Youth teaching youth... The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International is to teach youth around the world about human rights, thus helping them to become advocates for tolerance and peace.

Youth for Human Rights Int’l Summit at the United Nations Complex

Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI)’s summit in August 2004 at the United Nations complex was a was a tremendous success. Young people returned to their countries eager to put to use what they had learned about human rights.

The events opened with a welcoming reception at United Nations Headquarters in New York, hosted by the Director of Youth for Human Rights International, Mary Shuttleworth, and YHRI Advisory Board member and President of the American-Iranian Friendship Association, Dr. Pouran Ameli.

Young are the Future

The Deputy Director of the U.S. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Craig Mokhiber, told the young human rights leaders, who came from 22 countries, that the United Nations wants to work with today’s youth who are the future to create better conditions in the world.
Natasha Jain, delegate for India, and Fay O’Choa, for Guyana, both spoke of how they had met the presidents of their respective countries and told them of their human rights action. Both presidents supported their efforts.
The rest of the day was spent with meeting and getting to know each other.

The next day the scene moved to the premises of UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. Fifteen of the young delegates then gave presentations on the state of human rights in their country and what is needed to bring about heightened awareness and application of human rights.
Tracie Morrow, a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International, spoke on the theme of Leaders of Tomorrow. The “mature” speakers included Ms. Melody Wooly from the Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation, Ms. Judith Lahai-Monoh, human rights activist from Zambia, and Mr. Irving Sarnoff, Director, Friends of the United Nations.
The United Nations Permanent Missions of Lebanon, Switzerland, South Africa, Finland, Jamaica, Nepal, Grenada, Netherlands, Philippines, Togo, Singapore, Mozambique, Colombia, Syria, Nicaragua, Palestine, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Armenia, also sent representatives to the summit.

Great entertainment

At the end of the summit, great entertainment was provided by a lively African American mime dance troupe, The Anointed Ezekiel Dancers, and New York award winning jazz/rock artist, Lorenzo Laroc, who played an electric violin. These artists gave their time and talents at no charge in the cause of human rights. All those who so contributed are warmly thanked.
The two-day summit was a great series of events and we are sure everyone will contribute to making next year’s event even bigger and better.

Children Lend a Helping Hand

The students in the Middle Class at Mary’s Schoolhouse in Los Angeles, California, have been working all month to help the homeless and the victims of the tsunami.

To help the homeless, the class held a canned food drive. To find out more about what they did both regarding the food drive and to help the tsunami victims, I talked to their teacher, Patty Capp. Patty told me that her class studied the human rights music video UNITED, produced by 19-year-old Taron Lexton. The video shows children uniting to fight for their rights, and winning, not through violence, but in a spirit of friendship.

The class then did lessons and assignments having to do with being united. Their final assignment was to decide as a united group what they would do to help people who needed assistance. The kids decided to help homeless people who did not have enough food to eat over the holidays. They held a bake sale to raise money and bought about 100 cans of food with the proceeds. They took the cans to a local church that helps people who do not have enough food to feed themselves and their families. Eighteen students helped make the homeless happy.

When the students learned about the tsunami that hit the coasts of Asia, they held another bake sale to help the victims. Their goal was to raise $500.00, which will pay for enough water for about 16 thousand people. They would give the money to UNICEF (United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund) and UNICEF would be in charge of distributing the water to the victims. A total of 16 students participated in this project.

I interviewed some of the children about what they were doing and how they felt about it. One boy, Chris Rodriguez, said, “We felt like it was the right thing to do. It felt good to help the homeless because without food, they would starve. It also feels good to help people when they need it. In the tsunami, we can’t change the fate of those who have died, but we can change that fate of the people who need help.”
These students have worked long and hard and I am positive that many people would like to thank them for what they have done. They deserve a hand!
Lacey Richardson (age 13)

Dancing with Unity

Working on the UNITED dance was a really fun experience. I learned a lot of new dance moves that were challenging at times. There was one move that had to be done exactly on time or it would mess up the rest of the dance. As a group, we helped each other get through all the tough periods like that one. United we started and united we finished.

I really learned what it was like to work as a team and succeed. We all spent long exhausting hours in order to choreograph the dance on time. Justine Sprague really knows how to choreograph powerful dances, and this was a powerful dance. Justine did the main choreography and we all backed her up as a team.

On the day of the performance, everyone was nervous just before going on. We all helped each other calm down. We assured each other everything would be okay by going over the dance. It worked. When the dance was over no one had messed up, not once. It was the best experience I have ever had. The audience loved it. We all were truly United.
Angelique Leriche (age 16)

What is UNITED?

“United” means “joined together so as to make one.”

A superb example of being united is Taron Lexton’s music video, UNITED. This video shows how bullies and the people they are bullying unite and become friends. In this video, a child, played by André Boyden, is playing with his friends on the basketball court. Then a big bully, played by Eric Forte’, arrives on the court with some of his friends and steals the child’s basketball. Then he pushes him around and the child is kicked off the court.

At the end of the video, the child from the basketball court brings many of his friends and stands up to the bully. Then the bully finally gives in and thinks that all these kids are going to hurt him. But the child instead shakes his hand and they become friends.
This video shows what being united really is. It is an excellent video and is greatly recommended to all.
Alana Tourje (age 13)

Taron Xavier Lexton

Born in South Africa, raised in Los Angeles, Lexton started making short films with his friends while they were supposed to be doing more important things, such as chores.
He became an Eagle Scout at 16, a Los Angeles Film School graduate at 19, and by the age of 20 had traveled to 35 countries in 5 continents.

In the last 2 years alone, his production experience has included over two dozen 35mm films, TV shows, music videos, high definition films, and digital short films. His video tribute to 9/11 aired on Los Angeles TV, while his TV programs have aired to millions. While still aged 19, Taron directed UNITED, a music video for human rights that has become popular internationally.

His recent film, “Room 27,” won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film School’s Friday Night Shorts Film Festival. Taron is the proud son of human rights advocate Mary Shuttleworth, Executive Director of Youth for Human Rights International.