January 9th was one of the coldest nights this winter in Philadelphia, but it didn't stop Alfred Clark, a 9th grade student at Creative Arts High School in Camden, New Jersey from coming to the opening of the Education for All art exhibit at the Multicultural Youth eXchange (MYX) Gallery. It was the culmination of events for Alfred, and many others, who started their journey to understand the meaning of Education for All from a human rights perspective when they returned from summer vacation. Working whith their teachers and Global Education Motivators (GEM), students prepared for the December 5th UN Student Conference on Human Rights. With a foundation centered around the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, students concentrated on education as a human right and worked via UNESCO's Education for All (EFA) theme to: Get involved locally to help achieve Education For All Prepare a Plan of Action on what they think needs to be done Visualize what a world with Education for All would be like From (a) their classroom work, (b) GEM's UN Day projects and

(c) Words to Deeds videoconferencing programming, GEM helped prepare them for the UN Student Conference on Human Rights and made available the opportunity for students to develop an art project around it. It was a three month journey that hopefully will continue for Alfred and his peers throughout their lifetime. Working with his art teacher, Adele DiMedio, Alfred created a book which he found exhibited in the gallery. It depicted the basic tools needed for universal primary education and it opened to a mirror that reflected the faces of those who stood in front of it. In describing his work to those present, Alfred said, "With Education for All, people would be better able to take care of themselves and their community. They would be more informed about the world around them and would be less likely to pre-judge people. They would have more self esteem". Fernando Perez Bravo is a 12th grade student at Collegio Carol Baur in Mexico City, Mexico. In contemplating his art work he said, "Art is international and our effort in this project is a message of peace across cultures. it gives us another way to get into the minds of people to help them see that positive change is possible. With that in mind, I believe that Education for All will be possible in my lifetime." Respect for cultural diversity seemed to be a constant theme in the work of the Mexican students. Magali Montoya

Aguilar, a 10th grade student at Collegio Carol Baur said "Our art work will show people how important Education for All is to us." Nick Mackara is an 8th grader from the Sain Lawrence School in Lindenwold, New Jersey. He produced a sculpture piece entitled "Thirst for Knowledge". He said he liked the concept of visualizing EFA through his area of concentration. Nick researched the Role of the Media, seeing the media as having the responsibility of keeping us properly informed to meet our "thirst for knowledge". That said, Nick was not yet convinced that Education for All would be achieved in his lifetime. The art exhibit on Education for All was on display at the MYX Gallery from January 9th through February 2nd. The students represented here are just a few of hundreds who participated in the United Nations Student Conference on Human Rights on December 5, 2003. It was a unique conference in that it was live, interactive videoconference run by student leaders from UN Headquarters in New York City.

MYX Headquarters 110 Church Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 USA Tel:215-923-1415, Fax:215-923-1146 Email:[email protected] Web:www.myxworld.org

Upcoming Art Exhibits Y Philly An Identity Mural by Philadelphia's Youth Generation December 5, 2003-January 7, 2004 Education For All January 9-January 30, 2004 Opening Reception: January 9 Viewpoints of Community February 6-March 27, 2004 Opening Reception: February 6 Iceland Through the Landscape Lens: A Collaboration Between American and Icelandic Teens April 2-May 29, 2004 Opening Reception: April 2