The ripples that world leaders felt at last year's UN global education meetings when for the first time a young person had a seat - and a voice - at every ministerial discussion table will be stronger this year.
There is a growing education emergency and young people are getting impatient waiting for the action promised by country leaders.
There are still 58 million children out of school and millions more who are not learning. Growing numbers of young adults want the opportunity to fulfill their potential and have a decent job. They are not prepared to keep on waiting. They want every child in school now.
So what is stopping this?
We know that the cost of education is entirely affordable - in sub-saharan Africa, the annual cost per child for basic schooling only is $120. And we know we can't afford NOT to educate every child, especially if we want to address climate change, health, nutrition and quality of life on our precious planet.
What makes this harder is to witness schools that are teaching eager young students around the world coming under attack. Young people have just had enough. We are about to hear their voices more urgently - not just in meetings when invited, but on the streets, across the web, outside government buildings and wherever there are decision makers who can so readily take action to address the problem.
All around the world, from Pakistan to Gaza, Nigeria to New York, young people have started to mobilize, to connect and to make their voices heard. They are no longer asking. They are insisting on action. They are simply - but firmly - demanding that every child in the world can go to school, without danger or discrimination. And their numbers are growing daily in solidarity with each other.
At the heart of this growing movement is a network of more than 500 global youth ambassadors from 85 different countries who plan their work together on Facebook and discuss their campaign tactics on google hangouts. These are young people - Philip and Ojonwa in Nigeria, Sarah in Kenya, Clareine in DRC, Shazia and Kainat in Britain, Razia in Pakistan, Farrer who is unable to go back to her family in Syria due to the conflict and has made a new home in America, Mohamed, a child soldier in Sierra Leone and 490 more - who have faced attack, discrimination, abuse and exclusion. Today many of these young leaders are convening in New York for the #UpForSchool Youth Rally where they will launch a global call to action - the #UpForSchool petition. Today they are asking you to support their struggle.
Despite promises made by world leaders, progress on education has stalled, financial aid to basic education is being reduced and both schools and school children are under attack. But young people are no longer seeing these attacks as isolated incidents on a school bus, or in a single school. They are viewing these incidents as an attack on them, an attack on all girls and boys. An attack on one school or student is an attack on all.
The #UpForSchool petition is being passed between villages, towns and cities around the world as well as on social media and the launch today is supported by a unique coalition of businesses, faith leaders, NGOs, teachers, civil society organizations and influential individuals with amazing networks and reach.
The aim is for #UpForSchool to become the largest petition in history, a message no government, politician or leader can ignore. Why? Nothing changes without pressure. We will not see all children in school and learning until politicians and leaders feel the pressure to make the urgent political actions and financial commitments necessary to tackle the key barriers to children being in school.
It has been inspiring to see the growth of a vibrant network of youth activists over the past year. I am signing up to join their struggle and urge you to do the same. But I leave the last word here rightly to a younger voice than mine: Activist Chernor Bah from Sierra Leone shares his view in a new campaign film launched today. He says:
You'll not bomb our schools or kidnap our sisters. Force us into marriage as children or make us work instead of learn. Use our disabilities as a barrier, discriminate and exclude us, or deny us a future because we are girls. Education is our right. It gives us freedom, better health and hope. It gives us a future. And no child in the world should be denied it.
Sign the #UpForSchool petition at www.upforschool.org.
Sarah Brown is co-founder of A World at School and Executive Chair of the Global Business Coalition for Education.