Develop Global Youth Leaders in NYC and DC!

Dear Friend,

With the start of a new year, Global Kids Leaders in New York City and Washington, DC have been participating in the full range of Global Kids' offerings including Classroom Residencies, Afterschool Leadership Clubs, and ongoing programming at Global Kids Headquarters. In response to current events around the world, Global Kids Leaders have been exploring issues related to social justice and human rights:

Two Global Kids Leaders, Annie and Kazi, participated in the StoryCorps Human Impacts Institute Project that documents stories of women climate change activsts. After being directly and severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy and losing her home, Annie has become a youth climate activist in New York City and even addressed the United Nations Climate Summit in 2013. Kazi interviewed Annie on tape at a StoryCorps StoryBooth in New York City, where both young ladies discussed the value of climate education in primary and secondary education, as well as the importance of raising awareness about climate justice.

On Martin Lurther King Jr. Day, Global Kids Leaders participated in various service-learning activities to commemorate the prolific leader. These included:

• Special screanings of the film "Selma" in various theaters throughout New York City and Washington, DC for over 200 students.
• A teach-in at Global Kids Headquarters during which high school students led mini workshops for middle school students, providing an opportunity for all youth to reflet on the movie, hear opinions from their schoolmates, and share their knowledge on human rights and social justice.
• Students from Curtis High School in Staten Island, NY volunteered at Project Hospitality and prepared food packages for homeless families.
• Students from the Academy for Health Careers and William Cullen Bryant High School, both located in Queens, NY, volunteered with Repair the World and the Met Council to create materials and food bags for a Know Your Rights training.
• Students in Washington, DC were so inspired by the film screening that they voted to dedicate a full program week to further discuss the teachings of Dr. King and social justice issues. They also celebrated Black History Month throughout February by engaging in a social media campaign called "We Hold These Truths" in partnership with the DC Trust.

Global Kids Leaders are also busy preparing and planning for the 26th Annual Youth Conference, to be held on April 17 in New York City. In light of recent cases around police misconduct in Staten Island and Ferguson, MO, as well as the recent screenings of "Selma," students elected Justice as the conference theme. Since then, the youth have been working diligently on crafting curriculum on several topics related to Justice such as climate change and environmental justice, gender equality, international law, racial justice, economic justice, laws regarding the rights of LGBTQ people, and criminal justice. Sixty-five youth conference planners attended a three-day retreat in upstate New York, where they practiced and refined their workshops. The Global Kids Leaders are expecting 600 youth and educators to attend the conference, and if you happen to be in New York City on April 17th, please join us! For more information, please contact me at anasofia@globalkids.org.

As the year progresses, we look forward to sharing all the achievements and accomplishments of Global Kids Leaders as they finish projects and campaigns, and for seniors, graduate high school and receive college acceptance letters. Your support and belief in our work makes all of this possible, and we are forever grateful. Here's to an incredible 2015!

Sincerely,

Ana Sofia