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| Chima Amah, Teresa Montessori College, Afikpo Awarded a Disney Minnie Grant |
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By Christina Wessell |
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Abakaliki, Nigeria– April 25, 2008- Chima Amah was awarded a Disney Minnie Grant to lead a community service campaign on Global Youth Service Day on April 25-27, 2008, the largest service event in the world. These grants support young people between the ages of five and 14 years old in planning and implementing service projects in their community. Disney Minnie Grant winners were selected by Youth Service America (YSA) and sponsored by Disney.
Spanning three days, April 25, 26 and 27, 2008, GYSD involves millions of young people across the world, with the help of mentors, parents, and teachers. Young volunteers will address important community needs through service and service-learning projects addressing climate change, literacy, poverty, human rights, and many other issues.
“It’s an honor to work with Disney who is committed to youth serving around the world. Disney’s leadership increases the scale and visibility of youth service year-round, and helps young people around the world play a leading role in addressing important community needs, by giving their time, energy, commitment, and idealism,” says Steve Culbertson, president and CEO of Youth Service America. “Millions of young people serving together on Global Youth Service Day performing strategic service sends a powerful message of hope and healing around the globe,” Culbertson adds.
“Global Youth Service Day is a wonderful opportunity to encourage today’s youth to be a part of making our world a better place to live,” said Jeff Hoffman, vice president, Disney Worldwide Outreach. “As part of that encouragement, our Minnie Grants help individuals facilitate outreach programs in their communities.”
Because information do not get to the rural communities in Ebonyi State, youths in the rural Schools/communities do not know that there is a law that protects their rights and as such, are abused in many ways such as child trafficking, child labour, child prostitution, etc. 13 students (7 males and 6 females) from each of the 10 selected schools in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria will be invited to participate in a workshop whereat the Child’s Rights Act 2003 (passed into law in 2003) in Nigeria will be made known to them. They will attend with 2 teachers (1 male and 1 female) from each of the 10 schools and will be trained on skills to form and sustain Child’s Rights Clubs in their respective schools to ensure sustained protection of the rights of children in their schools and communities and to ensure continuity.
After the trainings and formation of the Child’s Rights Clubs in their schools, youth volunteers will be required to identify and recall common areas of infringement of children’s rights both at home, in school and in their communities, which hitherto were done out of ignorance because both the perpetrators and the children did not know that the Child’s Rights Act is in existence in Nigeria and which they now understand to be against the law. This ecercise will be conducted as post training test to measure participants’ full understanding of what was taught them from the Child’s Rights Act to enable them pass on the message to their peers and sustain the service project. Prizes will be awarded to deserving youth volunteers on the GYSD celebration on April 26, 2008. It is the intention of our organization to extend this very important service project to other rural communities/schools in Ebonyi and other States of Nigeria if encouraged through funding.
For more information about getting involved with THE CHILD’S RIGHTS ACT 2003 in Nigeria, please contact: Grassroots Development and Empowerment (GRADE) Foundation, Contact Person: Mr. Patrick O. Amah Phone: 234-805-4782838 Email: gradefoundation@yahoo.com .
Global Youth Service Day is the largest youth service event in the world. GYSD is a year-round effort to expand the impact of the youth service movement. The initiative launches new service organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged youth. State Farm Companies Foundation is the presenting sponsor. More than 125 national partners and 70 lead agencies throughout the United States organize campaigns. Overseas, national lead agencies in more than 100 countries participate. Planning Tool Kits, Service-Learning Curriculum Guides, classroom posters, grants, and more are available for youth, parents, teachers and organizations. For more information: www.YSA.org.
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Disney brightens the lives of children in need around the world through global outreach programs, local community initiatives and the Disney VoluntEARS program. Last year, Disney donated more than $177 million in cash and in-kind support to various charities around the world and the Company drew upon its unique magic to make wishes come true for children and families. Last year, Disney VoluntEARS contributed more than 466,000 hours of service. The Disney VoluntEARS program provides opportunities for Disney employees to contribute their time and expertise towards making a positive impact in the communities they serve while furthering the traditions and ideals of The Walt Disney Company. This year, The Walt Disney Company is celebrating 25 years of giving back to communities around the world through the efforts of Disney VoluntEARS. Since the program’s inception, Disney Employees and Cast Members in over 42 countries have donated over 5,000,000 hours of service.
Youth Service America seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5-25, serving in important roles. Founded in 1986, YSA is an international nonprofit resource center that partners with thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries to expand the impact of the youth service movement with families, communities, schools, corporations, and governments. For more information: www.YSA.org. |
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