The beauty of technology? With access, no matter where in the world you live, you can be a part of global discussions which seek to change the world. And not just any global discussions but those which bring together amazing voices from social change leaders to citizen journalists to spirituality seekers all in service to one question: “How can new technology and new media create solutions for the biggest problems facing my community?” The Social Good Summit 2012 is where it all begins. But the rest is up to all of us.

The third annual summit is a worldwide event taking place on September 22nd - 24th in New York City. Co-sponsored by Mashable, the 92nd St Y, the UN Foundation, Ericcson, the U.N. Development Programme, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the event aims to highlight how social media and technology can be and are being harnessed to fix many of the world's major problems.

The summit may be organized by some major players but authentic social change requires bringing together the ideas, thoughts, and voices of millions of people. It's why, even if you can't make it to New York City in September, you can be a major part of the action. Meetups are happening around the world, anywhere you'd like to start one; or you can join an existing one. From Argentina to Zimbabwe, check out the Mashable Meetups that are beginning to form and sign-up.

Mashable's got the list of confirmed speakers so far:

• Todd Park, CTO, United States
• Forest Whitaker, Artist & UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
• Nick Kristof, Columnist & Two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner, The New York Times
• Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager Google Earth Outreach & Earth Engine Google, Inc.
• Hans Vestberg, President & CEO, Ericsson
• Deepak Chopra, New York Times Bestselling Author & Founder, The Chopra Foundation
• Wendy Harman, Director, Social Strategy, American Red Cross
• Ramy Raoof, Egyptian Blogger & Human Rights Defender, Egyptian Blog for Human Rights
• Pete Cashmore, CEO & Founder, Mashable
• Kathy Calvin, CEO, United Nations Foundation
• Helen Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme
• Larry Irving, Co-Founder, Mobile Alliance for Global Good
• David Kobia, Director of Technology Development, Ushahidi
• TMS “Teddy” Ruge, Co-Founder, Project Diaspora

Conversations are critical to social change. But action is the fuel.  When the summit has wrapped, and discussions have been ended, organizers will crowdsource (from the global conversations) a "worldwide action paper" which will highlight the opportunities and challenges we face as a global community.

You don't need to wait for September, though. Join the dialogue: #SGSglobal or Take Action.