UNA-USA Media Blog

President Obama Speaks to the World

2009-09-22T23:32:00.000-04:00

Global Classrooms: New York City student recognized at UNA-USA's Leo Nevas Human Rights Award Luncheon

2008-12-16T15:08:00.003-05:00

United Nations Organizations Honor Trinity Student
Trinity College, Trinity News

Ibrahim Diallo ’11 was presented the inaugural Leo Nevas Human Rights Student Advocate Award this week by the New York City-based United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) and the Business Council for the United Nations.

A native of Guinea, Diallo, 19, received his award at a luncheon held in the United Nations Delegate Dining Room, where the special guest was Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

Diallo, who now lives in Brooklyn, NY, intends to major in human rights and international studies at Trinity, where he founded the African Development Coalition (ADC), an organization dedicated to promoting human rights programs in African countries. The group, which officially became a student group this semester, has received funding from the College’s Center for Urban and Global Studies and from the Student Government Association, of which Diallo is a member.

“It is…hope that led my friends and I to start the African Development Coalition at Trinity College,” Diallo said in accepting his award. “We may not solve Africa’s problems, but as we commit ourselves to raising money and applying for grants to implement our projects in selected African nations, we are certain that we will become better global citizens for it.”

The mission of the ADC is “to raise awareness of contemporary African culture, politics and economic issues on the Trinity campus and beyond, ultimately bringing together a network of civil servants to work towards peace, education and development on the continent.”

Members of the ADC will attend the Model African Union Conference at Howard University in Washington D.C. in spring 2009, and will meet with the ambassadors of Guinea and Sierra Leone.

William Luers, president of the UNA-USA, said Diallo was selected for the prestigious award because of his efforts to heighten awareness of African development and education issues and the rights of U.S. immigrants, and because of his longtime participation in UNA-USA’s Global Classrooms program.

“We are so proud and honored that Ibrahim's work has been recognized by the United Nations Association. As a student leader at Trinity, Ibrahim is deeply engaged in connecting his academic studies to the world around him. The human rights award is a significant accomplishment, showing how smart and committed students can make a difference,” said Sonia Cardenas, Associate Professor of Political Science at Trinity and Director of its Human Rights Program.

The luncheon in New York was held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The event was hosted by UNA-USA and Newman’s Own Foundation. The keynote address was delivered by Francis Mading Deng, special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general for the prevention of genocide.

The main purpose of the luncheon was to present the second annual Leo Nevas Human Rights Award, which is given to an individual who has worked to promote human rights around the world and is named in honor of Leo Nevas, the longest-serving board member of UNA-USA and a champion of human rights.

This year’s award was presented posthumously to Tom Lantos, who was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in February. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor to be elected to Congress.

During his legislative career, Lantos was chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, where he worked for more than 25 years to protect the rights of the world’s most vulnerable populations. His wife, Annette Lantos, accepted the award on his behalf.

The United Nations Association of the United States of America is a not-for-profit- membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and vital work of the United Nations among the American people. Its educational and humanitarian campaigns, along with its policy and advocacy programs, allow people to make a global impact at the local level.

Visit our Global Classrooms: New York City site

Global Classrooms in action

2008-11-24T15:23:00.019-05:00

Since 2000, UNA-USA's Global Classrooms program has been engaging middle school and high school students by exploring current world issues through interactive simulations and engaging curriculum. The program cultivates literacy and leadership as students explore important topics such as peacekeeping, sustainable development, human rights, and the economics of globalization. At the core of Global Classrooms is Model UN, wherein students step into shoes of UN Ambassadors and debate a range of issues on the UN agenda. Find out more about Global Classrooms at www.globalclassroooms.org.

View the video below, produced by UNA-Minnesota, to see the Global Classrooms program, and Model UN in action.

Global Classrooms is made possible through a dynamic partnership with Merrill Lynch, with the goal of empowering young people from around the world to become active and engaged global citizens. The collaboration between Global Classrooms and Merrill Lynch offers students tangible ways to enhance their understanding of the international economy while they develop global literacy and other important life skills.

Click below to listen to an interview with Dr. Eddy Bayardelle, President of the Merrill Lynch Foundation and Head of Global Philanthropy. Learn more about Merrill Lynch at Global Classrooms at www.unausa.org/mlgcpartnership.

More videos of distinguished speakers at UNA-USA Model UN events across

Secretary General Ban-ki Moon addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008 at UNHQ
Secretary General Ban takes student questions 1 | 2
Ban-ki Moon addresses Los Angles students
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte speaks and answeres student questions at the US State Department
Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt addresses UNAUSAMUN 2008
UNA-USA President Ambassador William Luers addresses students at UNAUSAMUN 2008
A great library of U.N. related videos, as well as Student and Faculty related study guides, courtesy of Richland College.
Even more UNA-USA videos available here on YouTube

AP: Obama seeks reforms in talk with UN chief

2008-11-24T10:56:00.002-05:00

President-elect Barack Obama is urging the United Nations chief to embark on "far-reaching reform" of the world organization to help it address pressing global issues.

At the same time, in a telephone conversation Wednesday, Obama told Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that the United States "should rededicate itself to the organization and to its mission," said Brook Anderson, chief national security spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.

Last month, Ban called for greater cooperation from the United States.

During his presidential campaign, Obama said in a statement to the U.N. Association of the U.S. and the Better World Campaign that "no country has a greater stake in a strong United Nations than the United States."

Read the full AP article here.

More on Barack Obama and the United Nations

UNA-USA President Ambassador Bill Luers and thirty-six prominent policy figures urge the president-elect to revitalize the US relationship with the UN. Read the statement here.

In “A Memo to the President-Elect” (.pdf) Ambassador Bill Luers lays out a broad agenda for the new administration’s engagement in the United Nations.

View President-elect Obama's letter to UNA Board member Josh Weston here. (.pdf)

Obama’s Win Could Mean Stronger UN-US Rapport
by Barbara Crossette

Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan awarded first ever YouTube Visionary Award

2008-11-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend, YouTube honored Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordon with the first ever YouTube Visionary Award underscoring the global impact of the channel.

“YouTube encourages us to be active participants in a global conversation, making our voices heard, giving us the power to broadcast ourselves, increasing knowledge of each other, breaking down the barriers between us clip by clip,” said Queen Rania.

Queen Rania wasn’t able to make it out there in person, but sent in the very unique and non-traditional thank you clip featured below, taking its cues from David Letterman's Top Ten lists.

Watch the YouTube Live Presentation of the Visionary Award

An article about the award from the Jordan Times

Council of Organizations Briefings

2008-11-14T11:56:00.005-05:00

UNA-USA's Council of Organizations offers unique opportunities for leaders from more than 100 nongovernmental organizations to partner with the United Nations and each other. Groups with interests in education, religion, labor, sustainable development, human rights, health and women's issues work together to encourage strong US leadership in the United Nations and play a critical role in educating millions of Americans about the UN's importance in world affairs. Learn more about the COO at www.unausa.org/council.

Listen to this month's New York briefing below.

Opportunities for the Incoming President
Thursday November 13, 2008
Location: Church Center for the United Nations

Featured Speakers
Barbara Crossette
UN Correspondent, The Nation, & Publications Consultant, UNA-USA

Stephen Schlesinger
Author and Fellow, The Century Foundation

With the 2008 Presidential election scheduled to take place a week prior to this monthly UN Briefing, UNA-USA’s Council of Organizations took the opportunity to ask experts on the US-UN relationship to reflect on opportunities for President-elect Obama once he takes office. Will the new President be supportive of the United Nations and present constructive new policies towards the UN on Capitol Hill? How will his policies differ from, or resemble, those of the Bush administration? How can the new President repair relations with other countries over key US foreign policy priorities while working to improve relations with the UN? These questions and more were answered by our experts at this monthly UN Briefing.

One Planet One Chance

2008-10-15T11:20:00.015-04:00

UNDP has commissioned Magnum in Motion to create a photo-essay on climate change.

Rich countries are already preparing public health to deal with future climate shocks. For poor countries it is much harder: they need international support to adapt. We are drifting into a world of adaptation apartheid. View the online photo-essay here.

Interested in climate change? UNA-USA's 2009 Essay Contest aims to answer the question 'What can the U.S. do to help ensure environmental sustainability?'

Click here to learn more about the Essay Contest.

"In My Name" campaign featured at the 2008 UNA-USA Global Leadership Awards Gala

2008-10-04T14:23:00.003-04:00

Will.I.Am and others explaining the 'In My Name' campaign that was featured at the Global Leadership Gala.

Visit In My Name's YouTube channel.

The gala marked the midway point of the MDGs that Secretary-General Ban recently reminded the world were set up “to free humankind from hunger, illiteracy, disease, disempowerment and environmental degradation” by 2015. The diverse group of honorees was selected by UNA-USA for their ongoing contributions toward these efforts.

Honoree Shawn (Jay-Z) Carter at the 2008 UNA-USA Global Leadership Awards Gala

2008-10-03T14:09:00.005-04:00

US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad presents Jay-Z with Global Leadership Award at the Waldorf=Astoria on October 1, 2008. Click on the video below to see Jay-Z's remarks.

Jay-Z was recognized for visionary leadership of Water for Life and exceptional partnership with the United Nations to address the fourth MDG – reducing child mortality.

International Justice Day in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2008-09-24T10:28:00.004-04:00

On July 17th, 2008, the student alliance of UNA-USA's Linn County, IA Chapter hosted Matthew Heaphy, AMICC Deputy Convener, to speak about the International Criminal Court and celebrate International Justice Day. The organizers showed a film about the court and read aloud a Proclamation from the Mayor of Cedar Rapids honoring the ICC. Amnesty International's Alice Dahli presented the case of a political prisoner in West Papua, Indonesia, on whose behalf the attendance sent postcards to the Indonesian government.

Going Global with the UN

2008-09-19T09:30:00.002-04:00

The United Nations Associations in Westchester County, New York, and Dallas, Texas, have cooperated to make available online a series of videos titled “Going Global with the UN.” The 26 half-hour videos cover the work of the United Nations since 1945 including education, health and the environment, poverty and development, war and peace, and gender and aging, as well as US-UN relations, the UN Millennium Development Goals, and peace and security.

Watch the complete "Going Global" collection online.

Washington Post - Model UN and HERO Program

2008-09-12T14:58:00.003-04:00

Model U.N. Experience Becomes Reality in Africa
Teen Puts Winning Essay to Work

By Jenna Johnson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 7, 2008; Page SM03

Christina Dawson was flipping through a CosmoGirl magazine when a contest caught her eye: Write an essay about what you would do to help African children, and win a trip to the continent with other youth ambassadors.

Dawson, a senior at Chopticon High School when she learned of the contest in the spring, wrote that she would use her artistic skills to "add color to the classroom." She drew on her experiences, such as living in Malaysia and visiting Peru, to explain the challenges faced by children in developing countries.

Click here to read the full article.

HERO Brings American Teens to Africa

2008-09-05T11:06:00.009-04:00

The HERO Campaign is an awareness-building and fundraising initiative dedicated to providing comprehensive, school-based support to orphans and vulnerable children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa.

In the summer of 2006, HERO launched a new student initiative, the HERO Youth Ambassador Program. For the past 3 years, they've taken a select group of US high school students to South Africa and Namibia to aid in these efforts. Along with the students and staff, a film crew has also joined the group, producing 2 series of webisodes following the program from start to finish. Below is the first webisode from the 2007 HERO trip.

Click here to watch the 24 other HERO 2007 webisodes
as well as 2006's.

Visit Heroaction.org

Adopt-A-Minefield goes to the Balkans

2008-08-26T14:54:00.024-04:00

This past June, AAM's Prairie Summer and Kevin O'Brien were joined by photographer Andris Bjornson as they visited Adopt a Minefield partners and sites in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Below are a few selected photos from the trip.

Read Kevin's Travel Log Here

All photos ©Adopt-A-Minefield by Andris Bjornson

Audio of an active minefield being cleared.

Rakovica Buholina, near Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Adopt-A-Minefield Mine Action Programs Map

2008-08-26T14:23:00.003-04:00

Adopt-A-Minefield around the world

VIEW FULL SCREEN MAP

AMICC in Cyberspace: John Washburn addresses the denizens of Second Life

2008-08-25T15:20:00.010-04:00

AMICC Director and Convener John L. Washburn makes another appearance to discuss the International Criminal Court, this time in the virtual world of Second Life. Appearing before an assortment of avatars, Mr. Washburn explains the ICC and fields questions on how it relates to global happenings today, including the situation in the Republic of Georgia, and the 2008 US Presidential Election.

The International Justice Center's blog regarding Mr. Washburn's visit

Listen to Mr. Washburn's remarks:

Previous AMICC posts

The AMICC website

Financial Times - Letter to the Editor from Global Policy Programmes

2008-08-21T12:02:00.016-04:00

Ayca Ariyoruk, Senior Associate of Global Policy Programmes, responds to Financial Times Russia-Georgia Conflict article, "A bully’s deserts." Read the original article here.

Financial Times
Letters to the Editor
Use and abuse of term ‘peacekeeping’
Published: August 21 2008

Sir, I was relieved to read your editorial “A bully's deserts” (August 19), where you finally took notice of the misuse of the term "peacekeeping" by observers when covering the recent clashes between the Russian, Georgian and ethnic Ossetian troops.

Georgia's parliament officially objected to the presence of the Russian forces in a parliamentary vote in 2006. Consent of all parties is at the heart and soul of peacekeeping, a creative technique the United Nations developed initially to monitor ceasefires. Although peacekeeping has evolved over the years to mean implementing more complex peace agreements where consent is not always obtainable, to classify them as “peacekeeping” is suitable as long as the mandate is blessed by an international organisation such as the UN or is accompanied by an overwhelming international consensus. Considering that neither Georgian consent nor international support is given for the troops currently under the Russian command in South Ossetia, to continue to refer to them as such is a misuse and even an abuse of the term “peacekeeping”.

Ayca Ariyoruk,
Senior Associate, Global Policy Programmes,
United Nations Association of the USA,
New York, NY, US

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Author Frank McCourt speaks with students at the 2008 UNA-USA MUN Conference.

2008-08-19T17:11:00.004-04:00

Pulitzer Prize winning author Frank McCourt addresses 2,300 Model UN students at the 2008 United Nations Association of the United States of America Model UN Conference (UNA-USA MUN) Opening Ceremonies, held in the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters.

Global Connections Television with Bill Miller

2008-08-08T15:21:00.003-04:00

UNA-USA Board member Bill Miller interviews William vanden Heuvel, former Permanent Representative to the United Nations under the Carter administration. Topics include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and US & UN relations.

Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte speaks with Global Classrooms Model UN students

2008-08-07T11:37:00.003-04:00

The 2008 Global Classrooms: Washington, DC Model UN Conference, held at the U.S. State Department in April, featured an address and Q&A session with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. View Ambassador Negroponte's remarks, and his fielding of questions from the Model UN delegates.

Remarks

Student questions pt. 1

Student questions pt. 2

AMICC on the Radio

2008-08-07T11:16:00.011-04:00

While on his trip to Iowa, AMICC Deputy Convener Matthew Heaphy spoke to the Iowa City Foreign Relations council about American foreign policy in relation to the International Criminal Court, which was rebroadcast on Iowa Public Radio. You can listen to it here:

(press play, and allow time for the file to load)

AMICC Director John Washburn on YouTube

Previous AMICC posts: 1 | 2

Visit the AMICC website here

Ban Ki-moon visits Model UN students

2008-08-06T12:00:00.006-04:00

Twice in the past eight months, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has addressed UNA-USA's Global Classrooms students. In February, Mr. Ban visited Chicago's Walter Payton Prepatory School, where he and Mayor Richard Daley were treated to a lively Model UN simulation. In May the Secretary General once again addressed student delegates during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 UNA-USA Model UN Conference (UNAUSAMUN), held in the General Assembly Hall of UN Headquarters.

Chicago's ABC News video and report on Mr. Ban's visit to Walter Payton Prep

Ban Ki-moon at UNAUSAMUN 2008, New York

Ambassador William Luers Addresses the 2008 UNAUSAMUN Model UN Conference - YouTube

UNA Photos on Flickr:
UNAUSAMUN 2008 | Global Classrooms: Chicago

AMICC talks to the Voice of America

2008-07-24T15:47:00.028-04:00

Court Advocates Hope Bashir Gets Message from Karadzic Arrest
By Howard Lesser
Washington, DC
23 July 2008
Voice of America News

Listen to ICC Coalition Supporter Matthew Heaphy - (MP3)

Demonstrators continued to rally in the streets of Sudan’s capital Khartoum Tuesday against plans by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The pro-Bashir rallies contrast dramatically with crowds of Muslims in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, celebrating the arrest of ousted Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic after an 11-year manhunt.

Karadzic, who was indicted by the ICC for the 1995 killings of eight thousand men and boys, in what has become known as the Srebrenica Massacre, will be taken to the Hague tribunal to face charges of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the three-year Balkan conflict (1992-95). Matthew Heaphy is deputy convener of the American NGO (non-governmental) Coalition for the ICC, an independent group dedicated to backing the court’s operations and its pursuit of fairness and justice. He says that President Bashir may be able to draw some important lessons from the international resolve that finally brought Radovan Karadzic to justice.

“The case against President al-Bashir is certainly controversial. But if they are successful in obtaining an arrest warrant for him, the arrest of Karadzic makes it apparent that it will be possible to arrest President al-Bashir as well,” he notes.

Click to read the full story.

Global Connections Television with Bill Miller

2008-07-23T10:35:00.005-04:00

UNA-USA Board member William Miller interviews Dr. Robert Orr, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Strategic Planning. Topics of their discussion include terrorism and climate change.

AMICC heads to Iowa

2008-07-23T08:14:00.006-04:00

AMICC's deputy convener Matthew Heaphy recently returned from a trip to IOWA, to discuss the ICC.

A lesson in international justice
By Trish Mehaffey
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS — The International Criminal Court is a permanent, independent judicial institution that investigates and tries heinous crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and serious war crimes.

There’s no other court like it, said Matthew Heaphy, deputy convener of the American Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the International Criminal Court. The United Nations’ International Court of Justice can only decide disputes between states and this international court is treaty-based and can try individuals only for designated atrocity crimes.

Heaphy is the guest speaker today at Kirkwood Community College in celebration of the International Day of Justice. He will explain the court, created 10 years ago, to the students and talk about some of the cases the court has heard.

Heaphy said the United States hasn’t joined the coalition because it initially wanted to control the court or exempt U.S. nationals but he hopes that will change in the near future. The United States seems to be coming around as it allowed the Security Council to refer the Darfur atrocities to the court.

Canada, Australia, all members of the European Union and all members of NATO except for Turkey and the United States, are members of the court. About 139 countries signed the Statute adopted in Rome in 1998 and 100 countries have ratified it.

Jeremy Brigham, faculty adviser of Kirkwood’s Student Alliance, said the program today, co-sponsored by Amnesty International, also will include student interviews that were videotaped regarding their countries’ experiences of crimes against humanity. Another student, Zarif Muhammad, also will read a poem he wrote “Justice for all.” The poem asks for the world to take a stand against genocide and other heinous crimes.

Many of the international students come from the Africa and Sudan regions, so they probably have more awareness of the horrible crimes happening in the world, Michael Abdalah, president of Kirkwood Student Alliance, said. There are 500 international students at Kirkwood.

Contact the writer: (319) 398-8318 or trish.mehaffey@gazcomm.com

John Washburn on a new President and the International Criminal Court

2008-07-17T18:48:00.012-04:00

AMICC Director and Convener John L. Washburn discusses what he feels the new President should do on his first day in office, with regards to the International Criminal Court.

Read John McCain and Barack Obama's statements on the International Criminal Court. (pdf)

Find out more about AMICC here.

UNA-USA Co-Vice Chair John C. Whitehead in the media

2008-07-14T11:58:00.003-04:00

Peggy Noonan profiles John Whitehead's experiences during the Normandy Landings for the Wall Street Journal. Read it here.

Mr. Whitehead also appeared on Charlie Rose last year to have 'A Conversation about leadership.' View the video.

UNA-USA Chairman Thomas Pickering on the American public being kept in the dark regarding negotiations with Iran

2008-07-08T10:45:00.014-04:00

Action Alert!
Tell Congress: No Iraq Redux - Iran Policy Must Not Violate the UN Charter

The official UNA-USA Statement on House Concurrent Resolution 362

More UNA-USA Videos on YouTube

South African students win honors at UNAUSAMUN 2008

2008-06-23T16:02:00.006-04:00

Model UN Team Wins Honours in New York UN Debate
South African Institute of International Affairs (Johannesburg)
PRESS RELEASE
30 May 2008

The recent xenophobia attacks in South Africa have made it difficult to be proud to be South African. But when four young South Africans recently took part in a Model United Nations competition in New York, they reminded us of what it means to be true ambassadors of the new South Africa and showed us a glimpse of a generation of future leaders that have the potential to take South Africa to new heights.

Abigail Keene (Redhill), Zahraa Khotu (Parktown Girls), Banele Dlamini (Orlando West) and Dominic van Loggerenberg (Redhill), were the 2007 finalists of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) Schools Development Programme. As the 2007 finalists, they competed in the 2008 United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Globalclassrooms finals in New York on 16 & 17 May 2008. The four finalists, representing the Republic of Tanzania, competed against approximately 2500 scholars from throughout the US and around the world. Abigail Keene and Zahraa Khotu won Best Delegation in the United Nations Development Programme session on Multinational Corporations and Development. Furthermore, Banele Dlamini and Dominic van Loggerenberg competed against 195 teams from around the world in the General Assembly session on Multinational Terrorism both receiving Honourable Mentions. read more...

A second article on the South African delegation here

Another Model UN Alum

2008-06-23T15:49:00.003-04:00

Rainn Wilson, of 'The Office', discusses his Model UN past at 2:45.

Hollywood Actress Speaks at Global Classrooms Model UN Conference

2008-06-23T11:18:00.006-04:00

U.N. Ambassador Calls for End to Slavery

Julia Ormond serves as the keynote speaker at USC’s two-day United Nations conference attended by hundreds of students.

By James Grant
06/10/08

Ormond: “May the next generation say ‘let us be the one that is going to be proactive in creating peace.’ ”

United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and actress Julia Ormond recently challenged 800 high school and middle school students gathered at USC to use their influence to end the scourge of human slavery.

“There are more people enslaved today than at any other time in our history,” she told the audience. “The selling of children is the fastest-growing global crime.”

An estimated 27 million people around the world today live in conditions that qualify as slavery, she said.

The unfortunate victims include boys forced to dive into African lakes to untangle fishing nets, girls sold into prostitution in Asia and the Americas, and workers of all ages confined to harsh conditions in various agricultural and production operations around the globe.

“There is an intimate link between poverty and crime,” Ormond said. “Our morality is often stripped from us by poverty.”

Ormond’s comments came at the kickoff of the United Nations Association’s Pacific Rim International Model United Nations conference, which attracted about 800 students from Southern California, Hong Kong and Japan.

During the two-day conference, the students took on roles as global diplomats, seeking to find solutions to a variety of economic and development topics – including eradication of illicit drug crops and other criminal activities.

Ormond challenged the diplomat/students to redouble their efforts to promote conditions that would help take away the rewards of human trafficking. “We’ve spent much of history going to war against one another,” she said. “May the next generation say ‘let us be the one that is going to be proactive in creating peace.’ ” read more...

HERO Student Profiled

2008-06-23T10:50:00.011-04:00

Overland Park student to serve as 'hero' in Africa
By: Kelli Bamforth, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:31 AM CDT
KCCommunitynews.com

While other high school graduates are soaking up the sun poolside, Olath Northwest graduate Layne Anderson, 18, Overland Park, will experience a different kind of heat in sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Hero youth ambassador, Anderson will visit Namibia and South Africa to offer support to children in AIDS-afflicted areas, including feeding programs, clean water, clothing, counseling and recreational activities.

Anderson raised $5,000 for the trip by soliciting family and friends, forgoing traditional graduation gifts.

“I love traveling and experiencing other cultures,” she said. “I’ve been blessed with so many things in life, living in America with a great family, and I knew I wanted to give back. This is a huge opportunity to go to Africa and work with children not as fortunate as me.

“Because it’s graduation time, a lot of family and friends were asking me what I wanted for gifts. I told them that making a donation would be great. I have only $300 to go.”

Anderson will attend Baker University in Baldwin in the fall and hopes to use her experiences in Africa to complement her intended career plans.

“I want to take international studies in college … I want to do something along the lines of traveling to other countries and bringing needed information back to the United States,” she said. “This trip is a great stepping stone toward achieving that goal.” read more...

Global Classrooms Teacher Gains Doctorate

2008-06-21T10:55:00.001-04:00

Announcement:
University of Phoenix, Indianapolis Campus, announces that Imani Akin earned the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership on the thirteenth of September, 2007, and will participate in the graduation ceremony on Saturday afternoon, the twenty-first of June, 2008 at one o’clock Indiana Convention Center.