Global Education Motivators

Students Take Action on HIV/AIDS

On Thursday October 21, 2004, students from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware joined together at Chestnut Hill College for an exciting all day program on the Human Rights issues impacted by HIV/AIDS. Each year this program is hosted in celebration of the creation of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and focuses on a different Human Rights related topic.

Small Group Discussion

This year’s topic, HIV/AIDS, was broken down into ten subtopics, which were each discussed in small student groups. Students chose to work from one of the following topics; AIDS Discrimination, Educational Impact of HIV/AIDS, Women and AIDS, Orphans and AIDS, Socio-Economic Impact of AIDS, AIDS and the Media, Civil Society and HIV/AIDS, Treatment and Patient Rights, Globalization and AIDS, and Democracy and AIDS.

Keynote Address

The keynote address was made by UN Special Envoy Dr. Demetrios Argyriades. Dr. Argyriades, spoke about Millennium Development Goal #6 and encouraged students take not just learn about AIDS effect on human rights, but to take action to help fight this terrible disease. He spoke about staying involved after the UN Day event and the

Student Conference on Human Rights were over. He spent all day interacting with the students in small groups and individually. At the end of the day, he rode to the train in a school bus and continued his interactions with the students enroute.

Musical Performance

As part of UN Day, GEM added musical and artistic components. The songs performed, “If Not Us, Then Who?” and “Where Has My Mother Gone?” were written by Chestnut Hill College Associate Professor, Dr. Joseph Kulkosky. Students joined in song, while Dr. Kulkosky played the piano. Another exciting addition was an interpretive mime performance of the Human Rights issues facing those with HIV/AIDS. Students practiced the moves during their lunch break, and were facilitated by professional mime, Janet Carafa.

GEM was also proud to be host to the China AIDS Orphan Fund Art Exhibition, Living Dreams in A Dying Village. This exhibition included more than 20 works created by students living in the Henan Province, China. All of the artists are children who were orphaned due to AIDS. For more information on this amazing exhibition, please visit www.chinaaidsorphanfund.org.

Students in Sorgenti Arena

Students worked together throughout the day to draft a youth declaration on HIV/AIDS.

Participating schools included: Avon Grove HS, West Grove, PA – BRIMM HS, Camden, NJ – Camden HS, Camden, NJ – Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA – Creative Arts HS, Camden, NJ – LaSalle HS, Wyndmoor, PA – Passaic Valley HS, Little Falls, NJ – Pennsauken Tech. HS, Pennsauken, NJ – Pennridge HS, Perkasie, PA – Ridley HS, Folsom, PA – St Lawrence School, Lindenwold, NJ – South Seneca MS, Ovid, NY – Sterling HS, Somerdale, NJ – Strawberry Mansion HS, Philadelphia, PA – William Penn Charter, Philadelphia, PA – Wilmington Friends Schools, Wilmington, DE – Woodrow Wilson HS, Camden, NJ.