NEW YORK, Feb. 11, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five members of Global Kids -- the premiere non-profit organization in New York City that teaches underserved high school students about international issues and civic engagement -- will actively participate in the Red Hand Day Campaign tomorrow, focusing attention on the growing problem of child soldiers.
The red hands are the symbol of the global campaign against the use of child soldiers.
The five Global Kids students are:
* Noni Fernandez - High School for Global Citizenship (Brooklyn) * Asha Somerszaule - High School for Global Citizenship (Brooklyn) * Ifeanyi Ekweremumba - Canarsie High School (Brooklyn) * Sabrina Agbeti - IS 229 (Bronx) * Justin Avendano - Academy of American Studies (Queens)
The Red Hand Day campaign will culminate on Thursday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m. at the Danny Kaye Center -- UNICEF House (44th St. and 1st Ave. in NYC) -- when the five Global Kids youth leaders and other youth representatives from all regions of the world present a portion of "red hands" to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to emphasize the need for international action to end the use of child soldiers.
Nearly 100 officials will attend, including Security Council members, representatives from U.N. missions, U.N. staff (selected representatives from UNICEF, OSRSG/CAC, etc.), student representatives from the New York metropolitan area and other guests. THE MEDIA IS INVITED TO COVER THIS POIGNANT EVENT.
The Red Hand Day Campaign against the use of child soldiers has engaged student, youth, community and other groups around the world to make "red hands" -- the symbol of the global campaign against the use of child soldiers-in order to highlight the issue of child soldiers and need for stronger international action to end this abuse of children.
The aim of the campaign is to gather one million 'red hands' to present to U.N. officials in New York on February 12. This date has special significance as the anniversary of the day that the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict entered into force in 2002.
Activities to collect red hands have taken place in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, New Zealand, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Uganda, with the list growing every day. As part of the campaign, young people have held special events at their schools to educate their peers about the use of child soldiers, organized petition drives, special exhibitions, public awareness programs, presented red hands to their members of Parliament or Congress, and organized other activities. (Photos of many of these activities are available at www.redhandday.org.)
Red Hand Day is being supported by numerous organizations, including: the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Human Rights Watch, International Federation Terre des Hommes, Amnesty International, Kindernothilfe, World Vision, Aktionweibes Friedensband. The Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict has collaborated with these groups to organize the February 12 event.
Global Kids, Inc. (www.globalkids.org): Founded in 1989 and an independent nonprofit since 1993, Global Kids educates and inspires urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders. Global Kids reaches more than 16,000 youth -- the vast majority of whom come from underserved communities -- through leadership programs at 14 New York City public high schools, and its citywide program. Over ninety percent of the high school seniors who participate in Global Kids' leadership program graduate from high school.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850
Program for February 12:
* Welcome - Ms. Ann Veneman, executive director, UNICEF
* Video of the campaign
* Introduction of campaign and the youth delegation - Jo Becker,
steering committee, Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
* Statements by youth delegates
- Representative from Colombia/Latin America (former child soldier)
- Representative from Germany/W. Europe
- Representative from Philippines/Asia
- Representative from USA/N. America
- Representative from DRC/Africa (former child soldier)
* Presentation of symbolic number of red hands to UN Secretary-General
* Statement by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
* affirm commitment of UN system to end the use of child soldiers;
affirmation of youth involvement in these efforts; thank young
people for their efforts to raise awareness of the issue
* Statement by H.E. Claude Heller, chair of Security Council
working group on children and armed conflict
* Closing statement - Ms. Radhika Coomeraswamy, SRSG on children
and armed conflict (3 minutes)
Refreshments will be served