NEW YORK, April 7, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hundreds of students from more than 50 public high schools across New York City will come together to discuss and advocate for children's rights at Global Kids' 21st Annual Youth Conference.
The unique gathering of the City's youth will take place on Friday April 9 at Baruch College's Mason Hall (17 Lexington Ave at East 23rd Street) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is organized by Global Kids, the foremost nonprofit organization in New York City dedicated to educating students in underserved communities about international affairs and civic engagement. The event was planned by a diverse group of high school students in Global Kids' programs, who will lead all of the day's workshops.
Students will educate their peers and inspire them to take action on a number of children's rights issues through a combination of interactive workshops, action projects, and performing arts. Three outstanding Global Kids participants will emcee the Conference: Jessy Jo Gomez, from the NYC Museum School in Manhattan; Laura Jones, from Fordham High School for the Arts in the Bronx; and Kwadko Saka, from Canarsie High School in Brooklyn.
Special guests at the event will include NYC Deputy Mayor for Operations, Edward Skyler, who will speak about the importance of youth participation in the democratic process, and actress Rosario Dawson, who will speak about her work using the arts to inspire global activism on children's and women's rights.
At the event, youth will present a video message and petition they have created, urging Congress to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The United States is one of only two members of the United Nations (along with Somalia) who have not signed the UNCRC, an international convention setting out the civil, political, economic, cultural and social rights of children.
For 20 years, the Global Kids Youth Conference has provided a forum for the City's youth to educate each other about the global issues that affect their lives. The entirely youth-led event is the culmination of months of research, planning, and organizing by the students in Global Kids' after school programs.
The workshops presented by youth at this year's Conference will include: Access to Education, Child Abuse and Neglect, Child Labor, Child Soldiers, Human Trafficking, Impact of War on Children, Juvenile Justice, Sexual Exploitation of Children, Standard of Living, and others.
Experts and practitioners from the following major New York-based organizations and institutions will participate in the Conference:
| · African Film Festival | · League of Young Voters | ||||||
| · Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership | · National Center for Children in Poverty | ||||||
| · BYkids | · National Child Labor Committee | ||||||
| · Children's Aid Society | · NY State Office of Mental Health | ||||||
| · Children's Defense Fund | · NYC Center for Children | ||||||
| · Children's Health Fund | · Sesame Workshop | ||||||
| · Children's Rights Institute | · Stop Child Trafficking Now | ||||||
| · Council on Foreign Relations | · The Global Syndicate | ||||||
| · Digital Democracy | · U.S. Fund for UNICEF | ||||||
| · End Child Prostitution and Trafficking | · U.S. Mission to the U.N. | ||||||
| · Equality Now | · UNICEF | ||||||
| · Global Justice Center | · UNIFEM | ||||||
| · Human Rights Watch | · United Nations | ||||||
| · LEAD Uganda | · Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict | ||||||
For more information on Global Kids 2010 Annual Youth Conference, please call (212) 226-0130 or e-mail conference@globalkids.org.
| Global Kids 2010 Annual Youth Conference Agenda | |
| 8:00 AM | Breakfast and Registration |
| 9:00 AM | Opening Plenary |
| * Welcome by Global Kids Leaders Jessy Jo Gomez, Laura Jones and Kwadwo Saka | |
| * Greetings by Marisa Delacruz, Baruch College, and Carole Artigiani, Global Kids Founder and Executive Director | |
| * Remarks by Edward Skyler, NYC Deputy Mayor of Operations | |
| * Mario Navas, Global Kids Leader | |
| * Jacques-Phillipe Piverger, Founding Chairman, The Global Syndicate | |
| * Ping Chong's Undesirable Elements performed by GK Youth Leaders | |
| 10:30 AM | Morning Youth-Led Workshops: Children's Rights 101 |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 PM | Afternoon Plenary |
| * Mashal Hamidi, Adelphi University Student | |
| * Presentation of Global Kids Human Rights Activist Project Campaign Actions | |
| * Rosario Dawson, actress and activist, V-DAY | |
| * Performances by Global Kids Youth Leaders | |
| 2:00 PM | Afternoon Youth-Led Workshops: Various Topics |
| 3:45 PM | Closing Remarks and Performances by Global Kids Youth Leaders |
About Global Kids, Inc.
Founded in 1989, Global Kids' mission is to inspire and educate urban youth to become successful students, global citizens, and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences. Through its leadership development and academic enrichment programs, Global Kids educates youth about critical international and domestic issues and promotes their engagement in civic life and the democratic process. Through professional development initiatives, Global Kids provides educators with strategies for integrating experiential learning methods and international issues into urban classrooms. Over ninety percent of the high school seniors who participate in Global Kids' leadership program graduate from high school and go on to college.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850