cost of Life game and lesson plan about poverty as an obstacle to education (Global Kids and UNICEF's Voices of Youth)
- Food Force game on world hunger from the UN World Food Programme
- Play the Free Rice vocabulary game and companies will donate funds to the UN World Food Programme
Lesson plans
- MDG-related lesson plan for high school students from Teach UNICEF
- Poverty-related lesson plan for high school students from Teach UNICEF
- Poverty-related lesson plan from UN CyberSchoolbus
- Lesson plans on global food from UNICEF New Zealand: Good for Everyone, Good Food for All, Making Sure Everyone Gets to Eat, The Right Food
Learn more
- International Monetary Fund information and online learning activities for students
- World Food Programme's map of hunger in the developing world
Take action
- World Bank's YouThink! network for young people
- Take action to Make Poverty History
- World Bank's Development Challenge for eradicating poverty