Volume 1, Issue 1

April 2011

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. -Dalai Lama

Alumni Connection
As a sophomore at Rock Bridge High School, I was just looking to get involved in a new school. My World Studies teacher, Matt Cone, spoke very highly of a relatively new club: Global Issues. I had a few friends who were involved so I decided to check it out. What began as just curiosity soon blossomed into a desire to more fully understand what was going on in the world around me. Getting involved in Global Issues spar ked my int erest to be involved elsewhere. There were book clubs, independent study classes, and other extracurricular activities aimed at promoting awareness on inequalities. I found it fascinating (and still do) to examine the ties between inequalities in the United States say, in the public schools or the prison systemto injustices elsewhere. I noticed links among situations, and I started thinking more broadly about social justice. Soon enough, it was time to look at colleges. I felt torn; I didnt know what I wanted to study, but knew I wanted to keep learning about the kinds of topics we studied in Global Issues. From Global Issues, I had gained a healthy dose of discernment, a means for analytical thinking, and a method for taking action. I wanted to find that again in college. I decided on Truman State University, primarily for its liberal arts mission and its high quality of education. Looking around at organizations my first semester, GlobeMed stood out to me. There was the initial skepticism I generally feel toward organizations that send money abroad, but I soon realized that like Global Issues, GlobeMed was committed to the larger goal of social justice. GlobeMed is a student organization with chapters at many universities. Each chapter partners with a different grass-roots non-governmental organization centered on promoting community health. At Truman State, our par tner organization is Maison de Naissance, a birthing clinic in Haiti. During our weekly meetings we plan fundraisers, organize awareness events, and hold educational seminars on global health and social justice. GlobeMed has exposed me to a wider community and network of people who hold the same values as I do. Together, we are building a movement for global health equity. Last summer, I served as an intern at the Institute for Health and Social Justice at Partners In Health. Partners In Health (PIH) is an organization committed to providing community health care Allison (second from left) and some of the other in some of the poorest places in PIH summer interns the world. What began as a small clinic in Haiti over 25 years ago has grown to an organization that serves communities in multiple countr ies (including a sister organization in Boston, MA). PIH strives to break the cycle of disease and poverty by hiring community healt h workers, working within the public sector (with the Ministry of Health), and by def ining healt h in t he broadest of terms. From building schools to fish farming to partnering with more specialized NGOs, PIH is more than charity it is a model based on solidarity. At PIH, I worked with the Development team to help prepare documents that updated donors on the project sites. Looking back over the past six years, I can honestly say I would have never pictured where I am today. I began as a nave high school sophomore hoping to get more involved. Now, I feel I have a purpose and mission, and it is because of the wonderful organizations I have been privilege to be involved with and the inspiring people who have mentored me. by: Allison Coffelt
GILD Swap Meet Fundraiser

Table of Contents:
Rockbridge Report Hickman Highlights Meet the Board Members Upcoming Events Thank yous

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Rock Bridge students dancing during India Night

Rock Bridge Report

Rock Bridge High School's Global Issues Club was lead by four students: Kelsey Kupferer, Tasmeen Hussain, Sarah Brennan and Kelsey Saragnese. Our club sponsor was Kathrine Fishman-Weaver. For the fall semester, students learned about human trafficking, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We learned about the topic by inviting community members to speak at our club meetings. We hosted a Congolese refugee to learn about the DRC, and we also hosted Stop Traffic (an MU student organization) to learn about human trafficking. In November, students planned a week of activities, concluding with a Benefit Concert to benefit HEAL Africa. HEAL Africa is a hospital with 28 Benefit Concert for HEAL AFrica Fundraiser womens houses in Maniema and North Kivu that provides a safe place for many victims of the war. During the week, the students were able to rise $1200 for HEAL Africa. For the spring semester, students learned about child labor in India and raised money for Save the Children. To learn more about the labor issues in India, we invited Mustard Seed, a fair trade store in our community. They taught us about fair trade products and their impact across the globe. The students then planned a week of activities ending with India Night. At India Night, Hindu Temple and Community Center of MidMissouri made a challenge donation of $500 for the dinner. Students raised a total of $1200 for Save the Children.

Lessons from the Year:

Shameful that consumerism in America is considered more important than lives in less privileged countries. Honestly before I learned more about the means of cheap labor, it didnt bother me. Now that Im more educated my feelings as a consumer were sadness, regret and sorrow for their unfair treatment of those workers. The products though cheap carry much higher morally unsound price. The lessons were extremely valuable. All the problems in the world need to be solved from the root of education. The more people know the less ignorant people end up being and the more knowledgeable decisions will be made. Meetings are efficient and I felt really inspired to do this semesters project. I would probably make philanthropy a part of my career The club has inspired me to be more aware of the global events that require attention and it has shown me how we can help others through fundraising and other methods.

Hickman Highlights
Hickman High School's Global Issues Club spent the year learning about the environment. Our club sponsor, Brett Kir kpatr ic k and Executive Director, Nadege Uwase, helped organize and prepare weekly meetings. On the first and second Thursday of the month, students had a lesson about an element of the environment ie pollution. The third week, we host a speaker and the fourth week, we watch documentaries. Students learned from experts in the field. We used the Story of Stuff by Annie Leonnard. The Story of Stuff depicts the production, consumption and disposal of goods. We invited speakers into our weekly meetings and hosted Sustainability Peer Resource Outreach (SPROUT) to teach students about sustainability and growing local food to minimize pollution. We also hosted the MU Hydrogen Car Team. The team brought their car to HHS and students were able to ask questions and talk about how the team put the car together. One of the films students watched was FLOW (For the Love Of Water), an awardwinning documentary by Irena Salina with interviews from scientists and activists as they discuss pollution, politics, human rights and privatization of the world's water. GILD works hard to expose our students to a various ways of learning. We are committed to providing comprehensive and holistic resources to assure that students are learning from those in the field and able to experience (touch and see) the issues they are learning about.

Meet our Board 2009-2010:

President: Amy Williams
Amy Williams is law student at the University of Missouri. She has a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences and a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management. Amy has previously worked in the fields of suicide prevention and sexual violence prevention education. Her involvement with the original Global Issues Club at Rock Bridge High School fostered an interest in GILDs mission. After obtaining her Juris Doctorate, Amy intends to continue advocating for social justice in the nonprofit sector.

President-Elect: Tessy Rusera

Tessy Rusera is a young Rwandese woman devoted to making a change in the world. She graduated from Brenau University with a B.A in Conflict Resolution and Legal Studies, and a minor in International Studies. She is currently pursuing her MBA degree with a concentration Project Management while working as a Graduate Adviser at her Alma mater. Her experience in prestigious organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and Sigma Alpha Pi Leadership Honor Society and her professional experience working for the UNIFEM CARO have instilled in her strong leadership skills and challenged her to be proactive towards positive change. She has been involved in various community building efforts such as feeding the hungry, building houses for the displaced and promoted issues such as AIDS, genocide and education.

MU Hydrogen Car Team

Rockbridge

Hickman
Join us for the 4th Annual Goodwill Conference: Crossing Borders, Connecting People. This year the conference will cover the Middle East region. We will have workshops, food, and film.

Secretary: Aline Mukashyaka

Aline Mukashyaka is a graduate of the the Ohio State University with a degree in Family Resource Management and currently working on her MBA. She supports organizations such as the One Dollar Campaign for the orphans of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. She believes the youth have the power and the will to influence the future now more than ever, the use of technology has allowed the empowerment of our youth in an unprecedented way, and I am excited that GILD is taking part in shaping the future.

Coming Up in April

During the week of April 18-24, 20011 Global Issues Club (GIC) is raising money for the Belize Water Project. Belize is situated on the Caribbean Sea, south of Mexico. Citizens of the country lack access to clean water. Thus, GIC is raising money to donate water filtration systems by Sawyer Point One Filters to schools and homes. To help, you can donate money or match funds raised by GIC. Our partner Rotary District 6110, will send the total sum to Rotary Global Grant Partner to be matched 50% by the Rotary Foundation. For more information visit www.rotarybelizewater.com.

What: Middle East: Life Beyond War Where: Hickman High School When: Saturday April 30th, 2011 Time: 10:30am- 2:00 pm

Treasurer: Azeema Akram

Azeema Akram is a law student at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a Multicultural Certificate. While in college, she worked with the Office of Disability Services, which spurred her interest in health law. Recently, she was an active supporter of several members of the Missouri Democratic Party-Asian American Caucus officers who ran for local and state legislature. She has done work in Kansas City providing food, clothing and toys for refugee families, and raised funds for breast cancer research in Columbia, Missouri through Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority, Inc.

The conference is FREE

THANK YOU!

We would like express our gratitude to our 2009-2010 club sponsors:

Kathryn Fishman-Weaver at RBHS and Brett Kirkpatrick at HHS, the amazing students in our Global Issues Clubs at both high schools and the officers who help run the clubs. We would also like to thank the following individuals and organizations for contributing to the work of GILD as donors, partners, and volunteers: Dana Ranes, Julie VanMater, Ashley Crimaldi, Amy Bowes, Erin Horakova, Chelsea Laun, Laura Convery, Phillip Klopfenstein, Meigan Lopez, Sarah Nussbaum, Devoney Looser, Cassie Shields, Andrea Gunn, Angelica Murray, Joseph Beeman , Allie Scott, Susan Smith, Amy Williams, Karen Smith, Salem S. Fekadu, Terri & David Williams, Saad Rahmat, Michelle Byusa, Gary R. Hunt, Lynn Williams, Nabihah Maqbool, Rachel Mayer, Naomi Lahiri, Kate Hertweck, Ben Datema, Jennifer Williams, Underground Caf Artisan, Kaldi's Coffee House, East Side Tavern, Buffalo Wild Wings, Peace Nook, Slackers, Maude, Lakota Coffee Company & Roasters, Jimmy Johns, Sycamore, MU Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund, FrontlineSMS, Stop Traffic, SPROUT, Mizzou Hydrogen Car Team, Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, Mustard Seed, Sampath Devram, Valerie Kaussen, Sandra Beldor,Vewenda Mabengo, Punam Sethi, The Shine, Sunifyde, Cascades, Bloodvember, MUDRA, Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri, The Global Village Dancers, C.A.R.E Gallery, MU Life Science Business Incubator, Office of service learning, Peace Corps Fellows Office, William Woods University, and Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition.

About Us:
Global Issues Leadership Development (GILD) is a nonprofit organization created to help promote human rights through youth after-school programs that generate behavioral change among participants. We partner with businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and communities to provide educational information and hands-on practice in the form of leadership training and curriculum development. We recognize that the social, economic and environmental interdependence of nations has produced a global connection of communities; thus our purpose is to create a holistic understanding of human rights. In short, we: a) Develop and foster leadership skills among youth. b) Holistically educate participants on global human rights concerns. c) Provide hands on service opportunities for participants. d) Encourage youth towards globally and socially conscious behaviors.

GLOBAL ISSUES LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 1849 TIMBER CREEK DRIVE COLUMBIA, MO 65202

GILD

Contact us at: gildhumanrights@gmail.com

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GILD
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