Global Kids, Inc. to Launch Foreign Policy Initiative for Young Students in Partnership with Council on Foreign Relations; US in the World: a Global Citizenship Initiative to Involve Minority Public School Students

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NEW YORK -- This summer, in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, New York City educational organization Global Kids, Inc. will launch the U.S. in the World Initiative, an innovative program in which NYC public high school students will learn from experts about critical international issues, gain leadership skills, and carry-out projects that stimulate dialogue within the larger youth community. A central goal of the program will be to promote respectful dialogue among people who hold opposing points of view on issues in international relations and identify areas of common interest and concern. The program began on July 11 with a three-week session in New York City and will continue with ongoing activities throughout the year.

Among the experts and leaders speaking during the session are: President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations Leslie H. Gelb, CFR Vice President and Director of Studies James M. Lindsay, United States Representative Gregory Meeks, and Hague Appeal for Peace President Cora Weiss.

The program builds on over ten years of collaboration between Global Kids and the Council on Foreign Relations. Together, the two organizations conduct international affairs roundtables and a range of career programs that engage youth--primarily from disadvantaged communities--in dialogues with experts and promote their pursuit of careers in the international affairs arena. U.S. in the World is being made possible through the generous support of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Arkin Family Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

Within today's highly polarized political climate and increasingly interconnected global economy, opportunities for youth to engage in informed and respectful dialogue about the role of the U.S. in the world are increasingly important but unfortunately rare. The U.S. in the World Initiative will create an unparalleled environment in which young people of diverse backgrounds can gain the knowledge and skills necessary for informed and active participation in the discussion of international affairs and decision-making. Over the course of this summer's three-week session, participants in the program will gain a fundamental understanding of U.S. foreign policy and examine its relationship to such issues as the war in Iraq, development and trade, globalization, women's and children's rights, global health, ethnic conflict, and the environment, among others.

The program's design is grounded in Global Kids' highly regarded approach to youth leadership development and global education, which reaches more than 11,000 young people annually. Throughout the institute, participants will engage in workshops led by Global Kids staff members that will build their leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills. They will use these skills to stimulate public dialogue and action concerning critical international policy issues and to develop projects to be implemented at schools and colleges during the next academic year. Global Kids will also provide participants with year-round coaching, support and access to the Council's resources. Students will be invited to participate in Global Kids' ongoing roundtables at the Council on Foreign Relations.

As Carole Artigiani, Global Kids' Executive Director stated, "The need has never been greater for American youth of all backgrounds to be become informed about international affairs and active participants in the discussion of foreign policy. This initiative will take advantage of New York City as a global crossroads and of the Council's resources as the world's leading international affairs think tank to challenge its participants and open the door for them to begin gaining the knowledge and skills required for success and leadership in a range of international fields."

In addition to the activities and speakers mentioned above, students will take field trips to the United Nations, the U.S. Mission to the UN, Human Rights Watch, and the Asia Society, and meet with the following experts and leaders: former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Mission to the UN Saskia Reilly, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Ahmad Kamal, Daniel Calamuci of the National Labor Committee, Anika Rahman of the United States Committee for the United Nations Population Fund, Nisha Varia and Chris Alban-Lackey of Human Rights Watch, and Jonathan Todres, a children's advocate and assistant professor at New York University School of Law.

About Global Kids, Inc.
Active since 1989, the mission of Global Kids is to transform urban youth into successful students and global 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 GK's leadership program graduate and attend college.

About the Council on Foreign Relations
Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries, can better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments.