Develop Global Youth Leaders in NYC and DC!

Dear Friend,

The end of the school year is fast approaching, and Global Kids Leaders have been busy wrapping up their projects and planning for the summer! We are excited for all the graduation festivities happening this month!

In the meantime, our students have been engaged in many activities as they finish their year. Some highlights from the last few months include:

• Eight students from the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists took a trip to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica during their spring break, where they participated in service learning projects, community engagement, and discussions about food accessibility, agriculture rights, and nutrition. 

• A group of students from Bronx High School for the Visual Arts took an overnight college visit to Philadelphia, PA, where they were hosted by the Greenfield Intercultural Center. Students also toured the campuses of University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University, met with admissions officers, and interacted with local students pursuing various majors.

• Students from Curtis High School in Staten Island took a college and career readiness trip to Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD to visit college campuses and collaborate with students in our Washington, DC (GK-DC) program. The youth toured the campuses of and met with admissions officers from University of Maryland, Howard University, and Georgetown University, attended a young professionals dinner hosted by GK-DC students, and volunteered for a day at the DC Food Bank.

• This year’s Annual Youth Conference, which was held on April 17, was a great success! It focused on the theme of Global Justice with the slogan Know Justice! Know Peace! and engaged over 600 youth and educators from New York City. Activities from the event, which GK students planned, organized, and implemented themselves, included workshops, performances, and guest speakers that shed light on the connection between justice and peace in today’s world. Watch this video for a more in-depth look at the event! 

• Global Kids Leaders in the Human Rights Activist Project won the Social Media Award at the NYU Social Justice Expo! The students presented their Climate Education campaign, which is working towards mandating climate education in all K-12 science curriculum in New York City.

• On May 28th, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, paid a special visit to Curtis High School in Staten Island. Global Kids students held a Q&A session with Ambassador Power and impressed her by posing thoughtful and well-articulated questions on foreign policy issues ranging from the threat of ISIL and the conflict in the Ukraine.

• On May 30th, students from our Online Leadership Program represented Global Kids at the annual Emoti-con! Conference, which supports youth in expressing themselves through digital media and technology. Our students presented games that they created during the school year. They worked on the concept, storyboard, coding, and testing to create games and mobile apps that focus on human rights issues in their local and global communities. Game topics ranged from the evolution of technology, to Boko Haram in Nigeria, to the life of a Dominican immigrant in New York City. Our students received many accolades this year, including the Point of View Award and an Honorable Mention for Best Pitch! Check out this video that one of our students made about the event! 

As always, thank you so much for believing in our youth. We know that Global Kids’ work would simply not be possible without your support, for which we are truly grateful. We have many exciting plans for the summer, including three international trips to South Africa, Japan, and Haiti, so keep an eye out for our next report!

Sincerely,

Ana Sofia