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Dylan Mahalingam is the founder and CEO of Lil’ MDGs, a unique international development and youth empowerment organization. Dylan is 14 years old and resides in Derry, New Hampshire. Dylan founded Lil' MDGs, a non-profit based in New Hampshire, when he was 9 years old; Lil’ MDGs mission is to leverage the power of the Internet to educate, engage, empower, and inspire children in all corners of the world to help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Lil’ MDGs now has more than 20,000 volunteers hailing from 39 countries. To date, Lil' MDGs has rallied youth from around the world to raise more than $780,000 for tsunami relief and over $10 million for hurricane relief. In addition, Dylan has mobilized youth to raise funds and resources to build schools, dorms, libraries, playgrounds, community gardens, and more in several countries. To date, through Jayme’s Fund, they have awarded over $70,000 in grants to fund projects around the world. In 2009, Lil’ MDGs was recognized by the United Nations as the best practice in e-content and technological creativity, demonstrating young people’s potential to create outstanding digital content and serving as a platform for people from all UN member states to work together to meet the MDGs.
Dylan is a youth speaker for the United Nations Environment Programme and United Nations Development Programme, and he travels internationally to speak to various groups. Dylan is also a panelist and speaker for the United Nations Global Forum on ICT & Development. Dylan was also invited by the UN to work on the UN worldwide campaign on Climate Change. Dylan is part of a small tribe of designers and architects in the field of K-12 education. In this tribe, Dylan represents children in grades K-12 in the USA, and he helps to reshape the learning environment of the future. Dylan is the only youth and only student in this committee of adults and experts in the field. Dylan has been featured in various media, both nationally and internationally, and will be featured in a new book to be published in 2010 by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council of Communications and Media. Most recently, Disney has selected Lil’ MDGs to be one of its ongoing participating volunteer opportunities in NH. Dylan is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his philanthropic work.
   
County: Rockingham NH, USA School: Pinkerton Academy |