NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Four students from Global Kids -- the premiere non-profit organization in New York City that teaches underserved high school students about international issues and civic engagement -- are among only 12 youth delegates selected to attend the Secretary General High Level Summit on Climate Change at the United Nations.
The 12 youth delegates, selected by UNICEF, participated in the opening and closing sessions of the High Level Summit on Climate Change, which brought together nearly 100 world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Chinese President Hu Jintao, and the heads of state of Costa Rica, Japan, the Maldives, Rwanda, Sweden and other countries. The goal of the summit is to focus higher-level political attention on the need for accelerated action on climate change, in preparation for the 2009 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The four Global Kids students are:
* Aisha Abdelmula -- Brooklyn Academy for Science and the Environment (Brooklyn) * Noni Fernandez -- High School for Global Citizenship (Brooklyn) * Shantanu Roy -- Newcomers High School (Queens) * Gabriel Wahab -- School for International Studies (Brooklyn)
The youth delegates greeted world leaders outside of the Secretariat, and presented them with a collection of personal narratives describing work they have done to address climate change, and the urgent need to act on the issue. During the opening ceremony, four students, including Global Kids' Noni Fernandez, narrated a film they produced collaboratively with UNICEF on climate change solutions. At the Summit's closing ceremony, Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon responded directly to the students' call for action.
In addition, five of the youth delegates have been chosen to attend the First Spouses Luncheon on Climate Change on September 23. At the luncheon, Global Kids student Gabriel Wahab will speak to the first spouses about youth activism around climate change, and the importance of mobilizing action worldwide.
About Global Kids, Inc -- www.globalkids.org.
Founded in 1989, Global Kids' mission is to inspire and educate urban youth to become 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 Global Kids' leadership programs graduate from high school.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850