Youth for Conservation Forum, April 21, 2010Multi-Citti Eurocamp, Summer 2010March for Tigers, May 2011GEF Take Your Child to Work Day, May 2011

YOUTH FOR CONSERVATION FORUM

With the arrival of the Year of the Tiger, we are witness to numerous upsetting headlines like: "Demand Supports Illegal Trade in Tiger Parts" and "Exposed: Dark secrets of tiger farms where tigers' bodies are plundered to make £185 wine." The Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF) is an organization founded by students at the National Cathedral School to stand up and make efforts to raise awareness about wildlife conservation and biodiversity issues.

The YFCF is especially concerned about the wild tiger crisis. There were once over 100,000 happy tigers roaming the forests of Asia, but now there are less than 3,200. Why? It is due to poaching, habitat loss, fragmentation, poor development choices, and other factors. In fact, tigers may become extinct by the next year of the tiger: 2022.

There are eight sub-species of tiger: Bali, Bengal, Caspian, Indochinese, Javan, Siberian, South China, and Sumatran, but only five remain in existence. Illegal killing and trade of wild tiger parts are threats induced by human activity. Farmers often kill tigers when tigers intrude upon their land or threaten their livestock, but the fact is humans are intruding upon the tigers' territory. With tiger habitats shrinking and fragmenting, where are these magnificent creatures to go? What are they to eat?

Human activities such as the building of dams, the construction of roads, lumbering, and the conversion of tiger habitat to agricultural production all are contributing factors for tigers that threaten the whole species with extinction.

Tigers also serve as religious and cultural icons of Asia. In fact, they appear on the flags of many countries and are the official national symbol for others. It is no wonder they are called the world's most charismatic creature.

Our first project at YFCF is to take part in the Global Tiger Initiative. One of our main goals is to attract more youth to the important cause of wild tiger conservation and protection of biodiversity. Several founding members of the YFCF joined the "Vanishing Icons" event and photo exhibit held at the World Bank in Washington, DC on April 21st.
They had the opportunity to meet leaders such as Robert Zoellick, the President of the World Bank, who is a major wild tiger enthusiast!

What role do youth have in the future of wildlife? The fact is that our generation inherits the current crisis and will influence the future! By advocating for tigers today, our future and the tiger's future can change. Creating a network where information and ideas are passed around is the first step to creating change and to giving aid to the wild tigers, who stand at the top of the food chain.

Please join us in the movement towards saving the tiger so that we're not only left with familiar faces like Tigger and Tony the Tiger, but with tigers of the wild, roaming wild Asian forests in the place that they call home.

Contact us at yfcforum@yahoo.com from your schools so that we can expand our network and further develop our actions for this cause! Any stories, pictures, or comments that relate to tigers or wildlife conservation are welcome!

Youth for Conservation campers build a global network to support tigers

AUGUST, Year of the Tiger – Cesenatico, Italy – This past summer, the Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF) brought the theme of wildlife conservation to a wide audience of young people from around the world at an international camp known as the MULTI-CITTI EUROCAMP, held on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Cesenatico, Italy. The global youth camp brought students together from seven different countries and three different continents to overcome language and cultural barriers through sports activities, artistic expression, and exploration and education on worldwide youth movements.

While volunteering as a counselor at this camp, I worked with camp organizers to create this year’s camp wildlife conservation theme: “Save The Tiger!” Along with fellow counselors from Italy and Holland, we prepared and delivered a multilingual presentation about how YFCF is partnering with the Global Tiger Initiative in order to spread information about the tiger population crisis and the trend toward extinction across Asia. We hope to ultimately engage youth in large numbers around the globe as part of a Save the Tiger movement to bring attention to major issues such as protecting habitats, stopping illegal trade, reducing demand for tiger parts and closing down tiger farms.

One of YFCF’s main goals is to expand our network to the youth of Europe and Asia. The presentation we gave in Italy was in three languages, and we strongly advocated that it is today’s younger generation who can voice the most creative, fresh, and new ideas in order to change the future of our planet for the better.

The organizers dedicated an entire day to a multicultural participation conserving the wild tiger. Campers came up with various creative activities such as a tiger drawing contest, trivia and games, and by the end of the day many of the campers had transformed into tigers with tiger face paint.

The participants share my belief that when accompanied by a universal goal, continuous enthusiasm, and a burning drive, our generation has the power to motivate and influence leaders and officials to take steps to protect the planet and conserve wildlife and biodiversity. Today’s young generation needs to be prepared to make the right choices to save endangered wildlife species from extinction and to influence tomorrow’s agenda on the future of our planet.

Our network started in Washington D.C., but we hope to expand in different areas around the globe to raise awareness and suggest creative solutions and projects that will aid in the protection and conservation of critically endangered wild tiger and other threatened species.

Stephanie Leontiev

President and Founding member
Youth for Conservation Forum
Washington, DC

Camp participants talk tigers

Young Conservationists continue to spread conservation message

Event at Smithsonian Zoo raises funds for IFAW

Smithsonian National Zoological Park – Washington, DC – If the dedicated students from the Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF) have their way, soon everyone will know about the crisis facing wildlife and wild tigers. The group’s latest efforts took place outside the Smithsonian Zoo, where on a sunny May 28, young activists clad in tiger hats, masks, and ears marched on Connecticut Avenue, alerting DC weekenders about the plight of the endangered wild tiger with creative slogans and cheers.

The YFCF team, which has taken on the role of the Global Tiger Initiative’s “youth partner” over the last year, spoke with bystanders and zoo-goers about the importance of wildlife conservation and distributed magazines and flyers to anyone who would listen.

The festive atmosphere drew support from passersby, and drivers along Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington DC repeatedly honked to signal support for the young people and the awareness-raising activities they were engaged in.

Stephanie Leontiev, a high school student at National Cathedral School and founder of the YFCF, and colleague Conor Bagley from Georgetown Day School, introduced zoo-goers to the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW’s) “Think Twice” pledge, a public petition to avoid buying or selling any goods that are made from tiger parts. Proceeds from sales of tiger souvenirs and merchandise also were donated to IFAW.

Stephanie spoke of her hopes for the march: “My generation has inherited the tiger crisis and if we don’t act now, we could be the last generation to appreciate these magnificent animals... We hope this march raises awareness and encourages our peers to raise their voices in support of efforts to avert this wildlife crisis and the potential extinction of the species.“

The Youth for Conservation Forum says it is enlarging its network of young leaders so that the next generation will be more environmentally aware and will naturally take upon itself a serious commitment to wildlife conservation. Soon the burdens of molding a sustainable future and the hopes of restoring balance to nature and preserving biodiversity and wildlife will shift to this new generation. If these young people are a good sample, then the future for our biodiversity and endangered wildlife may not be as bleak as it seems today.

Global Environment Facility kids undergo “Tiger Transformation” on Take Your Child to Work Day

Global Environment Facility, Washington, DC – Celebrating the one day of the year when parents are encouraged to bring their children to the workplace and give a lesson about what Mom and Dad actually do, the Youth for Conservation Forum (YFCF) led tiger-themed activities, trivia, and a presentation for about 25 children on April 28.

Stephanie Leontiev, founder of the YFCF, along with Conor Bagley, led the tiger conservation awareness activities, presenting an Animal Planet video, “Spy in the Jungle,” and an informative slide show about panthera tigris, one of the world’s most critically endangered species, and worldwide conservation efforts to save the tiger. The children quickly engaged the YFCF, asking incisive and sometimes difficult questions such as, “Why do tigers eat meat?” and “Why do people poach tigers?”

Keshav Varma, Program Director for the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative, spoke to the group about his experiences with wild tigers as a youth and also shared wildlife photographs from his recent visit to Corbett National Park in India, one of the important remaining tiger habitats.

Following the “Why Tigers Matter/ What’s the Matter with Tigers?” presentation, the children showed off their animal knowledge during tiger trivia. The enthusiasm overflowed as each correct answer resulted in a special prize awarded to the young tiger wallahs.

The children concluded the day with a “tiger transformation” where everyone lined up for face paintings, each different and featuring white, orange, and black stripes. Soon the room was full of young tiger cubs! The Global Environment Facility parents expressed thanks and appreciation as the day’s activities finished with a loud tiger roar. The YFCF has been engaging with the Global Tiger Initiative and partners in various awareness events beginning last year, the Year of the Tiger.

The excitement continues as summer is ushered in, and the YFCF will hold an event at the Smithsonian Zoological Park in Washington on May 28. See below for more details.

May 28 Event at the Smithsonian Zoo