We are at the cutting edge of White House strategy!

May, 2010: The White House issued its big-picture security strategy to Congress, and the strategy highlights exchange programs as means to achieving global competitiveness.

“…we will pursue engagement among peoples—not just governments—around the world. The United States Government will make a sustained effort to engage civil society and citizens and facilitate increased connections among the American people and peoples around the world—through efforts ranging from public service and educational exchanges, to increased commerce and private sector partnerships.”

The entire document can be found here

Key Facts About the Inequalities Our Youth Are Facing

In the areas of education, income, unemployment and criminal justice there are important disparities between National or New York City data and those of the areas in which Global Potential works. They also point out significant gaps regarding the race/ethnicity and gender. Class and not race still compose the fundamental divide in American society today (sociologist William Julius Wilson, The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987).

According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau on population trends, “the aggregate minority population increased by 88% between 1980 and 2000, while the White non-Hispanic population increased by only 7.9 percent in that twenty year period.” In addition, in 2000, the percentage of the minority population ranged from 16 percent for people age 65 and over 39 percent for those under age 25. These trends of minority population growth are continuing in the U.S. Demographic statistics are critical to our understanding of how to better address the need for educational access for underrepresented students.

According to The Education Trust (2003), for every 100 Hispanic, African-American or White U.S. kindergartners, only 22 White students will graduate from college, compared with 18 African-American students and 11 Hispanic students.

With regards to New York:

1) New York City has a high school dropout rate of 12.6% whereas the national rate is of 9.3%. In the Bronx, it reaches 14%¹.

2) The high school dropout rate is the highest among Hispanics – 19.1% in New York City public high schools while it is only 9.3% among Whites1.

3) The high school completion rate of New York City (51.4%) is lower than the national rate (55.3%) and inequalities between races can be noticed: only 45.1% of Hispanic students graduate in Brooklyn.

4) The average income rate is the lowest among Hispanics – $16,800 compared to $44,300 among Whites. This average rate is always lower among females than males².

5) The unemployment rate of African-Americans 16 to 24 years old drops from 32.2% to 20.8% when they complete high school and to 8.8% when they graduate from college³.

6) Between 2000 and 2008 in New York City, the median per capita income decreased by 54.4% among Hispanics⁴.

7) African-Americans and Hispanics comprise 95% of the youth entering New York City detention, while they comprise only 65.3% of all youth of the city.

8) 86% of New York City’s children living with HIV/AIDS are black or Hispanics.

9) In 2006, 28.7% of the arrests of youth under 20 years old in New York City occurred in Brooklyn.

How Global Potential Can Impact On These Inequalities

Global Potential is not a traditional youth summer program, because it targets youth from disadvantaged communities who are too rarely given the opportunity to take leadership actions. We understand the specific problems they are facing and are aware of how graduating will impact most aspects of their future. Thus, we help our students to develop the skills, confidence, and commitment to complete high school and enroll in college.

The trips to the Dominican Republic/Nicaragua are beneficial for both the students and their host communities: the youth conduct work in poor rural communities that will increase the assets and resources of the inhabitants, but they will also reflect on issues such as what is poverty and experience being able to help instead of being helped. On their return home, they will learn how to identify issues affecting their own communities and personal lives, and take initiatives and build or join projects to solve them.

[1] Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, 2008, Citizens Committee for Children.

[2] Source: US Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2004 Panel.

[3] Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics.

[4]

GP celebrates during its filmraiser, November 20, 2009, the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

20 years ago, November 20, 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the first legally binding international convention to affirm human rights for all children. While great progress has been made on child rights in the past 20 years, much work remains to be done. Please click here to take action

When asked whether he would seek ratification of the CRC in the Presidential Youth Debate, Obama expressed, at least, some support for that goal: “It’s important that the United States return to its position as a respected global leader and promoter of Human Rights. It’s embarrassing to find ourselves in the company of Somalia, a lawless land. I will review this and other treaties and ensure that the United States resumes its global leadership in Human Rights.” (video available at http://debate.waldenu.edu/video/question-12/)

GP Promoting the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Global Potential is inspired to implement Articles 13 and 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Please click here to read the entire covenant

Below we have bolded the essential parts Global Potential is helping to develop through its programs

Article 13

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this right:

(a) Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all;

(b) Secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational secondary education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;

( c ) Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;

(d) Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education;

(e) The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the State and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.

4. No part of this article shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principles set forth in paragraph I of this article and to the requirement that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.

Article 15

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone:

(a) To take part in cultural life;

(b) To enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications;

© To benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for the conservation, the development and the diffusion of science and culture.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research and creative activity.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the benefits to be derived from the encouragement and development of international contacts and co-operation in the scientific and cultural fields.

GP at forefront of volunteerism and activism movements

Service and volunteerism have gained widespread attention with recent federal and local legislation. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act was passed into legislation in April 2009. Expansive in scope, it laid the foundation for tripling the number from 75000 to 250000 of national community service program opportunities nationally and internationally and heralded in an era of increased volunteerism. The Serve America Act provides for increased funding of AmeriCorps and the creation of five additional service corps, including education and economic opportunity corps. Creating opportunities for everyone to be involved, including students, retirees and seniors, veterans, and working adults, the Act is a call to action that engages the entire country to work towards the betterment of our communities and society at large. For more information on the Serve America Act, click here.

A day prior to the signing of the Serve America Act by President Obama, Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched NYC Service with three overarching goals: target volunteers to address the city’s greatest needs – strengthening communities, helping neighbors in need, education, health, emergency preparedness and environment; make NYC the easiest city in which to volunteer; and ensure every young person in NYC is taught about civic engagement and has an opportunity to be actively involved. As part of the initiative, schools are required to create a service plan that can include service activities at the school or incorporating volunteerism into the school’s curriculum. For more information on NYC Service, click here.

The vision, mission and goals of Global Potential are aligned to and contribute towards attainment of those described in the 2009 Serve for America Act and NYC Service. By providing low-income urban youth with access to a program that supports their own leadership growth, international volunteerism, and service in their local communities; by inspiring and supporting youth to engage in activism to address needs and issues in their communities, both locally and internationally; and by cultivating a generation of leaders who are global-minded, committed to their communities and causes, and knowledgeable of how to turn around challenges and hardships to effect positive change, Global Potential is at the forefront of the volunteerism and activism movements.

Accomplishing Millenium Development Goals

Global Potential accomplishes goals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 of the MDG through our goals, partnerships, mission, vision and areas of working with youth and the community.

As an organization, Global Potential is answering the call for global development initiatives. Our youth will participate in a cultural exchange with youth from the rural communities they visit during the 6 weeks spent in the Dominican Republic. By sharing experiences and cultural values, and by comparing the conditions of poverty they will begin to form an understanding of the importance for global development. Upon their return to their own communities in Brooklyn, our youth participants will begin implementing social entrepreneurial projects not only responding to the needs of their communities, but also providing innovative solutions to prevent further poverty, cultural conflicts, environmental degradation, etc, through education and outreach.

While in the Dominican Republic, our youth participants develop curriculum for implementing workshops to educate community members in areas of health (HIV/AIDS), environment, arts, sports. This is an interactive workshop as they also learn from the community members. This exchange of knowledge informs our youth participants, enabling them to apply what they’ve learned toward the development of their own communities. In 2008, Global Potential youth participated in the community’s goat-farming project for the local women’s microenterprise project.

GP is contributing to the agenda for the World Education Forum by ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality; expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children; ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs; achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015; eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2015, achieving gender equality in education by 2015; improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills; and innovative responses to ensure that children in families affected by HIV/AIDS have access to an education (United Nations, 2000).

Global Potential supports the following aspects of the agenda: a renewed commitment to a free and compulsory quality education for all; no country with a viable plan will be thwarted through lack of resources; a global effort based on country based plans; the acknowledgement of the need to increased resources through aid and debt relief; the need to prioritize girls education; a commitment to a genuine partnership with civil society; and the promise to urgently implement education programs to combat HIV/AIDS (United Nations, 2000). In 2007, the adult prevalence rate in the Dominican Republic was 1.1% people living with HIV/AIDS, for a total of 62,000 (CIA World Fact Book, 2007).

Global Potential makes a pledge to mobilize strong national and international political commitment to enhance significant investment in basic education; promote a sustainable and well-integrated sector framework clearly linked to poverty elimination and development strategies; ensure the engagement and participation of civil society in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of strategies for educational development; develop responsive, participatory and accountable systems of educational governance and management; meet the needs of education systems affected by conflict, national calamities and instability and conduct educational programs in ways that promote mutual understanding, peace and tolerance, and help to prevent violence and conflict; implement integrated strategies for gender equality in education which recognize the need for changes in attitudes, values and practices; implement as a matter of urgency education programs and actions to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic; create safe, healthy, inclusive and equitably resourced educational environments conducive to excellence in learning with clearly defined levels of achievement for all; and enhance the status, morale and professionalism of teachers (United Nations, 2000).

Some Facts: Over 110 million children have no access to primary school. 22% of all children in the Dominican Republic are undocumented, jeopardizing their access to education (Lancer, 2009). Education expenditure in 2006 in the Dominican Republic was 3.6% of GDP (CIA World Fact Book, 2006).