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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 28, 2009
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Dolores Quinn Kitchin
Public Relations
Children International
To page: (816) 942-2000
Mobile: (816) 718-0711 |
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First Children International Teen to Speak Out at the United Nations
Karen Galindo, 18, from Children International in Honduras will speak at the 6th Annual Youth Assembly.
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New York, NY -- (July 28, 2009) – From poverty to the podium at the United Nations – the road to the U.N. has been a long one for Children International Youth Program representative Karen Galindo, 18, from Honduras.
Despite growing up in dire poverty, Karen’s leadership skills have landed her a slot as a speaker at the opening plenary session at the 6th annual Youth Assembly on August 5, 2009.
Karen, a college freshman, is using her voice to show support for other vulnerable children living in poverty’s shadows. She lives in a slum with her parents and three siblings. Her father, Miguel, earns $211 a month as a day laborer to support the family. Karen, a hopeful future school teacher, would like to use her speaking opportunity to teach her peers to overcome life’s hurdles. |
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| Karen Galindo and her sister pose for a pre-trip photo. |
“Children International’s Youth Program is of great benefit, because through this program I have realized my potential. I have discovered the capacity I have to accomplish all my goals and dreams,” said Karen.
In her presentation, Karen will represent Latin America as she details her own work supporting the theme “Be the Change: Making a Difference around the World.” She will share how she helped to identify the needs of poor adolescents living in her community near the city of San Pedro Sula, and how she helped manage a $20,000 grant called the Youth Empowerment Fund that addresses those issues. Karen implemented job skills training courses which will prepare teens to support themselves as well as recruiting more teens to become members of her local
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Youth Council.
Ten other Children International teen leaders from Latin America, India, the Philippines, Zambia and the United States, ages 12-19, will join Karen to conduct workshops at the 6th annual Youth Assembly being held August 5-7, 2009. They will join over 700 other teens from around the world to listen to U.N. officials discuss their support for the U.N.’s goals to fight poverty. The theme of the assembly is “Committing Youth Leadership to the Millennium Development Goals.”
Some topics the teens will present include a school-based recycling and reforestation project, a global peer-to-peer health education program that educates and empowers young people to adopt healthy behaviors, and a program teaching leadership and civic participation. |
| As the Vice-President of her Youth Council, Karen works with her fellow officers on community projects. |
Jim Cook, Children International President and CEO said, “I am very proud of Karen. She continues to overcome the hurdles that keep many of her peers trapped in poverty. She has worked very hard, and as a result has a bright future.”
To learn more about the sponsored teens attending the 6th Annual Youth Assembly, visit International Youth Day 2009. To learn more about Children International’s Youth Program, visit the 2009 Youth Report Card.
To learn more about sponsoring a child, visit www.children.org.
About Children International:
Established in 1936, Children International is a nonprofit organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Children International’s programs benefit over 325,000 poor children and their families in 11 countries around the world, including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Zambia and the United States. To sponsor a child living in poverty, visit www.children.org today. To read more news about Children International, visit the Newsroom.
About Children International’s Youth Programs:
Children International’s Youth Programs have more than 135,000 members around the world. The Youth Programs provide teens from 12 to 19 years of age a positive environment in which to grow. The programs also provide youth a safe place to gather with their friends, as well as constructive activities to empower them to become leaders in their communities. Members democratically elect a youth council with the intention of solving social, cultural and economic problems.
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