YES! Jam alumni include some extraordinary young leaders whose work never ceases to inspire us.  A few of their recent successes:

Ka Hsaw Wa (World Jam 2000) of Burma is the only person to ever win both the Reebok Human Rights Award and the Goldman Environmental Prize. He is also recipient of the 1999 Conde Nast Environmental Award, and the 2004 Sting and Trudie Styler Award for Human Rights and the Environment. Ka Hsaw Wa founded Earthrights International, which has documented thousands of cases of forced labor, execution and rape by oil corporations and the military that have been used in numerous lawsuits in the US. In March 2005, EarthRights participated in a lawsuit against Unocal that Business Week called “a milestone for human rights.”  Resulting in a large settlement for Burmese villagers who work and live near the pipeline and have suffered countless abuses and violence, this lawsuit represents an historic victory for human rights and the corporate accountability movement. The settlement will provide funds enabling plaintiffs and their representatives to develop programs to improve living conditions, health care and education and protect the rights of people in Burma’s pipeline region.

Tashka Yawanawa (World Jam 2000) is 27-year-old chief of the Yawanawa tribe in Brazil. On December 22, 2004, Tashka received the Chico Mendez award for his work in supporting ‘Florestania’, a concept that defines a new way of development that protects and preserves the rainforest and its peoples. Presented to Tashka by the Governor of Acre, he is the first recipient of this prestigious award (which includes a cash prize of approximately USD $4,000).

Coumba Toure (World Jam facilitator, 2001-2004) of Mali spoke in front of 15,000 people, including the President of Brazil, to open the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil.  Coumba used the opportunity to launch the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP), calling on world leaders to fulfill their commitments on trade justice, more and better aid and full debt cancellation.  A worldwide alliance of hundreds of organizations, GCAP includes grassroots organizations, trade unions, women's groups, non-governmental organizations, human rights advocates, international civil society organizations and faith groups. From the podium, Coumba challenged Brazilian President Lula to join the campaign.  In front of 15,000 people, President Lula accepted the challenge.