Teens & Young Professionals
WILD9 will have an extensive, two-tiered program for youth and young professionals:

1. Our Wild Nature -- Teen Track, 13-19 years
2. Making it Happen - Young Professionals, 20-28 years

WILD 9 for the young at heart is:
• A bold joining of forces and human resources
• A place to give voice to your urgent demand to take care of
  Earth's wild nature
• Your experience of a lifetime to mingle with world experts on
  wilderness, climate change, community development,
  politics,  policy, and more
• Co-creative opportunies with mentors, conservation change
  agents, funders, elders and you being in Mexican wilderness
  and Mayan communities
• International exchange with purpose

1. Our Wild Nature -- Teen Track, 13-19 years
Young people from around the globe will bring to WILD9 their ideas, media, projects, creative expressions, organizations, and curiosity, to make it a World Wilderness Congress that may change people’s lives and the course of global conservation. If you care about wild nature, we want you! What is your wild nature? We will soon post interactive opportunies for you to post your ideas, and talents. Highly motivated and passionate advocates for wild nature will be invited for pre/post congress wilderness experiences. You may be invited to express yourself at WILD9!

Pre-Congress Media Training Session
On the day prior to the start of the Congress, a variety of media experts will present workshops on the use of media in order for teens to act in the role of “Reporters of the Congress”. Experts in video, print, blogging and radio will instruct teens on how to use the technology of the trade as well as the basic skills and formulas for informing the public. You will receive a brief overview of the workshops, and subsequently choose one workshop to attend for the rest of the day. Once you have received training in a specific medium, you will then use that format to report during the entire Congress. You will produce publishable pieces for print, radio, blogs or TV. Your expression on the conservation of wild nature will be called Our Wild Nature.

Cultural Events In addition to the Congress daily cultural sessions, fascinating and fun events will be added for the young at heart. You may dine at your own personal pyramid; make friends for life; spend an afternoon with other Mayan teens in Rural Schools; watch films of wild nature from around the globe; eat authentic Mexican Mayan food; watch Mayan artists create their art; visit and swim in one of the Yucatan’s cenotes – a cave leading to underground pool of water; and more!

Outcomes of your WILD 9 experience:
• Practical action -- Pods of elders, mentors, environmental education organizations, funders, and you will launch or further support wilderness conservation projects

• Outreach and Communicate -- Expressing teen viewpoints through interviewing/blogging/videoing the Congress

2. Making it Happen–Young Professionals, 20-28 years
Aspiring students and young professionals in the environmental field need connections, contacts, mentors and more, so that their life’s work will roll out soon and strong…wild nature will benefit! WILD9 will make available to you networks of advisors and mentors, concurrent sessions for presenting your work, accredited training sessions, the media training as outlined above, and an opportunity to apply for a spot on the plenary platform.

We started this initiative at the 8th WWC in Alaska, and want to build its role in WILD9. To talk about it, contact a couple of the young professionals who lead that group -- Maan Barua (maan at gmail.com), Drew Cason (kowabungadude at gmail.com) or Andrew Wong at the Wilderness Society in Australia (andrew.wong at wilderness.org.au).

If you are a college/university student or young professional and wish to participate in WILD9 in a professional capacity, please complete the Young Professional application (LINK) and send to the secretariat info@wild9.org

CALL FOR SPONSORS
Help the Youth to Have a Voice!
We ask you...to attend, mentor, get involved.
Big ideas take big hearts. Give $, make change.
Bring yours to WILD 9 for the young at heart.
Serious commitment is respected, nurtured, and honored with resources, achievement, and acknowledgment.
$5,000 fully funds a teen and registers you for WILD 9.
Think. Feel. Act.

Thank you for giving to our growing list of funders!