If more people (and in particular i20 leaders) asked themselves, how can our education system and institutions be designed to help people live the lives of their dreams? we could begin to shift the current educational paradigm from the predominant focus on getting students into college and a job to helping people live fulfilling lives.

My suggestions for the i20:
- Fostering and harvesting youth energy. Youth organizations have tremendous potential to self-nurture and self-educate from issues as diverse as waste collection to sexual health. How can we build capacity among youth organizations and youth peer-to-peer networks?
- Improving the living and health conditions of urban slums, which are expected to grow as urbanization increases, leading to exacerbation of existing challenges.
- Taking urban agriculture to scale and improving food security in both urban and rural areas of the global South.
- Recognizing the inevitability and possibility of the informal sector. Whether it is informal employment, informal health care facilities, or informal micro-savings networks, the informal sector is the means by which the poor not only "get by," but can build savings, skills, and resilience for advancing up the development ladder.

I suggest the i20 to focus on innovation ecosystmes with a specific focus on youth unemployment, as it integrates many of the important issues outlined above, including education, poverty, harnessing technology and the role of business in society. A more specific focus could be given to the education – employment - entrepreneurship nexus as it requires business, governments and civil society to collaborate more closely on a global, national and local level.

How can we engage young people in high impact entrepreneurial ventures and succinctly scale these ventures for sustainable job growth? How can business play a more active role in the engagement of youth? How can we design the right education systems that facilitate that transition of youth into an active workforce? What role can technology play in delivering access and quality to education and job growth?
 
Today across the world, new partnerships are pioneering innovative solutions to address this particular challenge. Showcasing successful examples and drawing important lessons learned will inform policy makers and inspire others. Ultimately, it will lead to more informed policy design of innovation ecosystems, integrating cross-regional experiences and various stakeholders perspectives into the process. I belive that in this particular area, the i20 has a unique opportunity of defining a strong vision and common framework for action.

Somehow we need to find ways to ignite the activist in more people. Acting when something needs fixing will make the world a better place. Too often we wait for someone else to do it.

I believe that the most important global issue to work on is sustainable cheap energy without using nuclear. In our day and age electricity is becoming more and more expensive and we need to invest into large scale sustainable enegy that will benefit the whole world. Personally i believe nuclear energy is to risky and as more and more nuclear power stations are built the space to store their waste is going to become harder to find. Electricity is already to expensive for many people in developing countries what will happen to them when electricy becomes so expensive that people in developed countries start to drop electricity because it is to expensive?

I would like to see the challenge of building local economies in conflict-prone areas during the i20 conference. How can we support people in building their businesses, and how can we support mentorship for local business owners? It seems that conflict is best mitigated by people who have an active civil society and a stake in their community and nation, which is often more true is the income level is sufficient. I often think that a model that ties in some version of microfinance and political literacy could have a big impact on areas with ongoing conflict, or in areas prone to conflict.

I think the main challenge of the i20 will be to be given representation on a level of the G20. As the G20 consists of mainly finance an business leaders who have an inbuilt aversion to risk (big generalisation I know) it would make sense to have some sort of bridging policy that allows innovation to take top spot in the agenda list at the next summit.

I am hard-pressed to think of any important global issue that can be successfully addressed over time that doesn't depend upon the availability of clean water for all. Water is life itself, and it is under attack. It is being constantly degraded and polluted by industrial and agricultural practices. Common sense tells us that water is a free resource; some would say a right. But we are seeing water become commodified by corporate interests. Conflicts across political borders over access to water are already occurring in parts of the world, and this will likely accelerate significantly in the near future. Furthermore, new research is showing that even if water is 'clean' by today's standards of evaluation, it is often devoid of a vitality that is found in water in it's natural cycle. While important, addressing this vitality issue must take a back seat to the challenge of providing adequate water for all people that is, at least, not polluted.

This is an important issue and I hope the discussions about global innovation will continue. Here is a concept for that discussion: a global network of innovation education centers.

We have a vibrant and impactful community of designers focused on user-centered and human-centered design. My vision is to expand the impact of the innovation community to achieve user-originated design. I think we can build innovation capacity so that those with the most need are identifying solutions based on their needs and values.

I am envisioning a global network of innovation education centers that can transform users into designers. This concept provides a concrete solution for a number of the selected agenda concepts focused on education and innovation. The centers can bring together designers as potential educators, while business strategists can ensure that user-originated designs generate income for local economies. These innovation education centers should partner with local education institutions to build innovation into the entire education process. With this model, the impact of each innovator extends beyond single problems or solutions – as a community we can develop designers who transform their own worlds.

Universal access to education-specifically literacy is a foundational building block for individuals and communities. Reading is a learned skill that opens and develops minds, and can transform a struggling individual and/or community.

When we learn to read we give ourselves access to unlimited amounts of information, ideas, and creativity. Because we can share information and fictions, reading can empower through our hearts and minds.

In those communities where schools are limited or unavailable, can we reach people in their homes with literacy? What sort of easy to implement model could we put into place where people can begin to learn to read at home? How do we bridge the gap between readers and non-reading families? Would a community read-aloud program inspire non-readers?
Are there cultures where reading would be an impediment?

Divert the money we spend on war and military to improving the lives of the poorest in the world.

The i20 may have come and gone, but one problem facing the World today is our Families. Our families has lost its values, parents are no longer available and ready to brought up their children. Hatred starts off from infantry and mother is busy to notice to deal with it, parents fight in front of their kids, parents kill and sleep with their children....all that the children know today is chaos, hatred, back biting and cheating and thats ll they live by.
Until we get our families back to what it used to be, to teach love and live by it, the problem of this World may be far from being over.

No barrier is for all people, regardless of age, state of mind or physical condition.
When foreigner wants to study in another country, it is really expensive to pay the tuition fee comparing with citizens for them. When he or she really wants to live & work with foreigners in another countries, it is tough to work with them with same level like salary, work environment. So many people think that the rich only can study & work in another country, not their own country.

Clean water and clean technology and practices, and education for tolerance and understanding.

The current global situation represents many new and exciting opportunities to re-build foundations for our future generations by working with leaders who have a long term vision and who can make a difference. I believe that there are many efforts that are taking place currently with great success, however it is important to aggregate these efforts which will then accumulate into amazing outcomes globally. Leaders need to act as catalysts to success, to have the ability to step up and create transformational change by having clarity of vision, a determination to succeed, an ability to build key stakeholder relationships, to harness the potential of individuals, to identify new technologies and to be able to collaborate globally. Through new awareness, solutions will be unlocked and these changes will ripple through all sectors to create the outcomes desired for generations to come.
In the work I do through leadership coaching, all the above factors come into play and I have the ability to develop new and inspiring leadership mindsets. I have coached executives, leaders and senior managers and what I have observed is that changes always take place, new habits are created and always last in each of these areas. Also, what is very important is that these changes ripple through into the rest of the organization and communities.
I am very passionate about making a difference globally and my suggestion is that I am funded to specifically work with a few leaders globally (in the high impact sectors) to ensure they are operating to the best of their potential by me coaching them to success. This could be done with 5-10 high profile leaders and what leaders can expect by being involved is an opportunity to build their capability by committing to change and being able to make a difference globally.

I really think that the most important issue is WASTE. We need to reduce waste not only by recycling, by not producing it. It affects the sustainability of the resources, the global warming, economy etc.

What about changing the education paradigms in the world to create the leaders for the future? Must see thought-shifting video by Sir Ken Robinson. http://bit.ly/dSJVbi

As an Indonesian citizen, I have been learning about, while personally witnessing, human trafficking. Hundreds of thousands of Indonesian are trafficked as prostitutes and underpaid labor every year. Besides the fact that it's affecting over 100 countries and 2 million people trafficked each year, trafficking has been covered up as a lucrative opportunity for the poor who seek to earn a decent living. Many have been tricked financially and mentally where victims are stuck for life in the trafficked conditions. I hope i20 can help others own this global problem and be more intentional in their work to eradicate such injustice.

I think leaders should be talking about how to educate the next generation, from young children to college-age youth, about awareness of global problems and the consequences of their action to the world. With the current technology allowing global connectedness, well-informed and empowered youth around the world can bring a massive wave of change and solutions for global problems that are currently unavailable. Through education and youth empowerment, we can foster a sense of responsibility for caring for others and form in their minds a healthy, socially responsible paradigm of life. People may still be surprised by how investing in youth can have infinite ripple effects.

I'm tempted to say the environment but where i'm from, Uganda, that like many other issues like poverty, poor education etc are just symptoms of a failed system and flawed mindsets. Corruption has stifled nearly every hope of significant progression. I would like to see more options designed to fight this other than the weak laws, protests or lighting myself on fire. However, i agree with Anna. For any change, we need new quality oriented systems and new ways of thinking that start from the grass roots level.. custom designed to reach out to families in communities. I see such models effecting more significant change.

I think we have to adress different issues, but first of all, we have to change our approach. There is no need to reboot the system - we need a new system, a new way of thinking, reflecting, measuring and valuating.
I belive, we need a "GLocal" mindset, which means for me: First of all we need to find solutions on a local level (renewable energy production and particularly storage (e.g. smart grids), food production, international sustainable supply chains connected with more local oriented value added chains...) and in second step we have to connect these local systems with international economical structures and big players.
Why should we do this: I am convinced, that a system like this is much more robust, could react much more faster on local changes and markets and is therefore capable to innovate very fast. It could create a completely new idea of "quality of life".
But this means in consequence: We need a completely new comprehension of growth - towards quality and not the quantity oriented approach on our economy of scale.

I think we have to adress different issues, but first of all, we have to change our approach. There is no need to reboot the system - we need a new system, a new way of thinking, reflecting, measuring and valuating.
I belive, we need a "GLocal" mindset, which means for me: First of all we need to find solutions on a local level (renewable energy production and particularly storage (e.g. smart grids), food production, international sustainable supply chains connected with more local oriented value added chains...) and in second step we have to connect these local systems with international economical structures and big players.
Why should we do this: I am convinced, that a system like this is much more robust, could react much more faster on local changes and markets and is therefore capable to innovate very fast. It could create a completely new idea of "quality of life".
But this means in consequence: We need a completely new comprehension of growth - towards quality and not the quantity oriented approach on our economy of scale.

EDUCATION! I believe that without high quality education, the younger generation in the developing world (which is the future generation), will suffer even more from the growing wealth disparity. High quality education enables children to unleash their entrepreneurial spirits and it gives them a shot at being effective contributors to their societies. It also instills in them a sense of hope and motivation.

In emerging markets, such as Uganda and Peru, where there is a new emphasis on developing service sectors (to diversify from agriculture), education is super important in developing local skills and the need to import knowledge becomes obsolete. The Ugandas and Peruvians are the ones who should be able to best contribute to their own economies. This idea is relevant throughout many regions of the world.

I think one major global problem is poverty and the symptoms of poverty. This includes the marginalization of poor communities, lack of public or political representation, poor health care, education, and no job opportunities. We need to focus on a systematic model of investing in the development and empowerment of poor, marginalized communities.

I think the most important issue that needs to be addressed is creating adaptable development models. Too many times we see NGOs and governments apply development models and/or solutions that worked in one country, let's say Mexico, to the same problems of another country, let's say Kenya. The problem is that although these two countries may experience the same problem, let's say crime, the root causes of crime in Mexico are not necessarily the same as those in Kenya, so the same solution will not work. We are trying to cure systems, not symptoms.

The one thing which is impeding the progress is "Corruption".We need to find a way how to limit the extent of corruption in developing and under developed countries by using technology.

Innovation leaders should work on the following:
1. Low cost housing
2. Educating the people at BoP.
3. Clean drinking water.
4. Proper cooking mediums for the slum dwellers.
5. Work towards Ashoka's concept of "Everyone is a change maker !"

The interesting or innovative things to think and to realize are: cheapest drugs for the poor people, writing for healthy and wealthy, clean and good governance, back to nature, natural medicine, green architecture, green industry, etc.

As the medical doctor from Indonesia, I have started with free health consultation via online. I have a dream that through my writings, the sick people can get recovery soon from their illness.

Best regards,
Dito Anurogo

"Maximization of expected worldwide human and animal wellbeing over the next hundred thousand years" is a precise constraint for an impossibly imprecise and difficult problem. Most subgoals towards this target conflict with the usual goal in the West of maximization of local GDP next year up until the next election. In all of this, we can find some common factors in the global eternal optimisation problem - it is not what is built and acheived next year which determines the outcome, but what effect does that have on the carrying capacity of earth ( see "how to calculate your Carbon Footprint" ). If one earth can support a few hundred million ancient people plus billions of wolves, lions, dolphins, and other higher animals, is it an improvement to cut down most of the trees to churn into landfill for a desert city society in a world which has lost its plankton? That long term outcome is long away, I hope, but certain to limit the long term population to very much lower levels than a sensible fair industrious society of hopefully more than 2 billion people which coexists with billions of trees and animals indefinately. So, should we cease stealing from the future atmosphere of everyone who follows us, and mainly buy goods which save energy and reduce waste? Change needs to be gradual because reversing GDP expansionism overnight would lead to unemployment riots or worse, and anything involving large scale weapons production knocks a hole in the long term future carrying capacity.

I have to question what some populous cities are for. On cursury observation they appear to have overshot sensible population densities, possibly resulting from our overzealous procreation instincts which were designed for the requirement for ancient tribes to survive 40% infant mortality and a famine or disaster every seventh year. Children conceived with no idea of what their parents could do to provide for their needs, no plan for where they could live or what those could do for a living, dumped in playgroup until the age of 24 and taught nothing except how to transmit innept comments about the moment, to complain and ask for more money, and how to complain in a postmodern feminist context do not seem to me to be a better outcome than sensible choices made instead. Then there are the nasty individuals. If nobody knows what they are for then those probably should go to a one child policy (two for honest acheivers, none for convicted cheats irrespective of their money for legal defence, and none or possibly one for idle neverworkers) for about three generations or UNTIL long term intellectual plus labour requirements match labour supply AND materials consumption is within the earths' carrying capacity.

So, the immediate question for the i20, is, I sadly say,
how can we fairly and justly get from a projected population of 9 billion plus who each consume twice as much as at present to a way of living within one earth, within the next QQ years, without a war of extermination to nuke it down to less than about 2 billion?
Prevention of war is not enough, because we'd go unconstrained past 1200ppmv CO2e and lose the trees and the plankton before long.

I wonder what the polar bears would have to say about what we have chosen for them over the past century. The corel don't say anything which we can understand. But we can observe. It is terrible for all of them.

Tom Bell,
I gotta agree with you, one of my entries reflects this. Check it out.
http://bit.ly/gCI8zZ

Granted, this entry appears to be somewhat general in nature, I feel it will allow more of an grass roots/organic movement to develop over time. Gotta start somewhere, right?

Enterprise is the greatest enabler of a nations long-term well-being and its ability to support the well-being and health of its population, it would be useful to have an understanding of the position of every country in the world in relation to its capacity for generating and sustaining enterprise (an audit of enterprise capacity?). This could be an amalgam of some existing measures (like the corruption index) as well as some new or adjusted ones. If the index is based around what the critical success factors for enterprise are; i.e. infrastructure, access to finance, access to skilled workers etc. then by developing an understanding of their position each country can be encouraged to build its capacity in the right direction.

It would be really cool if some of the participants were actually invited to the i20 summit, given our varying thoughts, fields of expertise, and backgrounds. Just a thought... :)

This is a great way to use Open Ideo ecosystem!

Innovation requires time and specially spare time. How can we encourage people and firms to have spare time? How can we show firms that spare time, in the end, will be "profitable"?
Offices are busy, crowded, noisy places where people go from one meeting to another and never have enough time to come up with ideas. How can firms re-think the way they work?

The innovation this day is to go back to basics.
We know so much and at the same time we forget so much... We have to remember the roots of mankind and to start 'from scratch'. First listening & sharing, then starting using the inheritance of centuries of knowledge. Putting everything in perspective.
So innovation isn't only about 'new things' but it is all about connecting people, thoughts and inspiration. A re-valuation of ‘old things’.
Therefore I see that innovations are already taking place in 'the third world' and not in the 'first world' because we think to much and ‘see’ to little. We think globally but the action is needed on the human scale. Human values are the keyword: beauty, honesty, integrity, responsibility, freedom and wisdom.
The world is simple and not complex.
The innovation this day is to go back to basics.