Confronting Concerns is a New York City Initiative of the Crossing Boundaries program. Crossing Boundaries: Youth in Dialogue about the Rights of the Child is a program of the Network for Peace through Dialogue which links youth groups internationally through our website forum in dialogue about the rights of children.
The Network received a grant of $4,000.00 from the William T Grant Foundation to initiate local forums for New York City members of the Crossing Boundaries program. This is the first update and report regarding this program now titled Confronting Concerns. In mid summer 2005 a coordinating committee was set up including the Director of Crossing Boundaries Program and one Network Board member and two young teenagers from All Saints Community. From the very beginning this integrated planning was intended to be collaboration between adults and youth highlighting intergenerational dialogue. The other group of Crossing Boundaries in NY City is "Youth Practicing Democracy", a group of youth from the Incarcerated Mothers program. These youth participated in the interviews but were not able to attend the first forum. The Director of Incarcerated Mothers Program continues to act as advisor to both Confronting Concerns and Crossing Boundaries Program. It is expected the IMP “Youth Practicing Democracy” group will participate in the next phases of the program.
The goals of the planning group were: 1) to prepare three forums based on the concerns of youth. 2) To guide their thinking about these concerns and 3) to involve them in some action for change.
The planning group met several times in the fall, created an interview and began to interview youth ages 9-17 on the concerns they have for themselves, in their city and in the world. A second interview question was what they thought other youth their age were concerned. Fifty two youth were interviewed. Advice was sought from a youth worker from the organization Global Kids and she was intrigued and agreed to work with the program for the coming months. She also met with the team and agreed to help develop and to lead the three forums.
Session #1
Session #2
Session #3
Copyright pending, Network for Peace Through Dialogue
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