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The University of Guyana (UG) is currently working with One World Youth Project (OWYP), an international education non-profit organisation, to empower youths in Georgetown, with international perspectives and 21st century skills.Through the OWYP programme, university student participants gain the tools to teach global competence and local leadership in secondary school classrooms.Starting next month, UG students will be trained by OWYP to facilitate a global competence curriculum in Georgetown secondary schools, and also link their grade school students with classrooms abroad via innovative technology platforms.The OWYP programme connects universities around the world to build mutual respect and understanding among students worldwide. The programme will positively impact the local Georgetown community by engaging UG students as agents of leadership and multicultural understanding among youth.Through the programme, the trained UG student facilitators connect their students with OWYP students in another country over the course of 30 weeks, providing opportunities for constant collaborative investigation of global interconnectedness and local action.OWYP will build upon UG’s mission to promote knowledge for the service of the community, the nation and all of mankind. Since its founding in 1963, UG has graduated more than 15,000 students who have gone on to successful careers both locally and internationally. OWYP will work with UG to meet common missions, visions and goals for its university students and the community at large.In Guyana, nearly seven out of every ten citizens identify as ‘young’, below 24 years of age. Politicians and experts agree that Guyana’s future lies on the youth’s abilities to propel change and tackle the country’s major problems,<a href="http://www.cheapsuperstarchina.com/">Cheap Adidas Superstar China</a> http://www.cheapsuperstarchina.com/, including HIV/AIDS, unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, religious tolerance, amongst other country-wide issues.The One World Youth Project programme will build local leadership, awareness of community issues, innovation in problem-solving and other 21st century global life skills needed among university and secondary school students to build a better country and guarantee their own success in an interconnected society and economy.Upon completion of the OWYP year-long curriculum, secondary school students will be prepared to participate in collaborative dialogue to create change by identifying key community players and exploring ways to engage them in conversations around community issues.“We are very excited to work with the University of Guyana this year,” says Jess Rimington, Executive Director of One World Youth Project. “Guyana is a country with a lot to offer, and UG’s participation will add a unique set of perspectives to our international network of universities. This year, we’re proud to launch our program at UG and work with UG university students to connect youth in Guyana with youth around the world.”Adds Nijma Esad, an educator in Washington D.C., U.S.A., that has welcomed One World Youth Project in her classroom, “This is our third year of working with One World. We focus on life skills, career development, and improvement of attitude and character. We try to help students at risk of dropping out of school early. Being a part of the One World project allows them a glimpse of the world at large.”“I think [One World Youth Project] is important for us to get to know other people and come as one, so we can stop violence, have more cures for diseases and find better ways to communicate,” adds DeMarco Green from Hart Middle School, Washington, D.C., U.S.A, about the cross-cultural dialogue component of OWYP.Between 2009 and last year, OWYP partnered with Georgetown University in Washington D.C., U.S.A., and the University of Prishtina in Prishtina, Kosovo, building lasting leadership among university students and enhancing youth education in each respective community.This year, OWYP launched its global education program at four additional universities around the world, located in U.S.A., Guyana, Pakistan, and Turkey.The vision of One World Youth Project is a just world built through the actions of generations of discerning, empathetic and empowered global citizens. OWYP partners with universities and university students to build mutual respect and understanding among youth through a unique structure that trains university students to facilitate a global competence curriculum in local secondary schools.
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