tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52215054891705813222024-02-19T02:18:31.881-05:00Yuga CentralYouth United for Global Action and AwarenessKate Ezzeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023389870252099869noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-45922730003106465732012-02-08T16:34:00.000-05:002012-02-08T16:34:38.896-05:00See You Later, See You Soon...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dear YUGA Members,</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After several years of working with and for youth on the Youth Engagement and Action Team, the time has come to move forward in a new role at Plan International USA. While I’m excited to learn about new aspects of the organization, I will certainly miss the YEA team and working with all of you!</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I will never forget the many years at YUGA Leadership Camp; traveling to the 55<sup>th</sup> Commission on the Status of Women with young women from around the world; or sitting in the General Assembly at the UN Launch of the International Year of Youth. It has been an amazing journey, for sure – and one that I surely won’t soon forget.</span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While my role has changed, my contact information has stayed the same – and I do hope you stay in touch. I love to learn about what you all are doing in your communities and ways that you are inspiring change. I believe wholeheartedly that you are making a difference. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkElG15m6ej3nCDgFZ-MLqfF_CfmamedxJvnu9FVMPRhFvp8U2iOMF9cNWEudbV0H30ESpP6AQ2zPPbo-kkg1qwXo-ZFGIt0-b8pJDY1FiNrmzGyDhwMv8alibWyYPa0xqo2eK7Yl0p64/s1600/IYY+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkElG15m6ej3nCDgFZ-MLqfF_CfmamedxJvnu9FVMPRhFvp8U2iOMF9cNWEudbV0H30ESpP6AQ2zPPbo-kkg1qwXo-ZFGIt0-b8pJDY1FiNrmzGyDhwMv8alibWyYPa0xqo2eK7Yl0p64/s320/IYY+image.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I would love to catch up at YUGA Leadership Camp this summer, as I’ll still be attending for a portion of the time. It would be great to see some familiar faces and learn about some of the great work you’re doing. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I wish you all the best as you continue your work with YUGA. If you have any specific questions about YEA programs, you can contact Dounia, our Youth Outreach and Marketing Coordinator, at Dounia.Bredes@planusa.org. We’ll also be hiring for a new team member on YEA, so be on the lookout for the new manager soon!</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thank you for your passion, dedication, and inspiration. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you. Please do keep in touch!</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sincerely,</span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Corrie Mook</span></span>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-16597770632764803962011-12-14T14:04:00.005-05:002011-12-14T14:26:53.996-05:00Hello, YUGA!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hello! I'm Dounia Bredes, the new Youth Outreach and Marketing Coordinator for </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/youth"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Youth Engagement and Action</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> (YEA) programs here at </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Plan International USA</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. I work with Corrie Mook, the wonderful YEA Coordinator, here at Plan's offices in Warwick, Rhode Island. <span class="ecx451282520-06122011">I'm happy to finally introduce myself to you!</span></span><br />
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<div><span class="ecx451282520-06122011" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My background is in education and youth mentoring, with experience in marketing and publicity. I come from a small town in northeastern Vermont, but I've spent time in New Haven, Connecticut and in New York City, and I've also studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal. (Psst! You should study abroad, too!)</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span class="ecx451282520-06122011"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As Outreach and Marketing Coordinator, I get the wider world to appreciate (and participate in!) the impressive initiatives run by YEA: </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/content2426137"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">School-2-School Linking</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, </span><a href="http://walk4wells.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Walk for Wells</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, and, of course, </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2426194"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">YUGA</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. </span></span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span class="ecx451282520-06122011" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have quite a few goals for YEA's programming in 2012. I want to post more, Tweet more, and rally more for YUGA's campaigns; I also want to get more mentions, more followers, and more connections for you and your YUGA chapter. In short, I want to get the word out. Across the country, YUGA members are taking action on world issues. I want to support you, connect you, and cheer you on!</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span class="ecx451282520-06122011" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Another one of my goals is a "relaunch" of YUGA's look in January 2012. The relaunch includes a new logo, an updated website, re-tooled toolkits, and much more. Here's a sneak peek!</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLifJXzu0D_vQlK3i47rjzfsYe5c2swezfQ8gxfDhsDHOaXMEA6FiO66ONdTFUSn7c-s8MA_Br7XsOV3RKHCCjAuMZF0P45U2n3tPV7jzw0vTpMU31dsL7AkUJUnHU3C1PlawUWKQU3bJ/s1600/YUGA+3+with+Earth+Circle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="233" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLifJXzu0D_vQlK3i47rjzfsYe5c2swezfQ8gxfDhsDHOaXMEA6FiO66ONdTFUSn7c-s8MA_Br7XsOV3RKHCCjAuMZF0P45U2n3tPV7jzw0vTpMU31dsL7AkUJUnHU3C1PlawUWKQU3bJ/s320/YUGA+3+with+Earth+Circle+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="ecx451282520-06122011" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">YUGA is still a <strong>youth-led</strong>, <strong>grassroots</strong> movement. That means that you lead, you learn, and you decide what happens next.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="ecx451282520-06122011" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">What do you think of the relaunch? Where do you want YUGA to go in 2012? Leave a comment on this post to let me know!</span></div>Douniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12694176353679807545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-21103203853992222452011-09-26T17:04:00.000-04:002011-09-26T17:04:15.580-04:00YUGA's September Meeting: The Year Ahead<div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last weekend, a group of YUGA members met together plan for the year ahead. </span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We designated a YUGA campaign for each month, according to the Days of Action and/or holidays in that month. Below is a list of activities that we came up with that your YUGA Chapter could do each month. </span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can you think of other ways of taking action? Send us your ideas in the comments section below!</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">September </b>- <i>Education</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">book drive for a local shelter or under-resourced school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">host a book exchange at school in the cafeteria; bring in a book to share, and take one home to read!</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">October</b><span style="color: orange;"> </span>- <i>Global Poverty </i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">hold a food drive for canned goods and bring them to your local homeless shelter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">volunteer at a soup kitchen</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">host a hunger banquet </span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">November </b><i>- Violence Against Women</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">hold a drive for items needed by your local women's shelter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">join a march against domestic violence</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">December </b><i><b style="color: orange;"> </b>- HIV/AIDS</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">participate in the Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">join a local AIDS walk </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">wear red on December 1st, World AIDS Day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">make red ribbons to sell during lunches, and donate the money to a Plan project for HIV/AIDS relief</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">January </b><i>- World Peace</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">create a peace campaign in your school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">design and plant a peace pole for your school </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">host a candlelight peace walk</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">February</b><i><b style="color: orange;"> </b>- Social Justice</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"> volunteer at a local service organization, like a homeless shelter or International Institute<i><br />
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</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">March </b><i>- Water and Sanitation</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">raise awareness of both International Women's Day (March 8) and World Water Day (March 22) by hosting a <a href="http://www.walk4wells.com/">Walk for Wells</a><i> </i></span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: orange;">April </span>- </b><i>Environmental Sustainability</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">attend Earth Fest in Boston</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">host a YUGA group clean-up of a local part or street</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">plant flowers outside of school</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">do a review of your school's 'green' practices, and present a list of of recommendations to your principal</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">May </b>- <i>Fair Trade</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">have a table outside of local grocery stores and farmers markets that explain what Fair Trade is and why it is important</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">June </b>- <i>Child Labor</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i>have a day of silence at school in honor of those who do not have a say in their future</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">July </b>- <i>YUGA Camp</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">recruit members of your YUGA chapter to come!<i> </i></span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: orange;">August </b>-<i> International Youth Day</i></span></div><ul style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">host a youth fair, where attendees celebrate what youth are doing in the community. Invite the whole neighborhood!<i> </i></span></li>
</ul>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-65124871154327204492011-08-04T10:25:00.006-04:002011-08-11T10:10:42.901-04:00YUGA Camp Through the Eyes of Ebonee<div align="center"><strong><em>Written by Ebonee, a 1st year camper from Providence, RI</em></strong></div><br />
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<div align="center">Yuga camp was literally life changing for me. I’ve always felt called to help different countries around the world but never did I think that I’d be this eager to make change not only in other countries but everywhere I go! I met so many amazing people there, everyone was so unique and I learned something different from each person. Some of my favorite parts included the African drumming, high and low ropes courses, the community service cleanup, the refugees workshop, An Alien Among Us, tie dye, international dinner, and the talent show! I would love to visit the Netherlands and Haiti after learning about their countries. </div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637007758475438898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIxVk7AptzG9mzFflI44DiGqErdWjVFW561yvs8lay7hMHWVOUDJgGrfaNDoai8Y5f8gdtYocExG-owWiub7DuxoOwoIBLUnvsrMgWWwQbp2bA5VYTXMAk4zzLHH3yII5QbHEedS_e84/s320/high+ropes.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /> <em>(Above, from left, Danielle, Jana, Natasha, Ebonee, and Nadyah before tackling the high ropes course at Camp Aldersgate)</em>Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-34448131417506098702011-07-29T14:38:00.007-04:002011-08-11T15:44:05.415-04:00YUGA Camp Through the Eyes of Johnnie<div align="center"><em><strong>Written by Johnnie, a 1st year camper from Washington, DC</strong></em></div><br />
<div align="center">I learned a lot at YUGA camp. I learned that when voices come to together they can make a difference, and that is YUGA's goal. I developed a better understanding of the world around me. Meeting new people was probably my favorite part; I really enjoyed getting to know each and every individual. YUGA helped me think about the world more and what goes on in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Haiti, or the Netherlands. Meeting people from each country made the experience feel real. The earthquake in Haiti for example, meeting people that actually went through it made it feel real; It is a different feeling compared to reading about it or seeing it in the news, you can know that someone knows what it felt like. Each person who has been a YUGA camper is a person who firmly believes that change can happen and they would like to help. I am so happy I was fortunate enough to be a YUGA camper. It feels like I have know each person forever. I really think I have made life-long friends and I am steps closer to making the world a better place for all of the people. </div><div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634845969171489554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9S36-krOXoy65sFlhdss4RYeH_77YaspWzTAwTZob3h24izGzD72YoUAAa12h3CXaIW-3LwZsVWpLPb9Qn5Vh-ptDj_LhPYt25s7M2qQjOymTNRuVuR8kjS9C88qEyi0fOGgO1IQe8g/s320/happy+campers.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><em>(Johnnie, pictured above, with fellow campers from around the United States, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic)</em></div>Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-58763977152310263802011-07-29T13:50:00.014-04:002011-08-11T10:12:07.976-04:00YUGA Camp 2011!<div align="center"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #009900; font-size: 180%;">YUGA Camp 2011! </span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634836212155391906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1l8E4Lfu_mtPhW-_CVmzWBw8FVLmXlrePr5jXWrdgSc0iBTrWHmQdoIhlrH3jaD653SW4dyA5WhtcnwjJymvdueQ6qyI9nFKBZ7h912iJTMOH45nTxK4dsiB_WqJ_tBwQRdD0G5x5jt8/s320/group+camp+picture.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 239px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><em><strong>YUGA Camp is a fun filled week packed with different activities, workshops, and guest speakers that will help campers to learn more about global issues, leadership, teamwork, and what they can do to better their communities. Here are some samples of what workshops and activities were conducted at YUGA camp!</strong></em> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-family: trebuchet ms;">YUGA staff conducts the morning rounds to make sure that everyone is up and moving for breakfast bright and early at 8 am. There is so much to do that we have to start early! After everyone finishes their meals and catches up about the night before, it is time to watch a short video and write in journals about how campers are feeling. One of the most powerful videos we watched was titled “The Girl Who Silenced the UN for 5 Minutes.” Despite the time and some campers not getting enough sleep, the video caught their attention as they watched Severn Suzuki deliver a speech at the UN Earth Summit in 1992. Suzuki is a prime example of a youth who wanted to make a change as she started the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. Her speech was so powerful that it silenced all of our campers as well as some of the most prominent world leaders! </span><br />
<div align="center"><div align="center"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #3333ff;">Watch her speech here:</span> </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Sb6RmRMbBY"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Sb6RmRMbBY</span></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> </span></div><br />
<div><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #009900;">After the morning video and journal it’s time for the morning news! Each morning a different family group, smaller groups that campers are divided into, researches what is going on in the world and reports back to the larger group. Each morning we learned about current events happening here in the US, the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The morning news was a good time for campers to learn about things going on in the world while they were all working together at camp.</span> </span></div><br />
<div><span style="color: #6600cc; font-family: trebuchet ms;">A typical morning activity for campers was the high-ropes course conducted by Camp Aldersgate staff. This exercise faced some campers with the challenge of finding their own inner strength to make it up the pole and onto the zip line while it also promoted team work as their fellow campers cheered them on from the ground. The high-ropes course is always a powerful bonding experience where many campers make new personal relationships and find their own strength and bravery they may not have known they had! <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634840124336744530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKJViAeReqIqO8RIYOiBNgBqSY6WLVH7w3kVCz1wQKkEJTxSlc7iECjK1h_xgh2flY9izSuXqS1OWpdtBIg2iAUNy_A3rg3eW5GUVjoQxRbZu5TQXiDDYPt3kjoihimeUjG8vpYCwQbc/s320/enma+in+tree.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 255px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 157px;" /></span><em>(YUGA camper Enma climbs up "the caterpillar" at the high-ropes course!)</em></div><br />
<div><span style="color: #3366ff; font-family: trebuchet ms;">All of the campers also hopped on a school bus and drove to Pawtucket, Rhode Island for a community service clean up activity. Campers and staff worked together with members of the Pawtucket Housing Authority to freshen up the area and clean up trash. It was a good experience to get the campers out of Camp Aldersgate and into some real communities in Rhode Island!<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634839524583074258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3F_6nVM2wAydJWc9f4EmcQECs3TIaVOBKr24RtoSky5hqaqrAlVIrUgrsaLCNeWw5xq2dKG9dTzlDla2KirTZdtObPmzvs1KdQrTubNS6IsiYwf_Tw2qsrJUJqheYWq_ZudwWrYO-4N0/s320/on+the+bus+to+clean+up.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 179px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></span><br />
<span style="color: #33cc00; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Another powerful workshop was the HIV positive speaker who came to speak to the campers from AIDS Care Ocean State. Tom shared his experience as the longest-living person born with HIV in Rhode Island. Tom has spent his life dealing with the struggles and stigma that are attached to being HIV positive but told the campers his inspiring story of survival and perseverance. YUGA camp is all about learning about issues such as HIV/AIDS and figuring out what we can do to help reduce our risk and help to educate others about the disease.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="color: #6600cc;">YUGA campers also participated in a Plan Staff Panel where employees at Plan International USA came to talk in an open forum and give campers the opportunities to ask questions and learn about what working in a non-governmental organization can be like. We were even joined by the current CEO of Plan International USA, Tessie SanMartin! Campers also participated in a workshop where they learned about Plan’s “Because I Am a Girl” campaign and what they can do to help further the program in their schools and communities. Plan staff members also came in to run a workshop where campers learned about the different kinds of philanthropists and how to become one. Many campers learned they are already philanthropists with all of the wonderful work they are doing in their own communities! </span></span></div><br />
<div><span style="color: #000099; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Campers from all over the United States were joined by campers from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Netherlands. Everyone was able to share their experiences about the work they do in their own communities and swap ideas with other campers. YUGA camper Johnnie from Washington, DC says, “YUGA helped me think about the world more and what goes on in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Haiti, or the Netherlands. Meeting people from each country made the experience feel real. The earthquake in Haiti for example, meeting people that actually went through it made it feel real; It is a different feeling compared to reading about it or seeing it in the news, you can know that someone knows what it felt like.” Hearing about the different projects and experiences that youth in other countries are working on and experience really made an impact on all of the YUGA campers. These youth have now established a connection that will last al lifetime and have made ties that will help them to better their own advocacy and action projects in their own communities.</span></div><br />
<div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><em>(Below, campers from the DR, Haiti, and the Netherlands share about the work they are doing in their communities)</em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634841097572598018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WvKZ5Ffzx_Na4xgKDyxx49TqKPa1cZr0fI236_hcDvCCI3E5PgpNdGjnrx85-avMgLZv1SMQPgvvpGgGn39EZZEQRaD5PupSrzBpNUmXZReEuuzlbmH7l4biyz1URolo1SPZ97lqHpM/s320/DR+presenting.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></span></div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634843180388737938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yWCnwvG2w3IkHuv8r-1j1KJEHB7Kbr0dv4DkrU82cc10DOHComxvrNt5J9FsWVFkenR9EeiMLftu5CR_e1KKiag78zLbpeYMRUgBGYDR-moDkrv49ikrJsFuoeg8c_b2Im2CC5MY28A/s320/Haiti+presenting.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 213px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634842496586308434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjBIxnovogMsqB6DcRIHn-Cs48D_wvZq6XmSxwwW8YFivBToozhH9ijXwtIZth5iGW0hGI6RPE9dMK8DiydbgXYhbhxT0A9CHUe8uFNHGfoc44GRZyRhUNdfwZn0xUMq0SOQehKHJOw0/s320/robyn+and+simone+presenting.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 213px;" /><span style="color: #33cc00; font-family: trebuchet ms;">Other camp activities included daily swimming and boating, bonfires, family group challenges, tie-dye, story telling, scavenger hunts, frequent dance parties, a wonderful talent show, and of course the delicious international dinner where campers were able to eat food from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Netherlands, Asia, and India!</span><br />
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<div align="center"><span style="color: #6633ff; font-family: trebuchet ms; font-size: 130%;"><strong>Stay tuned for more blog updates about camp and hear from campers about their experiences, favorite memories, and things they learned at YUGA camp! </strong></span></div></div><br />
</div>Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-37698332332573257002011-06-21T10:12:00.002-04:002011-06-21T10:19:51.611-04:00Hi! I'm Allegra, the summer intern for YEA!Hello YUGA blog readers!<br /><br />My name is Allegra and I am the summer intern for the YEA team here at Plan! I have been a part of YUGA for the past 5 years or so and absolutely LOVE it! I attended Cranston High School East where myself and a group of friends started the YUGA chapter there our sophomore year. Through all the struggles, we were able to develop an active group at our school and it continues to grow there today! I recently finished my first year of college at Clark University in Worcester, MA and although we do not have a YUGA chapter at Clark, I became apart of groups with similar goals to YUGA such as STAND (Students Taking Action Now; Darfur) and ONE Campus Challenge, a group who raises awareness and holds events dealing with global issues such as diseases and poverty. The skills I learned from being a part of YUGA have helped me to succeed in college and be able to hold leadership positions in the new action and advocacy clubs I joined at Clark. <br /><br />I have also attended the summer YUGA Leadership Camp for the past 4 years so if you have any questions about YUGA or camp, feel free to ask! I hope those of you coming to camp are getting super excited!!! Can't wait to see you there!<br /><br />I'll be updating the blog with interesting stories or articles I find for the rest of the summer so keep a look out!<br /><br />peace and love,<br />Allegra! :)Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-60750629315291750682011-06-20T14:42:00.013-04:002011-06-21T10:08:36.185-04:00YUGA: A Year in Review!<div align="center"><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbAl9D0vMNfFirBD7Ulchiogr8qSNJZMfjwUNlf51HY5pFP5eP2-mJ0p_CewgHwvrbbDbQBS5Oh8-qDAbcoe6Hfsm-jArp55A9fnLRDS-4T66nJnX4HwG3_V1v4jq6GtOk42jrTm4LGU/s1600/yuga+logo.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 146px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620667776591979746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcbAl9D0vMNfFirBD7Ulchiogr8qSNJZMfjwUNlf51HY5pFP5eP2-mJ0p_CewgHwvrbbDbQBS5Oh8-qDAbcoe6Hfsm-jArp55A9fnLRDS-4T66nJnX4HwG3_V1v4jq6GtOk42jrTm4LGU/s320/yuga+logo.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size:180%;">YUGA members all over the country have been working hard all year to raise awareness and hold events concerning different global issues. Check out what YUGA members have been doing all year! </span><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><u>AUGUST<br /></u></span></strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;">-YUGA Meets US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse<br /></span></em>YUGA members Luis, Angie, and Rachel spoke with US Senators Sheldon Whitehouse about the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act. YUGA members also took action at last year’s YUGA Leadership Camp where a workshop was held about the international crisis of child marriage. Way to go YUGA members!</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MATwOrkkXUi4KRCCzc5qRjUudRm3P1XCYTXpugm0O8gBXGFezs31tDlsOHpGoyqKHORIUr3GKIpExwY1GG5k_tvOjGoAIcsKjAObL3_yvwvp_edLmxGQ1JZd-3k77pBrJqivMhXmwv0/s1600/whitehouse.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620667457333830802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MATwOrkkXUi4KRCCzc5qRjUudRm3P1XCYTXpugm0O8gBXGFezs31tDlsOHpGoyqKHORIUr3GKIpExwY1GG5k_tvOjGoAIcsKjAObL3_yvwvp_edLmxGQ1JZd-3k77pBrJqivMhXmwv0/s320/whitehouse.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Above, YUGA members Luis, Angie, and Rachel stand with Plan USA's interim CEO, Audrey Bracey-Deegan and US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse at Plan USA's Warwick office.<br /><br /></em></span><u><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong>SEPTEMBER</strong></span></u></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">-A Hand in my Future</span></em><br /></span>Cranston East High School participated in Plan UK's A Hand in my Future campaign, collecting pictures of hands with a message about the importance of youth in decision-making.<br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;">-Recycling at School Football Games<br /></span></em>Cranston East also collected cans to recycle at their school’s football game. "Not only are we helping the environment," says Luis, "but we're also able raise money by personally bringing the cans to the recycling plant." This is a great way to fundraise, raise awareness of environmental sustainability, and have a great time, too! </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 304px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 252px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668003728360578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCL2bMj7eRdygK9rmBYeiud7xbFxpcB8CfFp1-FBoG8gGtIcvFmDTkYhclNT1-WdpKZF3K1CllFQ_ARKJlFFYOsnVeKMfkj_tMZFcGB84onevmJNlVpJEWACcE-IjCcrFJ-4yqAYv-O9w/s320/CE+YUGA+recycles+2.JPG" /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong><u>OCTOBER</u></strong></span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><em>-Corrie and Kate Learn about Plumpynut<br /></em></span>Corrie and Kate visited the Edesia factory in Providence, RI- the home of Plumpynut, a line of products that treat and prevent malnutrition for over 100,000 children. 195 million children are undernourished and every day 16,000 children die because of lack of food and adequate nutrition. Edesia is a great organization that dedicates their time and effort to the protection of children all around the world. Check out their website for more info about Plumpynut and other exciting things Edesia is up to at http://www.edesiallc.org/.<br /><br /><strong><u><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">NOVEMBER</span></u></strong></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;"><span style="font-size:130%;">-Poverty Week at Cranston East</span><br /></span></em>The Cranston East YUGA chapter decided to create a week at their school where they would raise awareness and money for poverty both locally and globally. They made 50 bagged lunches for Crossroads, a local homeless shelter in Providence, RI, and also had a bake sale where they raised about $60 to send to Crossroads as well. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668189800545634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugHHcDfgEFfALnNBDcKyIX_SfF6zC58YfPtjdaU87tAU1hhpB0IusRUQhAM06Pgi3sqt0jw77bvgxWqPBSHAJ6SlRf3MpatXxgXDNCINkXdc_mboBb_rRn5V2A1jBRISKwynu4Kec4Xs/s320/CHSE+Poverty+Week+banner.jpg" /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668245135941154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-u_7jwQ-08sTv4OL2dchtE_XAI9hQFJjedrzk8EhDVbCv0B44L-gR39fA-zMY-0KsgeIt20_CoCLGd5FDApmfVvVppW4lQe_R23EHXKYiA11MefIXxfdFhCHfBL3cYc-uNUWRqAq19oY/s320/CHSE+Poverty+Week+cupcakes.jpg" /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Top: CHSE YUGA members with their banner and bagged lunches they made for Crossroads.<br />Bottom: YUGA members Rachel and Kaitlyn with the cupcakes they made to benefit Crossroads.</span> </em></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><em>-Sisters Nadyah and Jana begin a YUGA Chapter in Maryland<br /></em></span>Nadyah and Jana worked with their school principal to use some of the YUGA toolkits to help make their school a 'Green School,' an accreditation from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). If you want to get help with starting your own YUGA chapter visit the Plan website at www.planusa.org/youth or contact Corrie. If you are interested in starting a YUGA chapter at your school, check out this special toolkit! <a href="http://www.planusa.org/docs/yea/HowtoStart.pdf">http://www.planusa.org/docs/yea/HowtoStart.pdf</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#000099;"><strong><u>DECEMBER</u></strong></span></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">-Annual Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-thon a Huge Success!</span></em><br /></span>Youth from around the state danced the night away at Plan USA's 5th annual Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon! We were thrilled to raise $5,500 for Plan's HIV/AIDS programs in Zimbabwe, thanks to the hard work of YUGA youth, raffle prize money, and a generous donor who agreed to match everything raised at the Dance-a-Thon. Thanks to all those who donated, performed, and all YUGA members who helped make the Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon a HUGE success!</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668296813771138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTucPbT-nMAjMJAN4bnaU9viW8clCqkA6IkSwDhbI8XYpz7xs97OcFDO7qerNmsSUYngCbZ5k-JxJDBpzs4l-lh6-vKxhszSpp7Nwz6gX9XGIYjGKr0WN4qKVtlmJfqSHEtoJBxHvw9P0/s320/Cicilline+group+picture+2.jpg" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>YUGA members gather with Congressman David Cicilline and the plaque that YUGA presented<br />him.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668336911503794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhkzjDq5PRIolhQgTtppAiXTUbBiuaknC9va-OJhfhehVRIXZpIokJkX9e1iMCf3w4TTTlt8KmnQoE5DGlTbcGX2uuHX68OmOESWrFPPddcMzJcIVNkQOuXbkUkWbVaHKu-ZSCtVG9Y8/s320/Clare%252C+Arisa%252C+Livia%252C+Angie%252C+Carissa.jpg" /></em></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>YUGA members Clare, Arisa, Livia, Angie, and Carissa</em></span></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 201px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668385377745122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0cZ9kFsMaML9T4SVYBzIByJwp5ES8NP_mwIh0uHmR2cVrZhY0JceoJeWMc8jepOyS3HwZr5B0atcgqcHTcwugz727uDf3TYMFQclunluI_jMwQPt5hj3rTxpi91QpEXD5CMkvTzm47U/s320/dancing+4.jpg" /></span></em></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>YUGA members danced all night long to the beats of DJ Tatu</em></span><br /><br /><strong><u><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">JANUARY</span></u></strong><br /><em><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;">-Blake Middle School Skypes with Haiti<br /></span></em>Nearly 750 students at Blake Middle School, a school in Massachusetts who was dedicated to raising money after the Haiti earthquake, joined on a Skype call with Haitian youth and Plan staff to ask questions about their peers in Haiti. This shows that youth can connect all around the world and relate their life experiences!<br /><br /><strong><u><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">FEBRUARY</span></u></strong></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><em><span style="color:#6600cc;">-Commission on the Status of Women</span></em><br /></span>Corrie, Sara, and Kirby went to the United Nations to join girls from all around the world to speak to members of the UN about women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social, and educational fields. They used their voices to urge UN members to make sure they know that girls’ rights are human rights. You go girls!<br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong><u><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620668447343441186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUZ0D1CB0Y1hc8o1vAqkVwBy6gOTieIB2QQ9YHYBdec6Ntmq2wV-Ja3ZqZG8ieMfotIaxEBgh_7edGPtMMzeDYUwFVYITR36QbBpmLypFXNKloOw2inLXAwYijddGYoQv3KZbSz81Kfo/s320/girls.jpg" /></u></strong></span><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><em>YUGA members gathered with girls from all around the world at the UN!</em></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong><u>MARCH<br /></u></strong></span><em><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#6600cc;">-World Water Day</span><br /></span></em>Walk for Wells was developed to simulate the walk that many girls in Niger have to do everyday in order to reach clean water for drinking, bathing, washing, and cooking. You can host this walk-a-thon at your school and help to raise awareness and money to fund projects that help girls get clean water in their villages. Check out the Walk for Wells website for information on how to host our own walk-a-thon! <a href="http://walk4wells.com/">http://walk4wells.com/</a></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;"><strong><u>APRIL</u></strong></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><em>-Earth Day<br /></em></span>YUGA members celebrated Earth Day by getting outside and helping to better the environment in their own communities. Check out YUGA’s Top Ten Ways to Live Green here! <a href="http://yugacentral.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html">http://yugacentral.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html</a><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong><u><span style="font-size:130%;">MAY</span></u></strong></span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><em>-World Fair Trade Day<br /></em></span>May 14th was World Fair Trade Day and was a time to take a closer look at the products we buy and how the workers who have made those products are treated. It is your job to check the labels and advocate for fair trade products. Hold an event or fundraiser at your school with all Fair Trade Certified products!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><u><span style="color:#000099;">JUNE</span></u></strong><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>-YUGA Leadership Camp Planning</em></span><br /></span>Camp planning is underway and we are very excited for this summer! Check out the YUGA Camp page on the Plan website for a look at a typical day, view pictures from past years, and read about what camp is like through the eyes of a camper! <a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/171646">http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/171646</a><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620672456443922738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY242cCkf2Q2SLAXOmXO9iG4NJiJtaBEthiPTH4YZs3S48CCyK-CFig2a53Sr-EXBX_jXwvu26-YyHzoCwYDRqKJC0DPQzpzJ8nUXjnLQ7r2LJ3xtP8HDEOBw6KWG-z5A9y7LJlurGMw/s320/yuga+camp+28.JPG" /></div></div></div><br /></div><br /><p align="center"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">YUGA members from a past YUGA Camp!</span></em></p><br /><br /><p align="center"></p>Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-4214670591341472502011-06-14T10:19:00.006-04:002011-06-14T10:57:07.425-04:00World Against Child Labor Day!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGGjAKwvTeHN3MlE8QpN4lSZzbBcvy5qLBm6ABHrmMiYmIxdZDkZc7S3IHzPjYGUG6OXCTSf488q5uK7c36PGOnU41dbhHNywRZ97gFTOzsW1IKjAkk8YBC1rx1d3uGsACZomcK2ebBM/s1600/twochildrenworking.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618088240826585298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGGjAKwvTeHN3MlE8QpN4lSZzbBcvy5qLBm6ABHrmMiYmIxdZDkZc7S3IHzPjYGUG6OXCTSf488q5uK7c36PGOnU41dbhHNywRZ97gFTOzsW1IKjAkk8YBC1rx1d3uGsACZomcK2ebBM/s320/twochildrenworking.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div align="left">June 12<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> was World Against Child Labor Day celebrated around the world by million of children that organizations like Plan USA were able to save from hazardous working conditions. According to the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor, there are 115 million children currently working in hazardous working conditions making this issue of great significance. There has also been a recent rise in the number of older children working in hazardous conditions- an increase in 20 percent within 4 years! This issue MUST be given urgent attention in order to help reduce the number of children and adolescents suffering high rates of injury when working in unfair working conditions.<br /><br /><strong>What do organizations suggest we do to address the problem of child labor in hazardous conditions? </strong></div><br /><div align="left"><br />We must take a life-cycle approach when dealing with the issues of child labor. This involves a stronger focus on ensuring that education and training policies prepare children for work life so as to acheive an effective school-to-work transition. If adolescents enter the workforce, there must be adequate safety regulations in place to ensure their safety and health. There must also be a wider knowledge of the internation labor standards spread throughout the world. Laws and regulations along with proper education for children, workers, and employers must be established and put into place.</div><br /><br /><div align="center">Organizations like Plan USA are taking strides to ensure safer working conditions for many children in the workforce. Children in Shebedino, Ethiopia were celebrating World Day Against Child Labor now that a Plan project has helped protect them from hazardous work and enabled them to go to school. These children used to spend their days at the local clay makers crushing soil for hours with just sticks and stones. Because the soil and dust were so overwhelming, the young children would cough for hours because of this tiring work.<br /></div><br /><div align="center">Plan USA provided this community with 1 diesel and 2 manual clay grinding soil machines and now many children do not have to hand crush the soil and can attend school full time! These manual crushers are safer and less tiresome than using a stick to crush the soil.</div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 164px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618085862646262306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBm3Ese8SjsbhoPdlauH1mI_NrE2vxwnVpuwqBAbAlvG38nDjn_aau51nu6oYNFqUVsN27PwTwpkaBfT2FoDPw5-0UNbKxvsBxGcm7KtYRpa9AJhSWBv1jr_yeFHoKa2P90ias5KG8-S8/s320/ethiopia_child_labor.jpg" /> Here is a woman demonstrating how to operate the clay crushing machine provided by Plan!Check out the full article about Plan's work in Ethiopia here: <a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2068673">http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2068673</a><br /><br />Spread awareness about this issue at your school or tell your family and friends. Many of the companies that we buy clothes, food, and other items from support child labor and have many children working in sweat shops or under other unsafe working conditions. Check the labels and buy clothing that is made in America!<br /><br /><strong>YUGA also has a FULL toolkit on what you can do in your school or at home to help stop child labor and get educated about the facts.<br />Check it out!<br /></strong><a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2136">http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/2136</a></div>Allegra Marrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17961983753670764580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-79434070729902028752011-05-16T09:44:00.003-04:002011-05-16T10:05:34.420-04:00School DaysAs the school year winds down, we’re all looking forward to the summer- hanging out at the pool, sleeping in on the weekends, and catching up on our favorite TV shows. I just finished my first year of graduate school, and, like many students across the country, I was counting down my final days of class before summer break.<br /><br />But as excited as I am for more rest and relaxation, I really do love school. I love reading about people and events in other countries, sitting with my friends in class, and that feeling I get after working hard and earning a good grade on a paper or exam. I feel really lucky that I have been given the opportunity to attend school for 18 years (!!), especially when I know so many youth across the world have not been afforded that same opportunity. Unfortunately, many children and youth face daily barriers to attending school and attaining a quality education.<br /><br />Here are some obstacles that children and youth might have to overcome to get an education:<br /><br /><strong>10 Common Barriers to Education: </strong><br /><br /><strong>1. Lack of money</strong>- Many parents lack the necessary fees for tuition, school books and supplies, uniforms, or food, and therefore cannot afford to send their children to school regularly.<br /><br /><strong>2. Distance</strong>- In rural communities, schools are often few and far between, requiring children and youth to take long and often unsafe walks to school every day.<br /><br /><strong>3. Responsibilities at home</strong>- In rural communities, children and youth often have many duties at home, which might take away from their time in the classroom. Some of these chores may include caring for younger siblings, housekeeping, and fetching water for the household.<br /><br /><strong>4. Value of girls’ education</strong>- In some societies, little value is placed on a girls’ education. In these communities, girls struggle against social and familial pressures in order to attend school.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>5. Child marriage</strong>- In some parts of the world, children, especially girls, marry at very young ages, often to save the family money. A young wife must often take care of her husband and household, which interferes with her ability to go to school.<br /><br /><strong>6. Pregnancy</strong>- A lack of comprehensive health education, a lack of access to contraception, a societal taboo against discussing reproductive health, and the prevalence of child marriage can all contribute to early pregnancy among girls and adolescents. If a girl is pregnant or has a young child, she will not be able to regularly attend school or focus on her studies.<br /><br /><strong>7. School facilities</strong>- Often schools are not properly maintained or lack adequate facilities, and therefore do not offer safe and healthy learning environments for students. Classrooms can also be hot, crowded, and lacking in materials such as desks, chalkboards, and books, which impair student learning.<br /><br /><strong>8. Sanitation facilities</strong>- In addition to classrooms, students should also have access to safe and healthy bathrooms, including separate spaces for boys and girls. Children and youth also need access to clean drinking water throughout the school day, which often schools cannot provide.<br /><br /><strong>9. Teacher’s Investment</strong>- In some instances, teachers are underpaid, inadequately trained, or not fully invested in providing quality education for their students. So even when students attend school, they sometimes do not receive personal attention or effective instruction.<br /><br /><strong>10. Child Labor</strong>- Millions of children around the world are engaged in the labor force in order to help contribute to their family’s income. These jobs can include unpaid and paid work (though often for very low wages) in agriculture, domestic service, textiles, and other industries. Sometimes this work can be dangerous, and can require long hours. Children are sometimes also trafficked illegally within their own country or internationally. If children are working, they often do not have the energy to keep up with their studies. While working, children and youth often miss days of school, or withdraw from school all together. (For more information on the impact of child labor, make sure to check out the upcoming issue of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">YUGA</span>’s E-News in June.)<br /><br />Have you ever faced any of these obstacles, or do you know anyone who has? Which obstacles do you think would be most difficult to overcome? Do you think obtaining universal access to quality education for all children and youth is important? Why or why not? Can you think of any other barriers to education youth around the world face? Please be sure to e-mail your ideas to Plan at <a href="mailto:yuga@planusa.org">yuga@planusa.org</a>.<br /><br />As for me, next time I am nervous for an exam or tired after a long night of doing homework, I’m going to try to think about what it would be like if I had to study while facing any the barriers mentioned above. While I will no doubt enjoy my break from classes this summer, I will try to keep in mind how lucky I am to get to attend school on a regular basis. And I’m sure that when August comes around, I will be very excited to start classes once again.<br /><br />Good luck finishing up the school year and happy (almost) summer!Katie Appelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18155633898079604101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-41921434727923971992011-04-22T12:49:00.001-04:002011-04-22T12:51:09.059-04:00Go Green<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Today is Earth Day!</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Get outside and celebrate! Today, let's commit to making a lifestyle change for greener living, a healthier planet, and a more sustainable environment.</span> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYlDIr7prjYRUQx0sKU5aRUb1QbVP6-zEquLTnbyXSoxPzj7Laq8p8qmM9SrZg_EiKhqb9_5-JwEVIsjxhAQZ-DO_WYoF8LEMzl9910w7zlJhZ9uz7am0vQQ9LabHiZOT-Tv961mgRbI/s1600/earth+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDYlDIr7prjYRUQx0sKU5aRUb1QbVP6-zEquLTnbyXSoxPzj7Laq8p8qmM9SrZg_EiKhqb9_5-JwEVIsjxhAQZ-DO_WYoF8LEMzl9910w7zlJhZ9uz7am0vQQ9LabHiZOT-Tv961mgRbI/s320/earth+image.jpg" width="293px" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <stroke joinstyle="miter"></stroke><formulas><f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></f><f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></f><f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></f><f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></f><f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></f><f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></f><f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></f><f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></f></formulas><path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></path><lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></lock></shapetype></span></span></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">While we can't all be green experts, simple steps in our everyday lives make a huge difference. Below are YUGA's Top Ten Ways to Live Green - but there are many more. Don't forget to comment below and tell us how you live green every day!</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">1. Ditch the water bottle.</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Americans go through more than 70 million water bottles every day, and only 14% get recycled. Not only are they filling our landfills, but they require huge quantities of oil to make, transport, and dispose. And here’s the kicker: <em>manufacturing plastic water bottles requires two times more water than the bottles will ultimately contain</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>2. Go veggie.</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Producing enough meat for one hamburger emits the same amount of greenhouse gas as a six-mile car ride. In the US, we eat an average of 8oz of meat every day- more than twice the amount consumed by those in developing nations. According to Environmental Defense, <strong>if every American substituted one meal with chicken for a vegetarian meal, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off the roads</strong>. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>3. Stop the spam.</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Do you or your family constantly get spam sent to you in the mail? <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Click here</span></strong></a> to have your name removed from direct mailing lists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>4. Hold the bag.</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you were to collect all of the bags you (and your family) received in a week, how many would you have? Reusable sturdy totes are inexpensive and can save a family hundreds of wasted plastic bags each year. If you're purchasing just a few things, opt to carry them out instead.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>5. Take-Out Smart</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Next time you call for take-out, be sure you know what not to order! If you don’t need napkins, tell them so. If every American gave up one paper napkin a day, we’d save one billion pounds of paper from going into landfills each year. If you don’t need plastic utensils, extra condiment packets, or chopsticks ask them to leave those out as well. <strong>China cuts down nearly 25 million trees each year to make chopsticks</strong> that oftentimes get thrown away unused. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong>6. Turn off the lights.</strong></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">...and the faucet, and the engine (when it's not running). Electricity production generates more than 1.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year! Energy to power lights and appliances make up two thirds of all electricity used in the US’s residential sector. Being conscientious about turning off unused lights and appliances adds up quick- and it’s easy to do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">7. Use your dollar wisely.</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Choose reusable instead of disposable. Buy items made from recycled materials, and support companies with sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Green companies are easy to find, and your dollar helps create demand for even more eco-friendly products. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">8. Clean green.</span></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Are you doing more harm than good when cleaning your house? Abrasive household cleaners do a number on the environment, and can make indoor air up to five times more polluted than the air outside! Disinfectants and other chemicals washing down our drains contaminate more than two-thirds of U.S. streams. Opt for a nontoxic cleaner, or make cleaners yourself. <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/photogallery/green-cleaning-super-stars"><strong><span style="color: blue;">Click here</span></strong></a> for ideas and recipes for cost-effective, homemade cleaning supplies. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>9. Take a shower</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While a relaxing bath is nice once in a while, the average 8-minute shower uses less than half the amount of water; a typical bath uses 30 to 70 gallons, but an 8-minute shower uses only 17 gallons. If your family is purchasing new appliances or fixtures, make sure they're energy efficient too.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>10. Beautify the neighborhood</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Get outside and beautify your entire neighborhood by planting trees, bushes, and flowers. According to Carbon Footprint Ltd, each tree planted can offset your environmental impact by ‘breathing’ in around 1 ton of CO2 over its first 50 years! </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-92022824134147955182011-03-22T11:05:00.002-04:002011-03-22T14:39:35.087-04:00World Water Day<h3><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The United States uses 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.</span></h3><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><strong>A girl in Niger can walk four hours to reach any. </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;"><em>Today is World Water Day. What are <u>you</u> going to do about the water crisis?</em></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sosea1GdPZS3WAXxvxNLfC9ZZvTH-JtLUxtsl_VQY57ZYnrmSz2SOdWqfcFrdLMspBNSj_mYhXTUKIDELNE7Nojy3u0BiFBBtO19VLsN9nH0Vzi1SIgD4TyfC4R_dFVT71cKP8JxaaU/s1600/Nigerien+girl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3sosea1GdPZS3WAXxvxNLfC9ZZvTH-JtLUxtsl_VQY57ZYnrmSz2SOdWqfcFrdLMspBNSj_mYhXTUKIDELNE7Nojy3u0BiFBBtO19VLsN9nH0Vzi1SIgD4TyfC4R_dFVT71cKP8JxaaU/s320/Nigerien+girl.JPG" width="201" /></a></div><br />
The world is on target to meet the <a href="http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">Millennium Development Goal for water</a>, but it doesn't mean that everyone has access to clean and safe water just yet. Many of the world's poorest countries are still without, including many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fifteen countries in the region are not on track to meet the MDG target for water, and nearly 40% of the world's population still lives without access to adequate sanitation. <br />
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Investing in safe drinking water not only sustains life, but promises a future. Every $1 invested in water and sanitation improvements returns an average of $8 in increased economic productivity and preventing health issues. Providing clean water to a community reduces the occurrence of deadly waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis, and typhoid fever. <br />
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Visit <a href="http://www.planusa.org/walkforwells">www.planusa.org/walkforwells</a> to find out about our national walk-a-thon, <em>Walk for Wells</em>, and how you can help.Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-74794980875810015362011-03-17T10:46:00.000-04:002011-03-17T10:46:10.843-04:00It's Coming... YUGA Summer Leadership Camp!<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Get inspired, connect with others from around the globe, and make a better future at YUGA Leadership Camp!</strong> </span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5Qs2Ck2xHlWaIcHQquR49rQsobVqG-jJ9kf-I8nUwJmJgjPFcMq_WNjPK3reLLA7jgmOMvwvR2y1aWXHv74HwRgnJeiaH2ys5iuRlVdhXQq2waQ9mG_fGSsyRH-e2yTUG9dki6RQ0oE/s1600/El+Salvador+and+YUGA+Camp+2010+422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN5Qs2Ck2xHlWaIcHQquR49rQsobVqG-jJ9kf-I8nUwJmJgjPFcMq_WNjPK3reLLA7jgmOMvwvR2y1aWXHv74HwRgnJeiaH2ys5iuRlVdhXQq2waQ9mG_fGSsyRH-e2yTUG9dki6RQ0oE/s320/El+Salvador+and+YUGA+Camp+2010+422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Who: All youth ages 12-18</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When: July 17-23, 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Where: Camp Aldersgate <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>North Scituate, Rhode Island</em></span></span><br />
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At YUGA Camp, you'll meet friends from across the country and around the world who are interested in global issues like poverty, HIV and AIDS, climate change, and child exploitation.<br />
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YUGA Leadership Camp brings together a committed group of 65-100 youth for a week of interactive workshops, community building, games and outdoor activities. The week is packed with programming that will prepare youth to advocate for global issues like poverty, HIV and AIDS, climate change and child exploitation. </span><br />
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<strong>Apply today!</strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyray1OCrAkgLjWqykKBOF86nMgm9i4UzriB-9Oj2qCX4f9EqgHaSOjWPbabviLfOQJ7Tcs2OHzf6YqlNgBKqS32l1YGkqj69pyacQgM12EF4IkF604mNQD1bwgt_OcS5jT5lZ87OGwQ/s1600/El+Salvador+and+YUGA+Camp+2010+634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyray1OCrAkgLjWqykKBOF86nMgm9i4UzriB-9Oj2qCX4f9EqgHaSOjWPbabviLfOQJ7Tcs2OHzf6YqlNgBKqS32l1YGkqj69pyacQgM12EF4IkF604mNQD1bwgt_OcS5jT5lZ87OGwQ/s320/El+Salvador+and+YUGA+Camp+2010+634.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/yea/yuga_camp.php"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">YUGA Leadership Camp online application</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> asks basic information and questions about your interests in global issues. The application must be submitted online in its entirety and is due by May 31, 2011. All participants will be notified of their acceptance by June 14, 2011. <br />
<br />
To find out more, visit </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/yugaleadershipcamp"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">www.planusa.org/yugaleadershipcamp</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> or contact Corrie at </span><a href="mailto:corrie.bonham@planusa.org"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">corrie.bonham@planusa.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. </span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-57865174991677908612011-02-19T21:32:00.000-05:002011-02-19T21:33:17.008-05:00NYC Day 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7bVkkzuTsrvF3mFglVoLr14ddB20bfeO6n7j8MSHGnNAB0DGQ9uQorFCM1LvuQMaAa5utQR8wh82O7wIOPZZ6GDtjxYW-p8hb6aaowgtdiMtEOHYfzLTrn72bcaoCeoExPAV08tVv57a/s1600/Picture+003%255B1%255D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7bVkkzuTsrvF3mFglVoLr14ddB20bfeO6n7j8MSHGnNAB0DGQ9uQorFCM1LvuQMaAa5utQR8wh82O7wIOPZZ6GDtjxYW-p8hb6aaowgtdiMtEOHYfzLTrn72bcaoCeoExPAV08tVv57a/s320/Picture+003%255B1%255D.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575594065926736482" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: 1px; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">We’re at the United Nations….hotel. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Hey, this is Sara & Kirby from Plan USA. We haven’t made it in to the United Nations yet, but we are in New York City. We arrived around noon, after a bus from Rhode Island. It is very windy in New York City and very cold compared to the other countries that are here — like Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Indonesia. Girls from Canada are also in New York City, and delegates from Finland should arrive soon. Going over the schedule tonight, cued in on the importance of our participation here. We are going to speaking to members of the United Nations, people with important roles in deciding international policy and agendas. Even though we are still in the United States, I still feel incredibly far away from home, surrounded by girls that are from all over the world. I guess it still hasn’t hit me where we are and what voice we have, but I am anticipating such an tremendousness feeling walking into the UN, wearing Plan shirts and calling ourselves girl delegates for the world.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more updates! </p></span>Sara Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09280582340377962810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-25177233540869277542011-01-27T17:46:00.001-05:002011-02-19T18:00:17.113-05:00Blake Middle School Skypes with Haiti<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The earthquake in Haiti was over one year ago, and since then hasn't been free from further tragedy. Flooding, a cholera outbreak, and political unrest disrupted relief efforts and prevented Haitians from rebuilding their lives. While we can't fix all of the problems in Haiti in just a year, it is certain that the world has not forgotten about Haiti. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Throughout the country's struggles, students at Blake Middle School in Massachusetts raised awareness of conditions in Haiti and fundraised to support Plan programs operating there.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the earthquake,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> nearly 750 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade joined on a Skype call with Haitian youth and Plan staff. Students gathered in their school auditorium to ask questions about the livelihood, education, and conditions of their peers in Haiti. Some even practiced their French, asking questions in Haiti's official language. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While we were hoping to connect with a youth group in Croix de Bouquets, difficulties in internet connection and electricity made it difficult to communicate back and forth. Instead, we connected with Maureen- a Communications Assistant working for Plan Haiti. Maureen was very kind and generous with her time, and answered all of the questions our youth had about life in Haiti.<br /> </span> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some of the more popular questions that Blake students asked were:</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Blake: </b>What do you do for fun? What sports do you play in Haiti?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Maureen: </b>Soccer! Soccer is by far the most popular sport in Haiti. Other than that, youth like to play video games, hang out with friends, play games. Same as kids in the United States. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Blake: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Do you feel like the world has moved on from the earthquake in Haiti? That people aren't paying as much attention anymore?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Maureen:</b> We felt overwhelmed with support from the rest of the world. Everyone came, there are so many volunteers. There is so much being done here- a lot more to do, but we just really felt the support and care from the rest of the world. A lot of people are living in tents, which is not a good condition and doesn't protect from the rain and keep people safe. But I don't feel like people have forgotten about us, not at all.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Blake: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>What is your favorite food in America? What do you normally eat in Haiti?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Maureen:</b> American food- probably a cheeseburger. [<i>Maureen was born in Haiti, but spend the majority of her life living in the United States. She's no stranger to American food!</i>] In Haiti we eat a lot of rice and beans, plantains. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Blake: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span>What can we do to help?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><b>Maureen:</b> Support. Support is really the biggest thing. We just really appreciate knowing that people are still thinking of us and supporting us. Thank you so much.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>As stated by Jim Emerson, the Country Director for Plan Haiti,</span></span></div><blockquote style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>"Disasters have a way of uniting people across geographies and cultures, and often bring out the best in humankind. In the days following January 12, 2010, the whole world embraced Haiti with an outpouring of support... [Plan is working] with the people of Haiti to build a country that promises a better future for its children, one in which they can reach their full potential and where their rights and dignity are respected."</span></span></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/docs/PlanHaitiReport12monthson.pdf">Click here</a> to read Plan's Haiti Report 12 months after the disaster.</span></span><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input id="jsProxy" onclick="jsCall();" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-46604779505104518992011-01-03T10:42:00.000-05:002011-01-03T10:42:39.597-05:00Child Marriage Bill Fails in the House<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Last week, the Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act failed in the House of Representatives. Given that the bill was supported by both Democrats and Republicans- and had passed unanimously in the Senate- the result was a disappointing surprise. </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></div> <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKDugVCsyAfUsXcCc30vKA6fP850POxaML0wQvvMy4vTS261qufKBK8gdcNAp8RSmv433tqe3e3NWDW3vXb5X850aTvdYquaCitSQ_FB2TBvl1FqAYoOBe5hcFhf4-60uPp51hKRiGoo/s1600/pakistanearlymarriage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikKDugVCsyAfUsXcCc30vKA6fP850POxaML0wQvvMy4vTS261qufKBK8gdcNAp8RSmv433tqe3e3NWDW3vXb5X850aTvdYquaCitSQ_FB2TBvl1FqAYoOBe5hcFhf4-60uPp51hKRiGoo/s320/pakistanearlymarriage.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 15-year old girl gets married in Pakistan. <br />
Many from the poorest families are married <br />
even younger.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If passed, the bill would have authorized the president to provide assistance to prevent child marriage in developing countries. It would have mandated that Obama's administration develop a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage, and integrated child marriage prevention programs in current development work. Additionally, forced marriage would have been included in the State Department's annual evaluation of countries' human rights practices. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">What happened?</span></strong></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Prior to the vote, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sent a memo to the Republican Party whip objecting to the cost of the bill. Instead, she introduced her own version of the bill which she indicated would cost only $1 million. However, the bill fails to include procedures for implementing the legislation which critics claim would significantly limit its impact. (To read Representative Ros-Lehtinen's "Dear Colleague" letter, <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_documents/101217_Ileana%20Dear%20Colleague.pdf">click here</a>). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;">After this letter went out, hours before the original bill was voted on, an additional alert was sent to Republican representatives urging them to vote against the bill, stating that the bill may support funding for abortions. However, <em>the bill did not contain any funding for abortions and federal funding for abortions is prohibited by law</em>. After these two letters went out, many Senators rescinded their support of the bill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;"></span></span></span></span> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Said an enraged Senator Durbin, the Senate Majority Whip who introduced the Child Marriage Bill, <br />
"The action on the House floor stopping the Child Marriage bill tonight will endanger the lives of millions of women and girls around the world... Those who voted to continue this barbaric practice brought shame to Capitol Hill." </span></span><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s next?</b><br />
While the bill failed this Congress, the efforts brought support from around the globe from individuals and organizations who remain committed to addressing child marriage. (<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/05/AR2010120503301.html">Read this article</a> by Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu, or <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/201012210896.html">this article</a> about child marriage in Zambia.) <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Plan remains committed to this issue and protecting the rights of girls and boys. Child marriage is a violation of children's basic rights to a safe childhood, education, good health, and the ability to make decisions about their own lives. Feel free to comment below about your reactions, and how you'd like to take action on the issue. </span><br />
<br />
</div></span></span> </div></div></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-60264238027060009542010-12-14T16:11:00.002-05:002010-12-15T15:25:50.368-05:00Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon a Success!Youth from around the state danced the night away at Plan USA's 5th annual Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-Thon!<br /><br />We were thrilled to raise $5,500 for Plan's HIV/AIDS programs in Zimbabwe, thanks to the hard work of YUGA youth, raffle prize money, and a generous donor who agreed to match everything raised at the Dance-a-Thon!<br /><br />Check out pictures pictures from the Dance-a-Thon taken by YUGA member Rachel from Cranston East High School. Thanks to everyone who came out to a great night!<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHjjTbzgy_tKDd6DgeQthTzaxDYgsp5F-8isH5K8akrFvZMgbZeEUtiYMwKBHVBR_dLjdX1u3dpJ8AC-bu9S7RjYiTURu7Sp6IcPiBfnwGbp1RAJ4Nd2Av-bWgs9WtEtuionA0TzfmSQ/s1600/21+Jump+Street-+band+2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHjjTbzgy_tKDd6DgeQthTzaxDYgsp5F-8isH5K8akrFvZMgbZeEUtiYMwKBHVBR_dLjdX1u3dpJ8AC-bu9S7RjYiTURu7Sp6IcPiBfnwGbp1RAJ4Nd2Av-bWgs9WtEtuionA0TzfmSQ/s320/21+Jump+Street-+band+2.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two bands from Cranston East High School performed a song for the Dance-a-Thon.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFApwh1kyA_wA8Ty38DGSKfFFAkvVcIjHuG8QNWfIU6Wv8VHZz9ixExO58T4QaJX60UPrKukEp9PH3pqktsvJWjLldSp01BZtfpa-LZRb1sqQ-ucvp5SCCD_xko4Chs1qhBYfHIaylvE/s1600/dancing+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuFApwh1kyA_wA8Ty38DGSKfFFAkvVcIjHuG8QNWfIU6Wv8VHZz9ixExO58T4QaJX60UPrKukEp9PH3pqktsvJWjLldSp01BZtfpa-LZRb1sqQ-ucvp5SCCD_xko4Chs1qhBYfHIaylvE/s320/dancing+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone at the Dance-a-Thon enjoyed music from DJ Tatu!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWFRcpTtmQQLZsJEfM1DsOzb5U49T0LDQqApnnawSsIdrK0rpCxuGhTL5vuUv5PYuID6wtCw3_d7m5OGBbRSi7L0aVPWhk7ULmeGD1CcBLotELR17xoYD_iV4qrT_bDSMD9kPqOD0K7Q/s1600/finished+paintings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWWFRcpTtmQQLZsJEfM1DsOzb5U49T0LDQqApnnawSsIdrK0rpCxuGhTL5vuUv5PYuID6wtCw3_d7m5OGBbRSi7L0aVPWhk7ULmeGD1CcBLotELR17xoYD_iV4qrT_bDSMD9kPqOD0K7Q/s320/finished+paintings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished pieces! Dance-a-Thon attendees helped paint four canvases to<br />reflect their feelings about AIDS in different communities of the world. </td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DicdTulU2QYfbZxZBFG4Blj4uZM7FnzctWYvRZNaEo2ZFtFbmKaDriRKdlJkN6Avddula9SepFUVpT_8sObmRKwPxInKt4kxtM-EdEsKmD7soTn6KOOoy8ZujWyVJvN8z8YjyWIUh6c/s1600/Cicilline+group+picture+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DicdTulU2QYfbZxZBFG4Blj4uZM7FnzctWYvRZNaEo2ZFtFbmKaDriRKdlJkN6Avddula9SepFUVpT_8sObmRKwPxInKt4kxtM-EdEsKmD7soTn6KOOoy8ZujWyVJvN8z8YjyWIUh6c/s320/Cicilline+group+picture+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor Cicilline came to our Dance-a-Thon! He had great things to say about YUGA, and was excited to receive a plaque of thanks from YUGA members. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uTP26nq7fH1GkIKa3JrFa7_I5HUFsPIuSmtzesGrodPz6yPGHnvgaoaDuZmfmhLhufcQe_RE25NXDPen0Up7qano0oD_aJl-ndiEKsI5Jh_dWOAkb3iN_HludbGLpb-F_AVZUS7XjGA/s1600/Clare%252C+Arisa%252C+Livia%252C+Angie%252C+Carissa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uTP26nq7fH1GkIKa3JrFa7_I5HUFsPIuSmtzesGrodPz6yPGHnvgaoaDuZmfmhLhufcQe_RE25NXDPen0Up7qano0oD_aJl-ndiEKsI5Jh_dWOAkb3iN_HludbGLpb-F_AVZUS7XjGA/s320/Clare%252C+Arisa%252C+Livia%252C+Angie%252C+Carissa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pictured above: Clare, Arisa, Livia, Angie, and Carissa. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0amgt2IP_JGu4Zk0gSjVfpbdXtVIFMbTeMjEEZ1l6_P4gbLMQd4yQzZ6GOyKytr_E1g-qjwTCzkqZ9KSO-rsS76koltXLdf2aeNpA9uziqDv1lGVAPl9JzaZmIEV5RQk2ZRy_Q2YpEK0/s1600/Edesia+table+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0amgt2IP_JGu4Zk0gSjVfpbdXtVIFMbTeMjEEZ1l6_P4gbLMQd4yQzZ6GOyKytr_E1g-qjwTCzkqZ9KSO-rsS76koltXLdf2aeNpA9uziqDv1lGVAPl9JzaZmIEV5RQk2ZRy_Q2YpEK0/s320/Edesia+table+2.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Representatives from Edesia hosted a table at the Dance-a-Thon. Edesia is a global nonprofit that treats malnutrition and extreme hunger, located right here in Providence! To learn more, visit <a href="http://www.edesiaglobal.com/">http://www.edesiaglobal.com/</a>. </td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV030Ttv6E7DSlqm5k-gpxiPDxwu73YPUQoUVWcIwTLiZuzD2H2wmtDfr435eUj900aSkjUBUACMiUrTZulQcNQ3tZbfEiiuwCOF1renJwn_z0EFnqQwtEpkZ6zlxbJyFVP_c2Q7S-qs/s1600/PAIS+belly+dancers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifV030Ttv6E7DSlqm5k-gpxiPDxwu73YPUQoUVWcIwTLiZuzD2H2wmtDfr435eUj900aSkjUBUACMiUrTZulQcNQ3tZbfEiiuwCOF1renJwn_z0EFnqQwtEpkZ6zlxbJyFVP_c2Q7S-qs/s320/PAIS+belly+dancers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancers from PAIS performed a traditional bellydance!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEC3CFZMk-DqjmISf9R66q695Vz9P_41TArb1N7DL1t6u_wpYYi6fBesU2KBHbaycRizHedzubR_QLRvQoYNpBfSoh3NfAXWvQCUIn6cZTE1nEAClfscKxs4C2dmneJpwZjms23iIvIA/s1600/PAIS+choreographers+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEC3CFZMk-DqjmISf9R66q695Vz9P_41TArb1N7DL1t6u_wpYYi6fBesU2KBHbaycRizHedzubR_QLRvQoYNpBfSoh3NfAXWvQCUIn6cZTE1nEAClfscKxs4C2dmneJpwZjms23iIvIA/s320/PAIS+choreographers+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PAIS dancers perform a dance they choreographed themselves!</td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8l0sIc4EB4hlb_m-Xw8yoOTUlaDbFr7aod_7mAMfakr9l0rG6AJG80dqxa4AQUHCDb_awk0388QpT6AN3pykdF5-ZG-lkk0w4ba7USUPmpAOGkcf1lRbKtqZ00-G56XjaJ8P-iuLqmk/s1600/linda+and+daniel+capoeira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8l0sIc4EB4hlb_m-Xw8yoOTUlaDbFr7aod_7mAMfakr9l0rG6AJG80dqxa4AQUHCDb_awk0388QpT6AN3pykdF5-ZG-lkk0w4ba7USUPmpAOGkcf1lRbKtqZ00-G56XjaJ8P-iuLqmk/s320/linda+and+daniel+capoeira.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above, Linda and Daniel- mother and son- do a capoeira demonstration. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SOrL4-S_cMIU9sFw-ma8p0hzVKnG5DbgOzG90tHPmTMGI6jwoE4_6hA3C1a-8R9jjSM-v_2DVig6t1pYM6Hecd7UTtfjX16D0Zxbgl_cLt4HEOhz1AxUxNpL6dyuIbLdgUdgqKMJ5eE/s1600/unicorn+and+alicemae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SOrL4-S_cMIU9sFw-ma8p0hzVKnG5DbgOzG90tHPmTMGI6jwoE4_6hA3C1a-8R9jjSM-v_2DVig6t1pYM6Hecd7UTtfjX16D0Zxbgl_cLt4HEOhz1AxUxNpL6dyuIbLdgUdgqKMJ5eE/s320/unicorn+and+alicemae.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily and AliceMae had a great time at the Dance-a-Thon!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To host a Dance-a-Thon at your school or community center, contact <a href="mailto:yuga@planusa.org">yuga@planusa.org</a>! </div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-33773394505071952662010-12-06T09:50:00.005-05:002010-12-15T15:24:56.267-05:00Landmark Legislation to Prevent Child Marriage is On the Move!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On December 1<sup>st</sup>, the US Senate unanimously passed the <strong><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act</span></strong>- a bill to protect girls in developing countries from early marriages. Girls as young as twelve can be married in many countries, which puts them at a great disadvantage for their health, education, and well-being. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Tens of millions of women and girls around the world have lost their dignity, independence and lives due to child marriage,” said Senator Durbin, who first introduced the bill. “Child marriage denies these women and girls of an education, economic independence and is the root cause of many of the world’s most pressing development issues – HIV/AIDS, child mortality, and abject poverty. This bill is a powerful statement of our priorities as a nation and something that will change the lives of millions in some of the world’s forgotten places.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The legislation will require the <country-region st="on"><place st="on"><place st="on"><country-region st="on">U.S.</country-region></place> government to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent child marriage, with the goal of eliminating the practice worldwide. The bill also seeks to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of women and girls, and ensure that child marriage is globally recognized as a human rights violation. </place></country-region></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">UNICEF estimates that 60 million girls in developing countries now aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18. If current trends continue, this number will increase by 100 million over the next decade. This past summer, YUGA members learned about child marriage at YUGA Leadership Camp and several <a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1410474"><span style="color: blue;">YUGA youth delivered 11,500 letters signed by our supporters to Congress</span></a>. Now that the bill is on the brink of becoming law, we need even <b>more </b>support to ensure that it gets passed!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Urge your Representatives to approve the legislation</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">. Send pictures, make a phone call, or find other creative ways to let your Representatives know that the bill should be passed. Make sure that everyone you know understands the importance of this bill, and that they should urge their Representatives to pass the bill, too! To find out who your state’s representative is, visit <a href="https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml" title="https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml"><span style="color: blue;">https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml</span></a>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1605436"><span style="color: blue;">Click here</span></a> for more information about Plan’s work and the Preventing Child Marriage Act.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'MS Mincho'; mso-fareast-language: JA;">You may also want to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/05/AR2010120503301.html"><span style="color: blue;">read an Op-Ed</span></a> in the Washington Post from Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, and Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of <place st="on"><city st="on"><place st="on"><city st="on">Cape Town</city>, <country-region st="on"><country-region st="on">South Africa</country-region></country-region></place>, about child marriage. </city></place></span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-69361266798551466042010-12-02T09:36:00.001-05:002010-12-15T15:24:10.986-05:00What in the World are YOU doing on World AIDS Day?<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">written by Katie Appel, DC Intern</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On this December 1<sup>st</sup>, youth all over the world will unite to show support for the global battle against HIV/AIDS. The World AIDS Campaign’s website hosts an international calendar of World AIDS Day (WAD) events, and here is a sampling of ways young people across the globe will be acting out against AIDS:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Members of the South Asia Regional Youth Network will change 10,000 Facebook profiles to support WAD 2010 in the <country-region st="on">Maldives</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Sri Lanka</country-region>, <country-region st="on">India</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Bhutan</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Nepal</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Pakistan</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Bangladesh</country-region>, <country-region st="on">Afghanistan</country-region> and <place st="on"><country-region st="on">Iran</country-region></place>. </span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In <place st="on"><city st="on">Nairobi</city>, <country-region st="on">Kenya</country-region></place>, youth volunteers who teach HIV/AIDS prevention through the performing arts will host a Youth Seminar for other teens. </span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Students in <place st="on"><city st="on">Bangkok</city></place> will sell baked goods and merchandise and the profits will benefit a local home for disabled HIV positive children. </span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In <place st="on"><city st="on">Mexico City</city></place>, university students will gather to spread awareness of HIV/AIDS transmission and testing. </span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Students in <place st="on"><country-region st="on">Canada</country-region></place> will present the “Viral Monologues,” stories performed by youth and written by those infected with HIV/AIDS. </span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Lastly, students in <place st="on"><city st="on">Providence</city>, <state st="on">RI</state></place> will host the YUGA Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-thon! </span></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So now that you know a little about what youth all over the world are doing on World AIDS Day, what will you do? Hang a poster in your school or community to spread awareness. Announce World AIDS Day through your personal social networking sites. Research how the spread of HIV/AIDS has impacted the population of one specific country. Sign up to volunteer at a local HIV/AIDS clinic or resource center. Make and pass out red ribbons to family and friends. Attend a local World AIDS Day event. Check out a documentary on HIV/AIDS from your local video store. Wear red! And don’t forget to get your friends involved because the more people that speak out against HIV/AIDS, the louder the voice will be!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hopefully with worldwide participation and cooperation, we will one day see the end of this terrible epidemic. Until then, thank you for participating in World AIDS Day 2010, and for everything else you do to raise awareness for global issues the other 364 days of the year!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To check out the World AIDS Campaign’s international calendar visit: </span><a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/World-AIDS-Day/WAD-2010-Events-Calendar" title="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/World-AIDS-Day/WAD-2010-Events-Calendar"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/World-AIDS-Day/WAD-2010-Events-Calendar</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To find an HIV/AIDS documentary title, visit </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/86637#AIDS" title="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/86637#AIDS"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/86637#AIDS</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To learn more about the YUGA Move to Stop AIDS Dance-a-thon visit: </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/255078" title="http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/255078"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.planusa.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/255078</span></a></span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-46335003247481479442010-11-30T14:24:00.005-05:002010-12-15T15:23:29.880-05:00Welcome Katie, Our New DC Intern!<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hi YUGA!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My name is Katie and I am the new Youth Engagement and Action intern in Plan <country-region st="on">USA</country-region>’s <place st="on"><city st="on">Washington</city>, <state st="on">DC</state></place> office. I am so excited to be part of the YEA team and to learn more about all the great work your YUGA chapters are doing across the country! Now to tell you a bit about myself: I love learning about other countries and I have been lucky enough to travel to every continent except for <place st="on"><country-region st="on">Australia</country-region></place> (though it’s high on my list!). I even lived in <place st="on"><country-region st="on">Ecuador</country-region></place> for a year and I really enjoyed immersing myself into a new culture practicing my Spanish, and trying lots of new foods (guinea pig included!). I spent the past two years working on global education programs in DC schools, and now I’m currently studying International Development Studies in graduate school. In my free time I love to explore the city, go to baseball games (I am one of the only true Nationals fans), and I love to dance! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Just like you, I really believe that we are all global citizens and that we must do our part to help one another. I am thrilled to do whatever I can to support your YUGA chapters and to help you raise awareness for global issues in your community. Best of luck and we’ll be in touch!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thanks so much, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Katie</span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-45288790831768291532010-11-08T16:02:00.002-05:002010-12-15T15:22:52.284-05:00Poverty Week at Cranston East<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Written by Luis, Cranston East YUGA Chapter</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Poverty week for us really began two weeks before the actual designated week. Two weeks ahead, we had a planning meeting where we set out our goals for CHSE Poverty Awareness Week. We all agreed that we wanted to both raise awareness and money for poverty. So we decided our game plan for the week in a way that could reach both goals. First, we decided upon making a banner to hang up in our school telling everyone about our Poverty Week. In addition, we also came up with daily meseges we would have announced on the BBC (Bolt Broadcasting Corps, East's daily announcement service).<br />We managed to make the 50 lunches for Crossroads, albeit we were almost stopped by some mishaps (many people forgot to bring the items they agreed to bring, or they, along with their items, just didn't show up). But, one of us ran to CVS and got the items we needed. But overall, the lunch making was extremely successful. We had over 20 people come to the meeting, which is triple the normal meeting attendees. Everyone was in high spirits and we made the 50 lunches in an organized fashion. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wZvP64ORlCi6lDcvefXwP1yW8fZMblrITkiFvtRzmjQFFqiaNGUXL7K3BI-L0X7-DHY4LpRqPcZ8ppiytLPyFZQQIa0q93uy5yItvnRRAEq8y8c3xVX9MiE-IDjE7CMbKRAmSNDpfDI/s1600/CHSE+YUGA-+Poverty+Week.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wZvP64ORlCi6lDcvefXwP1yW8fZMblrITkiFvtRzmjQFFqiaNGUXL7K3BI-L0X7-DHY4LpRqPcZ8ppiytLPyFZQQIa0q93uy5yItvnRRAEq8y8c3xVX9MiE-IDjE7CMbKRAmSNDpfDI/s320/CHSE+YUGA-+Poverty+Week.bmp" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We also wrote some inspirational messages on notecards and put them inside the lunch bags to try and brighten the day for whoever recieved the lunch. And to top it all off, we posed in front of our Yuga Poverty Awareness Banner with the lunches like the coolcats we are B]. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9l1l3DQ4AUM2v5idH3Vs1fduKL64-wW1pRHKULVc3aRSYyKOLSDgldNUfo6dkjLLSSU0nlIMXJYBs-aGlUum2a7N-U0cwWDr5whqdBW1v37rUMCpfrz0P7a-hLxiwnZFfJCIHzJuAcQ/s1600/CHSE+Poverty+Week+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9l1l3DQ4AUM2v5idH3Vs1fduKL64-wW1pRHKULVc3aRSYyKOLSDgldNUfo6dkjLLSSU0nlIMXJYBs-aGlUum2a7N-U0cwWDr5whqdBW1v37rUMCpfrz0P7a-hLxiwnZFfJCIHzJuAcQ/s320/CHSE+Poverty+Week+banner.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Oh, I can't forget our bake sale! The friday morning of that week, some of us brought in some cookies and cupcakes to give away free (in exchange for a small donation), since we're not allowed to "sell" cupcakes, since it goes against our school wellness policy. So we had to play with the terminology a bit. We set up a table in the cafeteria before homeroom to "give away the cupcakes". From there, most of us took the cupcakes on platter around the school, heckling people to donate and get a free cupcake in exchange. We raised I think about $60!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX7c0GY6RzTOZbXR57nkBIrV0DKZjV7mh_oOZDocEM9QGXwl7SCnIpFAjcSV5VPf3kvqAJWeWz5_Ws_9YOR4rD9oRYhInSjlLogtFUcZS6psl54xQKZetp4_8Q45azRROtjmtP6eCDOQ/s1600/CHSE+Poverty+Week+cupcakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="180" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX7c0GY6RzTOZbXR57nkBIrV0DKZjV7mh_oOZDocEM9QGXwl7SCnIpFAjcSV5VPf3kvqAJWeWz5_Ws_9YOR4rD9oRYhInSjlLogtFUcZS6psl54xQKZetp4_8Q45azRROtjmtP6eCDOQ/s320/CHSE+Poverty+Week+cupcakes.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-32068719076245465362010-11-05T10:30:00.002-04:002010-12-15T15:22:00.854-05:00Giving Thanks<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">by Kerry, YEA Fall Intern</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Everyone at some point in their lives has probably heard the expression “Come to the dinner table/eat your peas/finish your brussel sprouts! Don’t you know there are starving kids in the world?” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A few months ago, my six-year-old cousin Ann was dawdling to the dinner table when my uncle first said those well-known words to her. Her response was less well-known and not exactly the response her parents expected. Ann asked if they could tell her the addresses of the hungry kids so she could bring them her food because it made her sad that she had food and they didn’t. The expression aimed towards encouraging children to give thanks for what they have encouraged my cousin to give up her food to give to kids she didn’t even know so that they wouldn’t be hungry. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Who knew people in the United States, let alone youths in the United States, cared about helping people or appreciating what they have? After all, we’ve only recently been surpassed by China as the world’s largest consuming nation. We have less than 5 percent of the world population and use 21 percent of the world’s energy. We spend more money per day on blue jeans than some countries spend a year on food. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The United States actually gives the most money in aid to other countries; however, in terms of percent of all the money in the US, we’re very far from first place. Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands far outrank the United States in terms of aid as a percent of all funds within the country. The United States and Japan are tied at .19% of national income going towards foreign aid.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Private philanthropy accounts for about 23% of all US funds towards other countries. Private philanthropy includes foundations, corporations, voluntary organizations, and universities and colleges. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, spearheaded by billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, is the most well known of these types of organizations. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The statistics and data sets and pie charts don’t mention the young philanthropists or the children like my cousin who, given the opportunity, would help out people they’d never met in a heartbeat. They appreciate everything they’ve been lucky enough to have in life and would go even further and give up what they have to help others. In the upcoming holiday season, keep children like Ann in mind, but also the children she wanted to help and who desperately need help. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-75800651798754200052010-11-04T10:37:00.002-04:002010-12-15T15:21:08.531-05:00YUGA Takes Shape in Maryland<div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some YUGA Chapters have been able to get started quickly and easily. With the strong support of teachers and the principal, YUGA chapters can quickly come together and have a strong presence in schools. Our online issue toolkits, including the </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/docs/yea/HowtoStart.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How to Start a YUGA Chapter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> toolkit, can help students become positive activists in their community. </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sometimes, however, students can run into obstacles to getting their group started. For sisters Nadyah and Jana, getting approval for a YUGA Chapter was a longer process than they had anticipated. "Things don't always turn out the way you want them to" says Nadyah. "I had many obstacles to face...But with the help of all the YUGA resources it was MUCH easier to get started."</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She first met with her school's principal, but was asked to wait nearly two months for a response. After going through a lengthy approval process, she wasn't able to campaign for many of YUGA's issues. However, Nadyah was persistent with her school administrators and they were able to make a compromise. Nadyah's principal agreed to use some of the YUGA toolkits to help make her school a 'Green School,' an accreditation from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). She's also scheduling a school assembly with ACE, the </span><a href="http://www.acespace.org/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Alliance for Climate Education</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, who we heard this summer at YUGA Leadership Camp. By focusing on YUGA's campaign for climate change, Nadyah is able to get her peers involved with environmental sustainability and make a difference in her community.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"This wasn't what I had fully hoped for it to be," says Nadyah, "but by starting a small chapter, hopefully I will be able to advocate even more."</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Kudos to Nadyah and Jana, who continue to fight for their voices to be heard! </span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you'd like help with getting your YUGA chapter started, visit the Plan website at </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/youth"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">www.planusa.org/youth</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, or contact Corrie at </span><a href="mailto:corrie.bonham@planusa.org"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">corrie.bonham@planusa.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. </span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-72772270934083577942010-11-01T10:48:00.003-04:002010-12-15T15:20:35.471-05:00YUGA's Themes of the Month 2010-2011<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Need some ideas to keep your YUGA Chapter moving? Wondering what issues your YUGA chapter should be focusing on throughout the year? Below is a list of themes that we'll be writing about each month, centered around a national or international day of action. These themes address all five of YUGA's current campaigns: <strong>HIV/AIDS</strong>, <strong>Child Exploitation</strong>, <strong>Climate Change</strong>, <strong>Global Poverty</strong>, and <strong><em>Because I am a Girl</em></strong>. The monthly newsletter will discuss each issue in detail and is <em>packed</em> with information, resources, and ideas to help your YUGA chapter take action! </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>December 2010</b>- HIV/ AIDS </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <i><span style="color: orange;">December 1: World AIDS Day</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>January 2011</b>- Children in Conflict Zones</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <i><span style="color: orange;">January 1: World Day of Peace</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>February 2011</b>- The President’s Take on YUGA Issues </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="color: #e69138;"> </span></span><span style="color: orange;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">February 18: President’s Day</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>March 2011</b>- Walk for Wells/ Access to Clean Water and Sanitation/ Because I Am a Girl </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <i><span style="color: orange;">March 8: International Women’s Day</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i> March 22: World Day for Water</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>April 2011</b>- Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <span style="color: orange;"> <i>April 22: Earth Day</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>May 2011</b>- Global Poverty and Fair Trade</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: orange;"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">2nd Saturday of May - World Fair Trade Day </span></i><i></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b>June 2011</b>- Child Labor and Exploitation</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: orange;"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">June 12 - World Day Against Child Labor </span></i><i></i></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Make sure that you're receiving the E-newsletter by signing up on </span><a href="http://www.planusa.org/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Plan USA's homepage</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, or send </span><a href="mailto:corrie.bonham@planusa.org"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Corrie an email</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> to be added to the list.</span></span>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5221505489170581322.post-60612501764718942152010-10-28T11:01:00.003-04:002010-12-15T15:20:09.600-05:00Plumpynut: Funny Name, Serious Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMPLT9tmWBLFodm09FyochFjHKxDksVUXo0nouHRVHhIc4V87WKihLcrbHFH-FXqDqkzrzbZzxyof2upJxw1MmP2VXyP1mS04dyrrqPTS-ZehfDWhkum6vgAW3rnuN5T7bBGJm7vdLLk/s1600/Edesia+logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMPLT9tmWBLFodm09FyochFjHKxDksVUXo0nouHRVHhIc4V87WKihLcrbHFH-FXqDqkzrzbZzxyof2upJxw1MmP2VXyP1mS04dyrrqPTS-ZehfDWhkum6vgAW3rnuN5T7bBGJm7vdLLk/s1600/Edesia+logo.gif" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last week, Kate and I visited the Edesia factory in <place st="on"><city st="on">Providence</city>, <state st="on">RI-</state></place> home of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plumpynut</i>, a line of products that treat and prevent malnutrition for over 100,000 children. We met with Marie Wisecup, Communications Manager, and got a chance to tour the Edesia building to see how Plumpynut products are made. YUGA knows that access to food and adequate nutrition is a basic right according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and organizations in RI are helping to ensure that right! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While there, Kate and I learned that there are 195 million undernourished children in our world. Every day, 16,000 children die because of a lack of food and adequate nutrition. Edesia works to treat malnutrition, as well as prevent malnutrition among vulnerable children ages 6-24 months. The main ingredients are simple: peanuts, sugar, vegetable oil, and milk; but the products have a huge impact. They require no preparation or refrigeration, have a two-year shelf life, and are easy to eat. Main purchasers of Edesia’s products include UNICEF, World Food Program, Doctors Without Borders, and the Clinton Foundation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Edesia also actively hires immigrants and refugees through the International Institute of Rhode Island. This not only provides work for newly arrived refugees, but often connects them to their homes and past. Nine years ago, Andrew Kamara, Edesia’s Supply Chain Supervisor, arrived in the <country-region st="on"><place st="on">United States</place></country-region>. Having lived several years in a refugee camp in <place st="on">Western Africa</place>, he now produces the types of food that he and his family once relied on. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Edesia factory is open for tours, and is a great way to learn about nutritional assistance. If you’d like to schedule a tour of the Edesia factory for your class or YUGA Chapter, </span><a href="http://www.edesiallc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=62&Itemid=97"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">click here</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> or visit </span><a href="http://www.edesiallc.org/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">http://www.edesiallc.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. </span></span></div>Corrie Bonhamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03747122538728584561noreply@blogger.com0