WorldLink/Youth
WorldLink Program Overview
WorldLink - Connecting Youth to Global Affairs is a unique program that provides opportunities for high school youth from the greater San Diego region to meet world leaders and experts. Through WorldLink’s innovative and experiential focus on global education, students learn about issues facing us locally and internationally, and engage in thoughtful discussions about solutions in a forum where their voices are heard and valued.
The 2011-2012 student-selected WorldLink theme is
"The Right to be Human,"
focusing on the recognition of human rights and its correlation to
Culture & Identity, Disabilities, Displacement, Responsible Business and International Justice.
Upcoming Event:
WorldLink Youth Forum: "Sarabah"
A film by Maria Luisa Gambale, Gloria Bremer and Steven Lawrence
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012, 4:00-6:00 p.m., IPJ Theatre
Film screening at 4:00 p.m., followed by a discussion with filmmaker Maria Luisa Gambale
Maria Luisa Gambale is the co-director of the 2011 award-winning documentary Sarabah, the story of singer, rapper and activist Sister Fa, who smashed the barriers in the male-dominated hip-hop world and began a journey to transform her native country of Senegal in a very risky campaign.
Sister Fa and her band travel to rural Senegal to help eradicate female genital cutting, which she suffered as a child. She started singing in 2000 as a teenager when no girls rapped in Senegal, and was winning awards just two years later. As her social and political consciousness heightened, especially about girls’ rights and the violence they are suffering, she began using her music to bring awareness and to change the lives of girls.
Join us for a screening of "Sarabah," and then talk with filmmaker Maria Luisa Gambale about how her team captured this amazing story and what she discovered about the power of youth to change worlds.
RSVP to worldlink.interns@gmail.com by Wednesday, March 7th,
with your name, grade and school.
Event is free, RSVP required.
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Mission Statement
WorldLink's mission is to:
- Promote international awareness and understanding among students.
- Encourage critical thinking about international dynamics shaping global policies and economies, as well as local cultures and communities.
- Stimulate discussion among young people, leaders and activists about challenges in our multi-faceted and interconnected world.
- Provide a forum for curious and informed youth to add their voices to a civil atmosphere of problem solving.
- Inspire youth to consider and model responsible global citizenship.
Click on image to watch video. |
History
Initiated in 1997 as a youth education program of the World Affairs Council of San Diego, WorldLink undertook to bring students and teachers unique, first-hand learning opportunities. It connected them to people in the public eye so they could consider, evaluate and question their ideas and the directions these spokespersons were advocating. From ambassadors and presidents to former spies and United Nations peacekeepers, from the U.S. Attorney General to an international criminal court negotiator, the array of voices heard and what they had to say was important to understanding the issues of the day, according to middle and high school students who heard them. The exchange was powerful for presenters, too.
WorldLink moved to the University of San Diego in late 1998, the site of the annual WorldLink Youth Town Meeting. In January each year, high school students from Tijuana and San Diego and exchange students from around the world gather in a free conference to consider local concerns from a global perspective. Global leaders representative of the U.S. Department of State and other public and private organizations bring their experiences to student delegates. Diplomats in residence and leading activists address topics that have ranged from global migration to human rights, and share this event with student moderators and attendees. Student journalists from a number of participating high schools produce their own newspaper on the Youth Town Meeting, covering the topics and stories from their perspectives.
Contact Information:
Debbie Martinez
Program Officer, WorldLink
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
Phone: (619) 260-7509
