The first video or introduction to MDG I ever glanced at was the video with the song Overcome performed by Live which in itself is a beautiful song and rightfully chosen for what I watched the next six minutes. The video was really intriguing to me explaining the eight goals; end hunger, universal education, gender equality, child health, maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, environmental sustainability and global partnership. Without a doubt these goals are the utmost basic conditions one needs to be able to survive and in watching a few of the other videos it moved me to see that millions of people are living in poverty conditions, which makes it impossible to even get clean drinking water. The only goal I have really heard of through MDG was to combat Malaria. I was at my grandmas church and they were collecting bug nets, which were estimated at only ten dollars a piece, that would prevent sleeping individuals from getting bit my Malaria invested mosquitoes at night.

After watching all the videos, which were really touching, my biggest concern was the fact that there were only four years left and how could every country included in MDG implement and accomplish the eight goals within the time that is left? Looking more and more through the website and researching my country Iran I soon came to find out that a lot of the countries have already succesfully completed many of the eight goals. For my country they have already eradicated hunger. They are very likely to reduce child mortality, provide universal education and improve maternal health. If some changes are made they have the possibility to achieve the goals to promote gender equality, environmental sustainability and combat HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately they do not have enough information to evaluate the goal of global partnership. I was ecstatic to embark on the journey to learn more about Iran in seeing that they have come so far with their goals and have even eradicated hunger. On the other hand it was painful to see that while many of the countries are starting to complete their goals Africa is still having a hard time.

While looking through the page "tracking global progress" a lot of the goals focused on sub-Saharan Africa and how more efforts need to be made in that country for the goals. I think that the role of community leaders could help especially Africa by getting the word out to more people in the community. If I had never taken this class I would have never truly known what MDG was or what the goals for the 61 countries were. I think that community leaders need to use their resources such as church, class, friends, neighbors and workplaces to tell others about this website. Not only do they need to get the word out to everyday people like myself but they need to explain to people ways in which a person could make a difference by going on the website and donating money or something as simple to us as a bug net. I liked that on the website you could follow MDG on Facebook and Twitter. Considering in this technological age nearly everyone has a Facebook and promoting it on a website like that will teach a lot of people about MDG. In all I think that MDG has very good intentions and it warms my heart to find out that something has been implemented to help countries overcome the extreme poverty that they live in!

I think that the United Nations having such an idea of setting Millennium Development Goals on a world wide scale, reaching out to other countries and actually formulating an implementation plan is amazing. There are so many ads and campaigns that already promote one or two of the goals presented such as eradicating extreme poverty and world hunger, cleaning up the environment, battling diseases, and so on, but these goals have been organized in a very important level. As I read more about the organization and plan, I am very surprised at the level of detail. I am even more impressed on how so many countries have united for these very important and relevant causes. In my opinion, the role of community leaders in realization of MDG would be to bring awareness to the organization through event promotions, rallies, or other community sponsored events. Even by setting partnerships or alliances with organizations that are already working towards a particular goal.

I am surprised and completely amazed at the scope of this program, but a little bit disappointed that I haven't heard about this before.  Like Edward said, you see a couple of these goals highlighted in the media every now and then, but never anything like what the MDGs offer.  The generalized and obscure approach is the downfall of most "changemaking" campaigns, in which the goals are "Oh, that would be nice..." ideas, while the MDGs have made them "Oh, I can do that!" ideas.  Community leaders should task themselves on bringing this promising program to light, and while community members should also spread the word, leaders enjoy the added benefit of mass exposure.

Obviously the ideas are amazing. Not only are they highly ambitious, but they are also desperately needed. However, I was extremely saddened by the fact that it is already 2011. They only have four more years to accomplish these eight goals and they still have a ways to go. Although the plan for completing this project is impressive, Africa still seems to be lagging behind in development. My country: Somalia was one of those. Although I did see examples of female empowerment such as more women in parliament, and a higher use of some form of contraceptive there were other statistics that were very bad. Such as no change in underweight children, and absolutely no condoms used which are imperative in the prevention of aids. Somalia seems to be in desperate need of both general and sexual education, as well as access to resources to carry this out. That being said, I think the role of community leaders is to first of all educate people about these goals. I think most are not even aware that the UN made these goals, let alone that they are actively pursuing them. As a community leader, it's obviously important to encourage people to actively help, but right now, I think the most important thing the leaders can do is just let people know these goals exist and how they're going to be accomplished. 

Discussion Topic 1

To be honest I had no prior knowledge of this association but was very impressed by its goals. This seems like a very noble cause and strong ideas of what we as the human race should simply strive for. If nothing else no human should be without the basic necessities at this point. We are capable of feeding every person on the planet yet millions go without food. We are capable of healing many illnesses and preventing many deaths yet we sit back and watch it happen because it would cost too much money to fix. After reviewing my countries facts, I was surprised to see they are on track to meeting their goals on 6 of 8 of the MDG's. I suppose I never imagined they were even that close considering there is only 4 more years to complete the goal. The goals to me seem impossible to fully achieve. Looking around the globe there are so many people living in poverty and conditions that most people would consider appalling. It is inspiring to see such a big goal on track to becoming a reality. When I think about having to live with no food, running water, electricity it makes me truly understand how blessed I am for the things I often take for granted. There is so much to be done and after watching the videos and reading the goals it makes me feel encouraged. Maybe man has not lost it's humanity as sometimes I feel is the case. There are still people who care and who are willing to take the initiative to improve the world not just looking to control it.

I think that the Un setting these MGDs is key in getting things done. Just like anything else having a goal is the first step. After watching the videos related to the MGDs I was amazed. They made me want to go out and be a part of things and help make a difference. We all need to realize just how small our word really is and start helping people. We need to come together as a whole and be aware of whats going on.

These goals while important are not being met fast enough. We are rapidly approaching the deadline and we need to speed up the process. I think to reach these goals in time we need more education for people as a whole; every person, not just the people who want to be involved. Communityleaders are the people who need to be making the members if their community aware of whats going on and educating them on the current status of these goals. By doing this I think (and fervently hope) that we can make the deadline for these goals. Not meeting them only means moredeath and less education, these are things I hope to avoid as much as possible.

By the UN setting the Millennium Development Goals, they took the first much needed step in realizing human rights for citizens around the world.  From reading the progress towards these goals, it seems that there was great fervor in the beginning and we have made progress in many areas such as clean drinking water, primary education, and combating disease.  It seems that since the financial crisis happened we have lost some progress in other goals such as poverty and equality for women.  The role of community leaders in reaching the MDGs is to stay on course with developing relationships in the countries that are not meeting goals, community groups, and the media. Community leaders can lobby for sustainability and advances in technology.  These things will help our country meet our goals as well as help the global community meet their MDGs.

The setting of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations was a great idea; they turned the problems of the world in to goals that seem attainable. Of course actually implementing programs and coming up with resources to accomplish these goals is easier said than done. Much progress was made before the economic crisis but with the crisis came a halt with the progress that was being made. Although many countries have been helped and progress has been made Sub-Saharan Africa are still not anywhere near most the goals set by the United Nations. The role of community leaders is mostly to make people aware of what is going on in the world and start efforts to raise money for these goals. Before taking part in community psychology class I personally was not aware of these goals. Yes I was aware that people in the world are not as fortunate as us in the United States I was not aware of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations or the statistics of the developing countries. The economic crisis slowing down progress shows that money and plenty of it is necessary to make these goals a reality. So I feel the best way for community leaders to help is raise money and send it to the appropriate programs mentioned in the Millennium Development Goals report. In order to do so they need to spread the word and make people aware of what is going on which they can do by starting organizations that can help thwart Millennium Development Goals into the public eye maybe even hold rallies. Knowledge is power.

The Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations seem to be a fantastic idea. The fact that they are making this a worldwide goal, and that countries are uniting as one to end a very serious issue: poverty, is very impressive.  The eight specific goals that were set, to me, are great (women, education, diseases...). All of these issues need to be addressed and fixed everywhere.  My fear with this whole idea is that it may be too ideal. Can we really get all of this done in only 15 years, especially since it is already 2011 and still so much needs to be done? However, how can we ever really know if we never try? Also, it saddens me that Africa is falling behind. They need extra help and this might take away from other countries' progress. I believe that these goals can truly help the world to be a better place. The role of community leaders in this is to raise awareness and educate the population in any way they can. They need to get the community involved so that everyone is on the same page. They can do this by organizing fundraisers etc. I am very sure that the implementation of these ideas are expensive, and so anything that can be done by volunteers and raising money would help.     

Setting the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations was an insightful and motivational project by the UN.  The 2015 deadline aids governments with a sense of urgency in addressing the human development issues within their nation.  When tasks such as "eradicate extreme poverty and hunger" are declared, they often fall to the wayside with due to the sheer volume of work such a task would require.  The time frame and standard objectives set by the MDGs, puts all nations on a parallel path to greatness.   

Of course, every nation will have different hurdles to overcome in achieving these goals.  The UN appears to have diplomatically addressed these obstacles with each country individually.  For example, the UN created action plans with Mongolia set in 3 year increments.  After 3 years have passed, the UN completes an assessment of progress from which a new 3 year action plan will be created.  The plan is created with the support and contribution of the government.  This allows the government to work on the long term goals in "baby steps" in order to ensure success without overwhelming the current establishment. 

The role of the community leaders in realization of the MDGs, is to be involved.  If community leaders take steps to elicit conversations, actions, and change in their communities regarding these goals, the whole process will come together more effectively.  Many community leaders, as with most individuals, worry about what affects them directly.  In a role as a community leader there is no room for an individual perspective.  We need leaders with a national and global perspective in order to come together and make the MDGs happen.   

The idea of setting Millennium Developmental Goals by the United Nations is truly amazing and inspiring. This is a great effort to help improve countries all over the world in need. I love the fact that they have set goals and have set out to achieve these goals with the means that they have. The only thing I found discouraging about these goals is that it is already 2011 and there are still many goals left on the list to be marked off by 2015. I just hope that if 2015 comes around and not all eight goals are achieved they will still continue working towards achieving them and helping these counties. I feel that with these goals they are extremely ambitious and take time and it is a process. I had not heard of the Millennium Development Goals before this class, and after watching the videos and visiting the websites I now want to contribute to the effort to end poverty. My opinion of the community leaders is that they are extremely ambitious and extremely motivated; I have a lot of respect for them. I feel that they could take advantage of their role by getting the word out about MDG and the fight to end poverty. If more people knew about the MDG and what goals they are trying to accomplish, they may want to volunteer or donate money to the cause.

I am absolutely amazed by this idea! Our world desperately needs these changes in order to assure a stronger future. Although these goals are truly amazing, many of them come with severe complications. Not all countries have the resources to achieve the goals. This major implication restricts the completing of the goals. The goals are genuinely profound in the fact that they attempt to better the lives of everyone and not a single group. The goals are not biased and are focused on the quality of life. Although it is 2011 and the completion date is quickly approaching there are many goals still to complete within the world. With this being said it is the duty of the community leaders to do every bit that they can to achieve the goals It is their role to educate their party on the importance of the goals and build the team feel in order to accomplish such goals. The leaders alone are not able to do the goals therefore, it is within the hands of the community itself. The leaders are there to guide the community with the wisdom that they need to successfully execute the goals.  The leaders are also responsible for reaching out for help whenever needed. It is important to have the community build their own lives back up instead of calling in many people to do the work. The people will build a stronger community and enhance the quality of their own lives. 

I think that it is pretty clear that anyone who hears about the Millennium Development Goals would think that it is a fantastic idea, and clearly something that needs to be done.  I also think that each of the goals is very realistic.  With that being said the United Nations began this campaign in 2000 and this is the very first time I have ever heard anything in regards to it, and it's 2011!  I think that if people were educated on the issues that we face around the world there could be an overwhelming impact. Even watching the three and a half minute video regarding the goals was very effective.  I think that these videos shouldn't just be on their website or on youtube, they need to be on television, radio, and anywhere else that we could possibly think of.  I believe that the more that people hear about the needs of our world the more likely they are going to be to take action and actually lend the many helping hands that are needed to take on such a large task.  Overall I think that the goals that have been set are awesome and very realistic however they have clearly not spread the word of this campaign very effectively if I, and I'm sure a majority of people out there, have no idea that it exists and it's been around for over ten years.  I don't think that this is just the United Nations fault, but I'm sure that the leaders of our country and our states are more aware of the situation at hand and they aren't doing much either. If leaders are aware of this campaign they need to be spreading it like a wildfire and really encouraging the people of their communities to take a stand and help out wherever they possibly can. 

I think that the IDEA of the setting Millennium Developments Goals is a superb idea. World poverty, hunger, and the death of preventable diseases need to end. I am also quite disappointed that I have not heard of such a campaign before. I am an avid volunteer in my community, and tend to put forth a fair amount of effort in better our world. The implementation of such goals seems to be working, but rather slowly since our economy kind of crashed. I did read that there were significant improvements in employment before the economy took a turn for the worse however. It is amazing that so many countries would unite together to fight for these eight goals. I do think however that we need to get more of the community leaders involved, and that it is up to US to make sure that people hear about this project. Sure, there can be advertisements and videos made, but who is going to hear about them if we don't take the effort to spread the word to others. There are also things that we can do in our community to help out. We can easily donate one dollar for a child to get immunized from polio and measles. We also have the power to contact non profit organizations and see what they are doing about these goals, or if they are even aware of them. I think these eight goals are an excellent idea, but it is up to each individual who becomes aware of them to spread the word and do their part.

The efforts of the United Nations in creating an urgent plan of action is an extremely necessary effort. Although time is quickly falling short of the 2015 deadline, I think that it is the emotion and thought behind what drives this campaign that is the most important aspect. The eight anti-poverty goals seem to be the most crucial part of what humanity should be based upon but we all know that this is not exactly the realistic case. There are plenty of people deprived of the most basic necessities in our world today and there shouldn't be any excuse as to why this is. While there are communities who can't eat or sleep because they might be waiting for a new iphone to come out, there are communities that are not eating or sleeping against there own will due to the lack of resources available. Whether this is a fault of local government, or just plain global support, the United Nations have created and devised an idea that is undoubtedly necessary.

I believe that the efforts of community leaders must be strengthened immediately. Yes there are many leaders who have created a difference in their community and beyond, but the problem with most individuals in that top position is that they get comfortable being "safe". There needs to be a flame on their behinds and leaders must begin with implication of laws in communities with local warfare, aid amongst each other, and utilization of resources in order to bring in food and care for those in need.

The idea of having the millennium development goals was an amazing one. At the beginning of the millennium people needed new hopes and  and a renewed spirit.  These eight goals are extremely essential to the development of each nation even if some might be more important than others. Goal number one is much more important than goal number 8 and this makes you wonder if the list was too long. Perhaps they should have spent more time creating policies that would have ensured that the goal of  the eradication of poverty was reached by 2015.  The report on the Mdg's 2010 shows that poverty rate in the world will keep increasing until 2020. The Mdgs  have not been a failure, the life condition of more than 100 millions of people has improved. (Mdg report, 2020).

This initiative had numerous positive effects on many different level. Many global partnership have been created , these are very effective because where certain group lack knowledge they can be assisted by others who have a better "know how". I also believe that it is a shame that until today many still do not know about the Mdgs. Spreading the word among many who have a very fortunate life could have a tremendous impact. Hopefully we can all contribute to this ....

Prior to this class I had no previous knowledge of the Millennium Development Goals. However, after being exposed to the videos and different websites I can now say I have a very clear idea of what they are. The eight goals include: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, as well as ensure environmental stability, and develop a global partnership for development.

            While I had never heard of the Millennium Development goals per se these ideas of making the world a better place have been tossed around on several occasions throughout the years. I feel enlightened to know one hundred eighty nine nations are now making a concerted effort to implement them. I think the way they are being implemented is well thought out. After researching the goals it is encouraging to see that many countries have already met many goals. I also appreciate the fact that these aren't goals that we can just support by agreeing but rather there are so many ways to do something on a local level (ie donating mosquito nets for beds or even sharing the websites with friends and family members).

            I think the role of community leaders is to spread the word about this life-changing project. The fact that before this class I had never heard of the Millennium Development goals disappoints me because it means there are others just like me who could and perhaps would be supporting it given the necessary information. I think our community leaders should be doing much more to enlighten the general public.

One word comes to mind when reading the Millennium Development goals originated by the United Nations….that word is Hope. After reading the wealth of information provided to us discussing this important cause it became apparent that this is not something that needs to happen…it HAS to happen. The UN Secretary, General Ban Ki-moon, stated in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Report that, "We must not fail the billions who look to the international community to fulfill the promise of the Millennium Declaration for a better world". How true this statement is. So many in the world are hoping for a better future but do not have the resources available to them to gain that future. By breaking this movement down into more manageable goals, the UN is anticipating a more succesful implementation of its commitments made. Like with any large project a group tries to take on, meeting certain deadlines does create cause for concern. I believe that without a program like this, each of the target areas of human needs and rights would not only still be unaddressed but the statistics for poverty, disease, hunger etc would only continue to skyrocket up. These goals still have a long way to go, however we can see that remarkable decreases in these and other areas have already been made. Officials have to make sure though, that they continue to push for progress. Challenges will continue to present themselves and unless they are addressed now, the UN may not make its target deadline of 2015 in meeting their 8 goals discussed.

I honestly believe that community leaders need to educate the popluation of a program like this. I for instance, had no clue such a program existed. Of course hunger, better education, equal rights for women and so forth are always discussed, we as a population are not always told of the progress being made to address these issues. Imagine the impact a whole community could have if they worked together to help aid some of these issues. Involving more people I believe would only help the MDG become more successful. It is highly likely that all goals will not be met in every country targeted but this is a great step in the right direction to begin change. I most definetly feel that as we as a people are education about these issues, we can better help the UN fulfill the hope talked about prior to so many less fortunte persons.

In my opinion, the idea of setting MD goals for the global community is progressive and responsible. Developing these goals demonstrates future improvement for our global society by taking action, by educating people of these important issues, and by promoting future global commitment. I think it's great that our society has stepped up to address these important issues and to develop a goal plan, because without awareness, none of these goals could be accomplished. In today's age, everyone should be able to recognize these issues has a threat to our community, and have a total awareness of what's happening in the world around them. It's very important that our community leaders inform society about these issues so that each person can take personal responsibility for their role on planet earth.

However, I believe the actual implementation of this idea comes with an idealistic approach. For example, saying that we need to defeat "world hunger/and poverty" is easier said then done. There are too many other factors that come into play when attempting to defeat this issue. For example, the discrepancies of different cultural beliefs, different types of religion, lack of individual contributions, and the economic recession, all play as obstacles in the way to simply achieving these goals. Setting development goals for our community is progressive, but setting a time frame to when these goals should be accomplished is naïve and unrealistic. By the United Nations stating that we must have these goals achieved by 2015 is limiting our expectations. For example, the public awareness of sustainability just became popular within the last 10 years. By 2011, there is no doubt that more people are convinced of global warming being a real issue, but it will be along time before the world is convinced that converting to "green" living is more cost efficient and as effective than previous method's. "Integrating the principles of sustainable development into every country and reversing loss of environmental resources"(MDG report by United Nations, 2009); although this idea is ideal for our global community, it's no necessarily realistic.

I believe that the role of community leaders is to not only educate the public on these unfortunate world issues, but also to promote the Millennium Development plan by focusing on the application of achieving these idea's. As previously mentioned, it's easy to preach these problems to the world but it's much more difficult to achieve them if there isn't a plan of action. That's why it's very important to educate people on what resources they have and find ways to going about making a difference. For example, community leaders should help reduce Aid's/diseases by reinforcing education, supplying contraceptive's, and providing resources to the public. These types of actions are what make a difference in the world and essentially will help to achieving the goals our society has implemented.

The videos explained and expressed amazingly inspiring ideas for the Millennium Developmental Goals by the United Nations. These ideas demonstrate ways to improve upon different countries in great need of help worldwide.   I greatly appreciate that the United Nations have acknowledged a set of specific goals.  Listing the goals maps out a great outline for them to follow using the means that they have available.  As wonderful as this is, there is a slight downfall.  They have provided a goal deadline which is 2015.  Though it is great to have a strict guideline placed on the goal set, it could start to feel overwhelming considering how many more goals that they have set up to achieve.  With the seriousness of these 8 goals, the work ahead of them is lengthy and time consuming.  I think that the United Nations are thinking very positively and have strong ambition because of wanting to achieve the 8 goals by 2015.  I will admit that I didn't know about any of this information or about the goals being set.  Learning this information has helped me to understand the seriousness and the desparity of what these goals really stand for.  There is a lot of work that still needs to be done, and I believe that thoroughly informing the people who are involved and stand to gain from these goals would be greatly helpful.  The more people understand, the greater the effect, and possibly could gain more assistance in accomplishing these goals, as well as any other goals set in the future.  Knowledge is definitely power!  Educating people may motivate them to help.  Making people aware of the issues, and what is being done to correct them allows hope and faith to be restored.

It would be inhumane to disbelieve that people need help.  The world today is full of people who do not have the necessities of life which we take for granted.  For example when I don't have money for the newest cell phone I get bummed but really shame on me for thinking that when there are literally millions of people in the world that do not even have food.  I strongly believe that people need to work together to achieve a greater us and they way the world is going we may be forced to do that one day.  The goals that were expressed in the videos are perfect and needed in order to create a better world for all and if these goals were all achieved it would mean a better life for all people in all nations.  The difficulty is found in executing these goals.  It is not easy to eradicate extreme poverty when it is everywhere.  The second video expressed an idea that I consider to be the most vital part in order to reach these goals and that is to work in a partnership otherwise it will not work.  I believe the day will come when we are forced to work all together or we will parish.  In general, people are so prone to having more that another individual that they will hurt others to get what they want but they never have enough and that creates a difficult environment to have joint progression as a whole.  

Although these goals are achievable if everyone works together I find it difficult to believe that they will be achieved.  Firstly i believe that the majority of people are unaware that the government is even trying to work with the UN in order to achieve such goals.  Although I do not immerse myself in politics I would believe that I would have heard sometime somewhere about the millennium goals but i do not remember ever hearing about it until now and it has been instituted for 10 years already.  The government needs to make people aware.  This does not even take in account that fact that there is a large recession going on right now in society especially in the United States which is one of the most powerful countries in the UN.  It is difficult for people to help out others when they themselves are in financial trouble so maybe the UN should extend out the timeline because its already been 10 years and although there has been some progress we are a long way off from achieving our goals.  In each government I believe that they need to work with all local officials together in order to teach the people what they can do to help taking none of the money raised for themselves or anyone else.  Guarantee that 100 % of the money, goods, and services raised will go towards the cause.  I find it difficult to give charity when on a small % of the money goes to the people who need it.  Local fund raisers can be done and when those are done world wide the money will add up.

I was moved by the videos and statements assigned to us for this week. The Millenium Development Goals (MDG) are very bold and identify what the poorer countries in this world need. All of the goals are important, but we seem to be running out of time to accomplish all of them. While universal primary education and gender equality are important, there are other basic human needs that are not being met. Safe drinking water, enough food, and better disease control are the top three that I think should be addressed first. There are about 800 million people that go hungry every day. Adults and children deserve to have the opportunity and even the chance to live a better life. I was impressed that so many countries participated in the summit in 2000, but clearly all of the goals set for 2015 seem like a stretch because there are less than five years left.

Ending extreme poverty should be the biggest priority for each country. From what I could gather from the United Nations website there have been some accomplishments. With only about 4 years left a significant amount of money has been raised for the MDG, but sadly it may not be enough. Most of it will go to food security, education, and combating malaria. I was assigned to research China and they have made huge strides in helping the poor and sick in their country. China has reduced the number of child mortalities in half since 1990. Also, the issue of universal primary education has already been achieved. I was always told when I was little that I should finish the food I was given on my place because there are starving children in China. It made sense to me at the time, but it felt wrong to eat when I realized that some children go hungry every night. I knew that there was more that people could do to help. Community leaders have to think globally now with all of the problems with malnutrition and disease. If everyone could pitch in something I think that it could make a big difference. It is not about us anymore, it is about all of us.

I am overwhelmingly surprised and amazed at these ideas. I am, too, worried that we only have four more years before the deadline of 2015, to achieve these goals. In today's society, I see advertisements, especially in the media, with celebrities sponsoring certain organizations such as hunger or poverty in different nations. These sponsors only bring awareness to one or two organizations, and clearly, the world needs more help with many more issues than that. I am so glad to see that the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations have eight of the most important issues they want to resolve around the world, and we only have four more years to help them. I think that there obviously needs to be more awareness in every community by such leaders to make sure, that as a society, we can do whatever necessary to help achieve these goals, as fast as possible. Teachers, non- profit organizations, friends, and family can start by educating and showing their students the MDG website and hopefully start some groups in their own community to help the progress. I think this may lead to other leaders in our government trying to help and raise awareness through funding etc... 

My first impression of the United Nations setting Millennium Development Goals was surprise. I had no previous knowledge of these ideas and did not know they even existed. After watching the videos, I am humbled as an American and am deeply moved by the astounding number of people that are facing hardships in the world around me. It is so easy to be wrapped up in my life and not pay attention to the millions of mothers, children, and fathers dying in other countries. I think the Millennium Development Goals are a fantastic idea.

While being excited over the hope that the videos instilled, I read the report from 2009 showing the stagnancy and lack of significant progress according to the timelines set by the UN in 2000. This information brought me back to the realization that not only am I not helping, but the vast majority of my country's population is also capable of helping and we all are too busy with our personal struggles to open our eyes and hearts to the problems in our world. The websites and videos gave me hope in that we don't have to be millionaires to make a difference. Something as small as $1 helps an entire family get help.

The MDG's are, needless to say, ambitious goals. We are running out of time to finish them the way we planned. The implementation of these goals are not where they should be. I like to consider myself a knowledgeable person, especially because I am in college, but I had no idea the UN met with these goals. If I didn't hear about them before this class, I wonder how many other millions of citizens are also in the dark about these amazing goals and projects. There is hope to get these ideas back on track so that the world will truly be a better place for everyone. Educating the masses about these goals is essential to completely them.

Community leaders have the most important role in the realization of MDG in that they have the tools necessary to reach millions of viewers and readers. I was excited by a billboard I saw on one of the freeways that said we could realize the elimination of HIV/AIDS by 2015. I was so inspired that I told my friends and family that day of the hope our community has. These simple steps like putting up a billboard, making YouTube videos, and having websites with all kinds of information are what we need. Since humans are creatures who want to follow trends or listen to other more powerful people tell them what a good idea is, our community leaders need to step up and create more awareness and education for our people here who are able to help. The use of the internet and social networking sites has been a fairly recent phenomena that community leaders have yet to implement completely. Our president, governors, mayors, and congress members need to help their districts realize the potential that this MDG project has. We are the difference. We just need to be made aware of that.

In creating the Millennium Development Goals the United Nations, along with a vast number of supporters, have given both structure and form to previously lofty aspirations, which some, in the past, have seen as unattainable. Perhaps, in order to clarify, the broad functionality of the MDG is more easily understood as a simple business analogy. The inevitable goal of any successful business is to generate a profit, however, without a valuable business strategy making money becomes difficult if not impossible. In the same respect, ending poverty without the implementation of an organized plan of action gives way to shortcomings of scale, funds, personnel, political ,and international support. So in the same way that a financial strategy gives shape to a business, I feel, that the MDG gives shape to worthy social causes of international scale. Although the implementation of theses goals can sometimes be temporarily derailed by unforeseen factors, such as the recent economic downturn detailed in the Millennium Development Goals Report of 2010, I feel that they are ultimately attainable. As the 2010 report suggests, however, much of the progress made in the way of the MDG has been thwarted in the last year or so by dismal, international economic climates. This will undoubtedly be a factor when considering a new time frame for attainable goals in the years following 2015. Community leaders will and have always played a pivotal role in the realization of MDG. Community leaders empower citizens to take action in any regard, whether by volunteering their time or simply making a monetary donation. They provide on open dialogue in supporting the MDG through many avenues and with all types and varieties of people, work, and charity.  

"What are your reflections on the idea of setting Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations as well as on the implementation of this idea? What in your opinion is the role of community leaders in realization of MDG?" 

In the video "Achieving Millennium Goals" they mentioned that 1.2 billion people live on a $1.00 a day or less. I was not only shocked and appalled but felt ashamed because I have spent more on a cup of coffee from Starbucks than some of these people have to live.

These eight goals are not only important but necessary. As residents of one of the wealthiest countries, it is our moral responsibility to help those in need to benefit the world as a whole. There is no excuse for 1/3 of Africa's population to have no access to drinking water or for 3,000 children to be dying from Malaria each day. Even with our own economic crisis going on, there are still things we as students and community members can do to help.

The United Nations Foundation suggests that even something as simple as sending a malaria-preventing bed net to Africa or sharing their page on our Facebooks can make a significant difference. The Foundation is also taking donations of as little as $1.00 for immunizing children against Polio. I can't help but think of how much could be contributed for immunizations if we students each sacrificed one cup of coffee, a bagel from Einstein's, or even the latest itunes download.

I believe that community leaders should make it a priority to bring these goals to their own community. Arizona State for example, has made the seventh goal of ensuring environmental sustainability a priority at the university; and if an entire university can do that so can we as individuals. Leaders can also ensure that the younger generations are educated on the environment, personal health and the importance of recycling by starting at school.

As long as we feel gender inequality, poverty, and AIDS are worlds away then nothing will ever get solved. By bringing these goals to the community level and showing how they are connected to us and our daily lives, maybe people would be more willing to help out.

The Millennium Development Goals at first seem nearly impossible, like the problems are too big to be fixed.  But our world cannot continue in a cycle where we will die slowly, it has to start somewhere to try to be fixed.  Yes, if tackled as a world, the goals seem a bit more realistic to achieve, but I think it will only happen very slowly.  To implement these goals, I think it will take a series of systems, slowly but surely.  For example, the goal of promoting gender equality must start at educating these countries that woman are indeed equal.  It has been for many years where the women are not looked as equal, but far inferior.  So I think programs first need to teach that this equality is deserved, then find ways to implement it.  The role of community leaders is imperative in realization of Millennium Development Goals, as they will be an example for the rest of the population to try to achieve these goals.  Their efforts will show a depth of concern and spark interest in their community for others to follow in the helping.  Communities depend on their leaders to have a call to action.  Remember when Kanye West was on national TV during Hurricane Katrina and because Bush did not respond as quickly as he liked to help the victims, he said that Bush did not like black people?  Right away Bush's (the leader's) lack of attention was immediately realized, so if Bush (or whoever the leader may have been) would have responded sooner, or as the community wanted their leader to, the entire situation would have been put a bit at ease because of the realization of the leader, realizing there was a problem, and making a call to action, in higher hopes that other will follow to help.

I think the United Nations idea of setting Millennium Development Goals is obviously a great thing for communities all over the world. I will have to admit though, I have never heard of this before even though years have gone by since the eight goals were established. It surprises me, because after seeing some of the statistics I was amazed at how many people around the world are suffering. Of course, you hear about it every once in awhile, but you really aren't made aware of the shocking amount of people dealing with hunger, poverty, gender inequality, and most of all child suffering. The fact that 11 million children die every year from preventable diseases or 800 million people are suffering from hunger worldwide, just goes to show you how many people need our help. I think these kinds of statistics are what really catch people's attention and will get people around the world to help. You often hear about how people all over the world are struggling and are told that they need your help, but you are never often given a plan and enough statistics to back it up like the Millennium Developmental Goals provide. I think it is definitely a plan that many people can get behind and it's a shame that it isn't a well-known commodity. I think the number one thing community leaders should be focusing on is burning these goals into the minds of their members and getting the message out there at a much faster pace. It has been years and it still seems as though much of the world hasn't even heard of this. The more people you have on board the more money and help you will have. That can only provide a much needed boost and put us closer to achieving these worldwide goals.

Millenium Development Goals are nice in theory but are more difficult to make a reality than the United Nations suggests. Overall, the importance of giving society the resources necessary to become aware of global issues is obviously a key priority, but by suggesting that there is a feasible way to "end hunger" I believe is arrogant and naive. If we are able to provide the tools necessary for change we will have a greater outcome, I believe. Setting development goals is a lofty feat and it's going to take as much elbow grease as it will smooth talking by the worlds political leaders.

Let's look first at the fact we have just pulled through a global economic crisis. I can't believe that there is much disposable income left over in many govenments' financial systems. This plan is claiming to solve the same global problems as we have seen tried to be solved by past political leaders. Granted, there is a large movement in more sustainable energy and in the more recent years the trend has caught on with more and more governments but nonetheless I'm not sure this is the most realistic approach.

I can't fault the U.N. for setting such high standards though. We need to have leaders willing to make the impossible, possible. If they didn't try to set such seemingly ridiculous goals for the rest of the human race to try and live up to we wouldn't be trying so hard to develop more efficient ways to live our lives. While the time frame might be unrealistic, and the way some of the goals come across as literally impossible (ending world hunger - impossible - no matter how full I am, I become hungry again after enough time) I feel strongly about the message of what the MDG stands for.

I think the development of the UN Millennium Development Goals is an inspiring and beautifully collaborative approach by the United Nations to the problems facing our world.  It addresses the need for progress in developing and struggling countries, while also addressing the necessity of accountability in closing these deficits.  The action taken to remedy these gross deficiencies among populations is only effective if those implementing progressive programming are held accountable for creating the progress needed to reach the 2015 deadline.  Thus, the overwhelming nature of the goals is grounded in the urgency of a near approaching deadline.  Furthermore, the incremental progress that most countries have experienced since the inception of the goals is a testament to their achievable nature.  However, the progress must be continually evaluated and adjusted with respect to the achievement of goals most relevant to each individual country.  With this in mind, I believe the role of community leaders is to both educate and inspire their citizens to take action in achieving these goals whether it be in their own or a neighboring country.  Furthermore, community leaders should likewise be held accountable for contributions to the continued progress of achieving the goals.  I do not believe that it is a matter of wholly achieving every goal by the 2015 deadline, but rather making continual and measured progress towards each of the goals, resulting in a better world for the current generations and those to follow.

I think the idea of setting MDGs is the single most concrete plan the United Nations has had in a long time to bring unity and productive change to the entire world. Most people only help others and care about others development, only if it has some benefit for them in return. Countries and politics are the same, a country will help another as long as there are resources to be gain. The Millennium Development Goals are in a sense are the same exact thing, people are helping people in a global, national, and local level get to a standard goal of living, except this time the benefit is for everyone as a whole. I believe the implementation is naturally a big challenge. There is a whole world of people who doesn't realize that others exist, even in their local community. In order to help someone achieve a higher standard of living, resources have to be made available. I believe the resources are there but now I think the realization part will be the hardest to implement. Realization of who and how to help others. The goal has been set as to when to help which is now. I think the role of the community leaders should be to encourage, engage and possibly enforce the arrangement of grassroots organizations that will find out exactly what that country needs to achieve the Millennium Development Goals that they struggle with the most. I believe the goal for 2015 is very practical and I think as a whole the United Nations will succeed.