NEW YORK, March 19, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than 500 students from public high schools across New York City will gather to debate and discuss key global health issues at the Global Kids Annual Youth Conference, Global Health: Be the Vaccine, on Friday March 27.
Noted TV journalist Dr. Holly Atkinson, past president of Physicians for Human Rights, which won the Nobel Peace Prize, will headline the program as the morning plenary speaker. Dominic MacSorley, director of Operations for Concern Worldwide will be the afternoon plenary speaker.
This annual youth-organized and youth-led event will bring together over 500 youth from public schools across New York City to examine local and global perspectives on health issues, and to develop strategies to promote awareness and international understanding. Plenary sessions will feature speakers and creative performances designed to familiarize students with the critical health issues facing our world. Students will facilitate workshops on health issues including:
* Infectious diseases and prevention * Gender-based violence * Malnutrition * HIV/AIDS * Obesity * Access to Healthcare
This unique gathering of the city's youth will be held at Baruch College's Mason Hall (17 Lexington Ave @ East 23rd Street) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is organized by Global Kids, the foremost nonprofit organization in New York City specifically dedicated to educating students in underserved communities about international affairs. The conference will be held in collaboration with Baruch College and is sponsored by the Stephen and May Cavin Leeman Foundation.
The event was planned by a diverse group of high school students in Global Kids' programs who will lead all of the day's workshops. For Global Kids' Student Leaders, the conference is the culmination of months of community service, training, workshop development, research, planning and organizing.
"The Global Kids student leaders chose the theme of Global Health - Be the Vaccine as a call to action for all young people to understand and begin to help cure global health problems," said Carole Artigiani, founder and Executive Director of Global Kids, Inc. "Health is the most global of issues. The Annual Global Kids Youth Conference will give hundreds of young people from all across New York City an opportunity to discuss and explore healthcare's critical challenges in a unique forum as global citizens."
Speakers will include leading healthcare authorities from such major organizations as the NYU Center for Global Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Mount Sinai Medical Center, the American Lung Association, Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Global Health Council, Health Global Access Project, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, Action Against Hunger, WHY Hunger and Medicare rights.
The tentative agenda (details to be announced later):
8:00 AM Breakfast and Registration 9:00 AM Opening Plenary 10:00 AM Workshop One 12:15 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Afternoon Plenary 1:45 PM Workshop Two 3:30 PM Closing Plenary 3:45 PM Performances
About Global Kids, Inc.
Founded in 1989, Global Kids' mission 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 Global Kids' leadership program graduate from high school.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850