Elisa Scarton

Hi, my name’s Elisa. I’m 21-years-old who comes from a long line of chronic worriers. Panic-stricken at the best of times, I am utterly and compulsively unable to sit back and watch our world unravel. So I penned a column in my university’s magazine, bombarding my fellow students with tips on how to be kinder to Mother Earth. Sure, my columns are no Inconvenient Truth, but I’d like to think that someone, somewhere, now looks upon bottled water with disdain it deserves thanks to me. The idea warms the cockles of my heart. And don’t even get me started on fair trade chocolate. You’ll never look at a Caramello Koala in the same way ever again…

Not content with bugging my relatively small community of university readers, I decided to take my message global. Online journalism is incredible and unequalled. No other outlet provides you with the same kind of freedom or audience. I love a good crowd! It was via my online trawlings that I found about the UN Conference. I immediately knew I wanted to be a part of it.

This conference is big. Even if you don’t know what the UN means, I’m sure you can feel the undercurrent of excitement that is buzzing in Melbourne, and the world, as this conference draws nearer. It’s all
about the Millennium Developmental Goals. Goals that weren’t set with grisly old politicians in mind, but us, the youths of the world, the future. We’re the ones that are going make these goals a reality. How can you not want to be a part of something like that?

I’m on the side of change. I want to raise awareness about global health and poverty. I won’t just hide my head in the sand and pretend it’ll just go away. And I want to get as many other young people on board as I can. Not because they feel they have to, but because they want to.