Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We thank you for taking the time to join us in celebrating the release of Chelsea Clintons its your world get inspired and get going. Chelsea clinton has always expressed an interest in improving the world. As a child she favored a book called 50 simple things kids can do to xavier. To save the earth. As the vice chair where she is an advocate for child obesity Climate Change and increasing opportunities for women and girls around the globe. Chelseas latest accomplishment is its your world world get in form and get inspired and get going it looks that explores some of the Biggest Challenges young people face and shares stories of the future generation making a difference around the world. Joining chelsea on stage tonight is the magazine founder and coeditor in chief actors in the singer. Just last year she was named one of the 25 most influential teams by time magazine. Ladies and gentlemen please help a welcome chelsea clinton. [applause] thank you all for coming. This is exciting. And thank you for agreeing to do this with me this evening. I am super honored to be here and excited to talk with you. I also have questions on my phone because im professional. [laughter] i guess we will just get into it neither of us are quite as tall as they thought we were. This happens every time. I loved this book and we were just talking back there about how it felt like there wasnt a look this is the kind of thing i would have loved to have when i was younger when you want to be educated about whats going on in the world and you also want concrete ways to do something about it. You mentioned the book that was sort of the catalysts for you when you were a kid and im wondering what other sort of of influences or role models are experiences were kind of like eye openers for you. What i write about him its your world things continue to save the earth when i was ten or 11 it had a profound impact on me someone that deserves to know what was happening with Climate Change it impacted me to help make a difference on issues that i care about so i wrote its your world in the hopes to have even a similar impact on one girl or boy somewhere in the country or around the world and when you ask about things that influence me certainly my parents were a major influence on me because they expected me to have an opinion and expected me to be able to make an argument to support that opinion opinion whenever i was most passionate about or concerned about to make a difference but i was most concerned about if it was a tremendous gift. I dont think that i really understood when i was growing up something im really aware of now as a mom and how my husband mark and i can think of developing that same awareness but also the same sense of responsibility to engage in the world around us to make a difference. If someone isnt a parent or teacher were constantly in contact how do you think they could still be supported in that way . We were talking about how surprised i spend my skepticism and cynicism of adults. When i was talking about the project that was a dismissive like kids dont care kids are not engage. They are engaged about how it affects them and also what they can do. Kids will tell you. Kids will tell you what inspires them and then i think its our responsibility as adults and people that have platforms to help them support kids in figuring out how they can make a difference in ways that will be meaningful to them and have the type of impact they aspire to have. That has been my experience because it is for teenagers and i get so confused whenever i read about these concerns that millennialism are narcissistic. And thats just hasnt been my experience with the girls i meet. And its not your experience in how you are leading by example and its not only true for the millennials who volunteer at a higher rate than any generation ever but its also true for kids. One of the reasons i wrote this book is to highlight the work of remarkable kids who are engaged in making a difference on issues they care about whether it is fighting hunger in their communities or likable young who was the very first person i saw in the media this morning who taken a picture of himself in its your world. He started raising money and food for the interface to the shuttle in North Carolina and over the last few years years literally raised tens of thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of pounds of food to help kids in his community or people who are working to bring clean water to communities on the other side of the world but feel that connection and feel like there is a fundamental right to water. I wrote this book not only because kids were so curious when i would talk to them about whats happening but i also like to share the stories of the remarkable kids on the front line making a difference. It reminded me when i was a kids kid we talked earlier about high school as if that were a far distant memory. But back in my day i remember certain magazines for kids in elementary age that were really cool like nickelodeon magazine and they would have the occasional future and we would teacher and we would sometimes learn about kids that started to charities or huge projects to raise money for the causes that they cared about and one thing is that theyre always asking me i know what i care about but i dont really know what to do about it and i joke theres a whole process that the beliefs are constantly changing but you are sort of figuring out what you care about and whats right is according to and then its intimidating to figure out the concrete ways to do it and one thing i love that the book is that there are these lists at the end of each chapter that have actual actions you can take which some of them are things you can do individually. Some are just standing up for what you think is right and some are about educating people why you think an issue is important so i hope that the lists the list gave an auction of spectrum so that any kid that wants to engage can engage in whatever is right for her or him. Its okay if kids care about different things. Its a good thing. Its also okay if what kids care about evil and changes because one of the things i was struck by talking to kids while thinking about this book and working on this because often times kids felt guilty they didnt know about something before instead of actually recognizing that as soon as they were aware of the problem and what to do about it that is a source of optimism for me and i would hope it would be for they and their family as well. I want to ask about this hardware youre talking about your first attempt at a kid in Elementary School to the vocal and you write i talked about issues i cared about to anyone that would listen and hoped i wasnt annoying because if i wasnt annoying and making a good argument to be one more person to care about whales were elephants or pandas dead before i started. And i am passionate about the issues that matter to me and we had a very active dinner table when i was growing up and i feel like i have trying to this was true when i was in school like walk the line between not wanting to disrespect myself by toning down the way i feel about something or feeling like i have to make what i have to say more palatable but also realizing by making but i have to say more palatable it can be easier to get through to someone then i hear from a lot of the rookie readers that speak up in class or challenge someone in class in an argument or try to talk to their parents about something thats important to them and i wonder if you have any advice on staying true to what you believe but also wanting to engage helpful. If we ever start to feel what youre doing we are doing deviates from that we have to re center ourselves and also recognize we cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good is what we try to persuade someone we have to think about who the audience is if what we ultimately hope to achieve it if we try to convince somebody to do something that it may not be natural to them if it is as simple as recycling or even registering and going to vote thats something i am passionate about and we have to think about what will be most convincing to them and not necessarily the first jumps to our mind and recognizing that often there may be reasons why people havent done things before but if we that if we attempt to understand what that might be hopefully that is creates more of a common space to persuade them from whatever it is that we hope they will do with that is the right answer and i do think this is harder for girls is and it would be disingenuous not to recognize that because they are criticized for speaking too loudly or softly or austin or not or looking too pretty or too ugly. You get my point. Other things beyond the content of what we are saying. So i think until we get to the world where everyone is judged for what we are saying i think it is just more challenging for girls but it doesnt mean that we shouldnt enter into the fray and advocate for whatever is important and also we have to support each other and everyone can be a good friend and thats important to remember in this conversation as well. [applause] you mentioned that it could be a source of optimism when kids that you have spoken to feel guilty that they didnt know about something before and i the only reason they feel guilty is because they feel a responsibility to be part of the solution. I find that when we talk on about working on the beliefs and kind of taking a few things from each column in your own opinion about something so many girls do feel this guilt when their mind has been changed about something and i agree it is a positive thing and i also think the first thing you have to do is forgive yourself for not having known about some thing before. But im wondering if you would be interested in sharing some of your First Experience was when you are developing your beliefs into finding things were when you are first realizing that they were tentative or recognizing that we are all limited by our experiences and what works for those and what we know in a similarly by which we are not exposed to. Im fortunate in that my parents wanted to expose me to so much of the world. I was expected to not only Pay Attention but have an opinion and a point of view. I havent quite realized in arkansas what was happening, what was happening to places that didnt look like arkansas. One of the things that i thought about him talking to my extraordinary editor that is here as a real motivation hello, jill yes please give her a round of applause. [applause] one of my motivations for writing this book and i was so impacted by 50 simple things as realizing how is realizing how important it was to cut off the plastic rings around the packs of soda because Marine Wildlife fish and birds were choking on them and although that was maybe happening in the rivers of arkansas it was much more likely happening on the gulf coast and elsewhere so i excessively cut out the plastic frame and some of them i glued onto construction paper and i would walk around my neighborhood like knocking on peoples doors saying you can do this to. It was the target i hope im not annoying but for 60 seconds you can also make a difference and i remember having a lot of guilt like how did i not know this this can this could have but i not know i should be cutting out plastic soda cans but i just didnt didnt end at some point i realized its more productive to try to take that energy to share with people about why i thought of something relatively simple but pretty profoundly important as. I also think that when im talking to others in the community that im a part of the writers and feminists, there is never people are comfortable calling one another out or sharing the opposing point of view because there isnt this issue of ego or i thought i was a good person but i guess im not a good person anymore. Its more like we all understand that we are limited by our experiences and the circumstances of that what we have grown up in or weve taken and internalized in the world that you are far more involved in those. Thank you so much. It never feels personal in the sense that anyone is on the line. Its more that we are acknowledging things are messed up and we need to change that because we may not have been previously aware of something that we would maybe even participating in that the more we can remember there is this larger enemy and help each other out and recognizing these things the more comfortable we all feel and its sort of radiates among all of us and everyone is just trying to get educated and help one another. And it sets a good example for the kids that look up to you to realize you cant engage in the business as making a difference are making an impact statement without antagonizing other people. And with an openmindedness its weird because and a humility that you dont have to all answer. With my own writing or acting i dont really care what anyone thinks of it but i care what these girls who intended to help think of it and its not just my own art for arts sake. So whenever they have feedback or criticism we are open to it and we want that because its about their needs and we have a perspective that we can have inside of writing. I talked to so many kids and i i have different kids read my book and different points of its development because i wanted to make sure that it was actually responding to what kids would find interesting and compelling and have authenticity and i wanted to make sure that they felt the way that i felt when i read 50 simple things that they were being taken seriously as people with real brains and hearts and spirits and i wanted to make sure that was true on every page in the same way that i know you worked with rookie to make sure every post in every part that you put out into the world. People have a very fine tuned radar for things that feel condescending or presumptuous about the world and that is how i felt thats why i started because i wanted the Team Publication that is respected its intelligence. Its funny because there are so many ways in the media to find out how young people feel and just asking them what they need is the most effective strategy. And its not even that. It is a matter of figuring out what will designate with someone on a level that will genuinely inspired them. That is what i hope to do and obviously that is what motivates you. To have the real Guiding Principles and this goes back to that earlier conversation how do you even ensure that you are giving what you feel is right and in a way that is effective and so it is creating a safe space for girls and boys and the un direct with your team and how you think about what you put out in the world. Ive been told that we are moving into the qanda part. [laughter] sorry that was abrupt. And reading the book today i found that women buy age are advocating for being gung ho but when it comes to getting informed about the candidates that would serve those interests , they are not political. They feel inadequate. Its not political in the sense that it takes the political position but it certainly engages with questions that are determined in the political realm and those that hold the Office Around the world and i certainly encourage the Young Readers to think about who is in politics and think about who holds office and if thats what they care about whether that is Something Like endangered species or homelessness so i would hope that i can persuade Young Readers to think about things like that and then urge them to support whomever they think is the best candidate whether it is at the local level or the National Level or elsewhere on issues that they care about and i wish you luck in doing the same with your friends. Thank you so much for writing this book. I am a teacher of a 16yearold and a three and a halfyearold boy. Forgive me i havent read the book yet. Itll make enough today. [laughter] i am impressed she read the book. [laughter] that im so excited by the cover because it was very celebratory. Those of you have mentioned the word kids. Does expand a certain age range, and the appropriate age range to give to the parents of the 3yearold or buy these for her 16th birthday . I would ask the parents of 3yearold and of the 16yearold i wrote it for ten to 14yearolds but certainly i hope that it would be interesting and engaging for anyone that may be thinking of these questions either for themselves or these questions in the context of how to talk to their kids about these issues or engage with their kids about these issues. I would ask your niece if she would be interested and she will tell you in one way or another. The gentle man right over here. Hello. My name is rob and i live in brooklyn. I like the idea that you are talking about engaging young people into getting them and getting them involved in their local communities and hopefully inspiring people to vote because as you know last year was just a terrible voter turnout nationwide and especially among younger people and i dont know if thats going to reverse anytime soon but one thing i do know is if you get young people and gauged in a younger the younger age they will get into these habits of participation and voting and i think one really good idea is to lower the voting age to 16 and get people actively involved. Thereve been studies and programs of kids going out to vote on a state ballot and their parents could then. It increases voter turnout and conversations at the dinner table and its good for democracy. If thats what you believe i hope you will go out and campaign for them and start a petition and talk to your friends and build a Grassroots Movement if that is what you want to see in the country. [applause] we are going to the roving microphone. This lady right here. I Teach High School seniors and i always encourage them to get involved in volunteer. My question is are you willing to go beyond the pages of the book and visit some of the schools and encourage our young people to start planting the seed and get involved in the fire. Id hate i am an optimist or a couple of reasons. I dont have a lot of patience for cynicism it is for those who want to protect the status quo and we have a lot to j j and improving and i am an optimist because of the story is that i share the book there are young people who use these challenges and willing to put themselves on the line for their energies and their talents if you are 14 or seven. I have learned a lot from the kids that i write about in this book. So i am very optimistic. [applause] stick they give to the roving microphone people. [laughter] i am sitting here thinking about the world event something epic about a lot is the shooting in sandy hook if we could not come together to change some laws to pr