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A young resident and student of Naples has been accepted into Greenpeace and Seventh Generation’s 2008 Change It program, a program designed to train and empower students to become the next generation of leaders in the global movement for change.

Chelsea Heatherington, a sophomore and Natural Resource Conservation major at the University of Florida, will attend an all-expenses-paid week of grassroots educational training led by experts from Greenpeace and other progressive organizations. Building on the success of last the two years, the program will teach dedicated full- and part-time students, ages 18 to 24, how to take on the toughest global challenges of our time.

Change It provides an opportunity for students like Heatherington, who are already committed to protecting the environment and defending social justice, to learn the skills they need to become effective leaders. Heatherington and select students admitted into Change It will emerge from the program ready to engage in the efforts necessary to prevent global warming and corporate greenwashing.

“There are so many environmental problems, but it’s time to start taking action because they are only getting more serious and more pressing,” said Heatherington. “I’m going to learn new skills at Change It and bring them back to my community so we can make a difference.”

Heatherington and the other students will be trained in lobbying, organizing techniques, media and communications, and conducting peaceful demonstrations, all led by Greenpeace staff and activists. “This will be the third year in a row that we bring together some of the best and brightest young activists in the country through Change It,” said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA.

“By training these young people on how to push for solutions to global warming on their campuses and in their communities, we empower the next generation to take responsibility for our planet and inspire others to do the same.”

This year’s Change It program will take place in two cities: from July 16-21 in Boston and from July 26-31 in Seattle. Heatherington will be attending Change It on July 16th in Boston. Heatherington and the other students will learn specifically about the focus of this year’s program, which is to train the students on how to recognize and challenge “greenwashing,” the deliberate misleading of consumers about environmental policies and practices, and on how to run successful global warming advocacy campaigns.

“From the beginning, when we partnered with Greenpeace for the first Change It in 2006, we have been proud to be a part of training the future leaders of the environmental movement,” said Jeffrey Hollender, founder and CEO of Seventh Generation.

“This year they will learn not only how to recognize and expose the corporate polluters, but how to create solutions through congressional lobbying.”

Heatherington and students from all across the country were recruited to participate in the Change It 2008 program through online outreach and direct contact by Greenpeace student network coordinators. After submitting an application at ChangeIt08.org, the most qualified applicants were selected based on essay questions designed to gauge their leadership skills, strategic thinking, commitment to working on environmental and/or social equity projects and ability to inspire.

Heatherington was one of only 140 students selected through out the country to participate in Change It 2008. “Past Change It participants have been instrumental in our campaigns to halt global warming, stop toxic pollution and protect our forests,” said Passacantando. “As these problems continue to pose threats to our planet and its people, the need is greater than ever for more inspired young people to be a part of positive change.”

Greenpeace is the leading independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful direct action and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and to promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.