First Friday Opening at the MYX Art Gallery

GEM invites you to join us on Friday January 7 from 6pm - 8pm
at the MYX Art Gallery
for an open house and reception

Students from the Greater Philadelphia area will display their artwork with artwork from students in Henan Province, China. The theme of the exhibition is Students Take Action Against HIV/AIDS and the works explore the students’ thoughts, feelings, and actions towards the HIV/AIDS crisis and its impact on human rights. The exhibition opens on First Friday, January 7, 2004 at the MYX (Multicultural Youth eXchange) gallery in Old City, 110 Church St. There will be a reception from 6pm- 8pm with light refreshments, free and open to the public.

The exhibition is part of the ongoing efforts of local students to speak out against HIV/AIDS and take an active role in the fight against the disease. This year-long program is coordinated locally by Global Education Motivators (GEM) a non-profit educational organization.

The program began in October 2004 with 350 students from area schools meeting at Chestnut Hill College for an all day program during which the students created a Greater Philadelphia Youth Declaration on HIV/AIDS. This declaration was then incorporated in a human rights conference at the United Nations on December 3, 2004, where the voices of Philadelphia students were joined with the voices of students in South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Great Britain. 

The Chinese artwork, entitled Living Dreams in a Dying Village, is on loan from The China AIDS Orphan Fund (CAOF). The work comes from a village where a large number of the adult population is dying of AIDS, and the children dare to dream, holding on to the hope of a better life. The exhibit features approximately 20 paintings by AIDS orphans in the Henan province. Each drawing is accompanied by a one page Chinese essay and its English translation. Most of these paintings illustrate the hopes and dreams of these children who are living through a tragedy with devastating social and economic impact.

For more information on how you can be involved in the Students Take Action Against HIV/AIDS initiative, to learn more about the exhibition, or to find out about other Global Education Motivators programming, please visit our website at gem-ngo.org or call 215-248-1150. For directions to the MYX Art gallery, please call or visit www.myx-world.org.

The China AIDS Orphan Fund's mission is to improve the lives of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in central China, especially Henan Province. Please visit their website at www.chinaaidsorphanfund.org.

Student Conference on Children in Armed Conflict

On December 4, 2003 more than 600 students (Grades 5-12) from five countries came together at the United Nations for a Student Conference on War Affected Children. Many Philadelphia area students came by bus for the day and interacted with students from Canada, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Mexico, and various parts of the United States.

More than 350 secondary school students from the Greater Philadelphia area met again at Chestnut Hill College, this time to learn more about Human Rights and the Millennium Summit Development Goals. The United Nations Day program has become a staple of fall schedules for schools in the Philadelphia area. Students began the day together for the moving key-note address by Dr. Abiodun Williams, Office of the UN Secretary-General, as he spoke on "The Implementation of the Millennium Summit Development Goals". Dr. Williams spoke on a variety of issues ranging from his role at the United Nations to his experiences in Sierra Leone, giving students a wonderful basis for their discussions throughout the day.

Eduation for All

Students gathered again at Chestnut Hill College to celebrate the creation of the United Nations on October 24.