December 20, 2003

Dear Friends,

As a result of your support, Youth for Human Rights International has now established chapters in every continent! This is an achievement worthy of great celebration and it is my pleasure to announce this news as I extend my best wishes to you this holiday season. 2003 surpassed the great advances made in 2002 in both the scope of our educational programs and in the sheer numbers of people the world over, both children and adults, who have had their lives improved by learning about their basic human rights.

Our purpose is to teach youth around the globe about Human Rights, thus helping them to become valuable advocates for the promotion of tolerance and peace. I launched Youth for Human Rights International two years ago as an educational program for children, having witnessed as a school principal and children's advocate that more needed to be done to teach human rights to young people. Your support in ensuring that today's youth are prepared to become tomorrow's leaders — educated leaders who know what human right are and who will continue our mission to bring human rights to the world — is invaluable. Following is a summary of our activities for 2003.

Rev. Nyendwa who is taking this project to Zambia

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 20th saw the international launch of YHRI's “I Have a Dream” essay project in Phoenix, Arizona. Young people there also participated in a group illustration of What are Human Rights? and in an awards ceremony for local community leaders active in promoting human rights.

Free and Equal, YHRI's theme song, was immortalized on video on March 10th at Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood, California by composer and singer Professor Ian Hall and YHRI spokesperson, actress Lynsey Bartilson. Performances of Free and Equal were heard this year several locations, including schools throughout the Los Angeles area; human rights conferences in Brussels and in Durban, South Africa; schools in London and East Grinstead, England; and at London University.

YHRI celebrated the Iranian New Year on March 19th in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Dr. Pouran Ameli of the American-Iranian Friendship Association. Dr. Ameli was honored by YHRI for her excellent Farsi translation of What are Human Rights? and her contribution to the translation of the booklet in Arabic. Together with Dr. Pouran Ameli and Ms. Roxana Conji, human rights activist, I represented YHRI on the Azadi TV show on August 4th. Dr. Ameli has since promoted YHRI on TV, radio and the press.

The South African Chapter of YHRI was launched by Councilor Naidoo, Deputy Mayor of Durban, South Africa, at a ceremony at Durban City Hall on March 24th. A South African Youth Summit was also held, and the YHRI AIDS education project was launched. On December 1st, YHRI's AIDS Zambia Education Project was launched in recognition of UN World AIDS Day 2003. The YHRI AIDS Education Flyer was also distributed in Ghana.

In celebration of April 26th, Earth Day 2003, YHRI's Earth Day 2003 Youth Mural at Micheltorena School in Silverlake, California was created by students in Grades 2-5, along with artist Leslie Silton. A Youth Mural Project was held in celebration of the UN Decade of Human Rights Education on August 13th at the Los Feliz Elementary School in Los Angeles, California, with students in Grades 2-5. A Musical Evening fundraiser was held on April 27th at the home of Ray Korns and Carol Worthy in Hollywood, California.

A Youth Summit based on What are Human Rights? was held on May 30th at Micheltorena School in Silverlake, California. Participating with me were Lolo Kartikasari of the LA Chapter of the US Fund for UNICEF and Senior Lead Officer Lewis of the LA Police Department Rampart Division.

Representing YHRI, I was privileged to receive an Excellence in Leadership award in Washington, D.C. on June 24th at the Ambassadors for Peace Awards celebration of the American Family Coalition. YHRI also held an International Youth Leadership Summit in Brussels, Belgium on September 18th. Special guest speakers included children from Italy, France, Denmark, and the USA. At that conference Eva Jarnerud from Sweden was highly commended for her stellar contributions to the promotion of YHRI in Sweden.

Alicia Quaini, launched YHRI's International Childrens Art Illustration Contest in Moron, Argentina on June 24th. Attending this event were Martin Sabbatella, Mayor of Moron County; Daniel Enzeti, Director of Human Rights for the Office of the Government; Elena Chiaramonte, Cultural Activities Coordinator for the County; and Daniel Zabala, Director of Culture of the County. A Youth Summit was held there as well. In September the first Mexican delegate to YRHI was appointed. Since then, YHRI has blossomed in Argentina to a national level and moving rapidly into Mexico and other Latin American countries under the leadership of Alicia.

August 26th and 27th saw YHRI's participation at the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition Conference in San Diego, California, which addressed child sexual tourism and other forms of trafficking. YHRI co-sponsored a Roundtable on Human Trafficking in Hollywood, California on August 2nd with the theme Is Los Angeles Ignoring the Problem? On August 3rd I was in Tijuana, Mexico for further work on the human trafficking and slavery issue. In recognition of the UN International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, a Slavery Today briefing and discussion was held on November 22 in Los Angeles to raise awareness of this vital, but often ignored, issue that affects hundreds of thousands of young people in that area alone.

YHRI volunteers assisted at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Long Beach, California on July 8th. The VA Long Beach Healthcare System presented a Certificate of Appreciation to YHRI for their contributions.
At United Nations Day 2003 on October 26th, YHRI participated in celebrations held with the United Nations Association in Los Angeles, and in the Inglewood, California Celebrate the Arts street fair on November 1.

The Multahlon Runners visiting Japanese children in a Temple

December 8th saw What are Human Rights? booklet released in Spanish at a YHRI Youth Summit held in Santa Monica as part of the 2003 Los Angeles Multathlon for Human Rights. (“Multathlon” is a coined word meaning “multi-sport marathon.”) YHRI, for the second year in a row, played an active part in the LA Multathlon as it traveled a 200-mile route through Greater Los Angeles over a five-day period, promoting peace and human rights among the diverse racial, cultural and religious groups that comprise the city.

The Australian Chapter of YHRI was formed on December 12th. YHRI is being launched in Israel on December 26, with the release of What are Human Rights? in Hebrew. The Chinese translation of What are Human Rights? is being completed in December.

Kind Regards,

Mary Shuttleworth
Director