New York Program Page [old] | Global Youth Connect

U.S. Programs

After a decade of bringing youth to work in solidarity on human rights promotion in countries that had experienced genocide in the 21st century -- such as Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia -- Global Youth Connect (GYC) set out to create a program that would bring youth from around the world to the USA to work hand in hand with youth and organizations here, on human rights issues in the USA. The idea was to balance the global dialogue about human rights.

Are human rights being achieved in the USA? Is “Human Rights” being used as a concept in the USA for social change? And can it be more widely utilized? And, what do the answers to these questions have to do with social change globally?
After months of planning, cultivating partnerships in NYC, program promotion, application and visa processes, and fundraising for a few scholarships, GYC’s first Human Rights in the USA summit was held June 22 -July 14, 2012.

Some highlights from our first NYC Human Rights Program included:

A Human Rights Learning Workshop with Shula Koenig, Winner of the 2003 UN Human Rights Award & Founder of the People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning (PDHRE)
Discussion of the difference between Human Rights Monitoring & Human Rights Learning;
Discussion of how to integrate a "human rights" framework into US policy;
A discussion of patriarchy's impact on the realization of Human Rights for all people.
Site visits with key stakeholders, including with: