Islanders are invited to nominate young people, ages 16 to 23, to serve as delegates to the Stone Soup Leadership Institute’s fifth annual Youth Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held on the Vineyard from June 26 to July 2.

During this week-long program, 50 youth delegates will envision their personal, professional, Island and planetary goals, and develop action plans for sustainable development projects.

Walter Cronkite 4th is the honorary cochairman of the summit. “My grandfather was a vocal proponent of sustainable growth, and he would be proud to see young people working together to achieve this vital goal,” says 21-year-old Mr. Cronkite.

Mr. Cronkite is creating a team of seasonal youth residents who care about the Vineyard and want to be part of the new generation of Vineyard leaders for the 21st century. Year-round Vineyard youth attend at no charge. Anyone is invited to invest in the Island’s future by sponsoring delegates.

Schools, nonprofit organizations, the Martha’s Vineyard Chamber of Commerce and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission are working as partners with the institute on this summit to ensure its long-term impact on the Island. The summit advisory council includes Nancy Cole, Nancy Gardella, Mark London, William Marks, Christy Moreis, Sidney Morris, Noli Taylor and Elaine Weintraub.

“We see the youth summit as a unique opportunity to realize our goal of engaging Vineyard youth in the issues addressed in the Island Plan,” says Mark London, executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. “The institute’s goal of preparing our youth to learn how to sustain the delicate balance of the economic, environmental and social issues on the Island is closely aligned with [ours]. We look forward to working together to prepare a new generation of leaders on Martha’s Vineyard for the 21st century.”

The institute was founded on the Vineyard in 1997. Its book and educational curriculum, Stone Soup for the World: Life-Changing Stories of Everyday Heroes, have been used by schools, inspired service projects, summer institutes, and events with President Clinton and the Celebration of Heroes awards ceremony. A video, produced by Galen Films and narrated by Walter Cronkite, can be found online at YouTube.com.

To make a nomination, send and e-mail soup4world@gmail.com. Sponsor packages are also available. For details, call 617-304-7821, or visit mvyli.org.