Give with Heart & Get a Heart: GYC Annual Appeal

At this time of year, you are probably deciding where you will be making charitable gifts in 2010. We urge you to make a gift to GYC, and we have a thank you gift for you (or for your designee) from the INEZA Cooperative in Rwanda, which provides employment, support, and a community for mainly HIV+ women, many of whom contracted HIV during the 1994 genocide. For every $50 received prior to December 31st, 2010, we will send you an Umutima (Heart) Zip-up Shopping Bag made by INEZA!

Why Support GYC now?

Our Continued Achievements and Momentum: The past year at GYC has been one of significant program deepening!

COMMITMENT TO OUR CROSS CULTURAL MISSION: We deepened and improved our human rights Learning and Action Community model (e.g, in Rwanda, we included local youth from our host country in all program activities with no increase in program fees for International Participants).

REACH OF PROGRAMS: We trained and provided field experience to 70 International, 40 Rwandan, and 15 Bosnian Youth, and established an Alumni Council and Blog and Newsletters 1, 2, 3, with circulation to alumni in Guatemala, Cambodia, Nepal, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

IMPACT ON THE GROUND: In 2010, the youth in GYC’s human rights learning and action programs have made a huge difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. For example, in Bosnia and Rwanda, local and US youth worked with grassroots NGOs and:

• Initiated a Batwa (indigenous) University Students Program to fight discrimination against Batwa youth and support Batwa children in Rwanda

• Drafted grant proposals for the Center for Peacebuilding in Sanksi Most, Bosnia

• Conducted observation visits to Kibuye Police Station, Rwanda, resulting in better health services for & release of illegally detained youth

• Contributed to Community Building Activities in Sanski Most, Bosnia

• Wrote and performed in Malaria Prevention Theatre

• Crafted a manual on LGBT issues, in a Human Rights framework, such that if students in Rwanda raise questions about what it means to be gay, teachers will be able to respond.

• Hosted a Conference on Arts, Peace, and Human Rights

These accomplishments are just a few of many! For a detailed look at what we have accomplished in the past year, click here: http://www.globalyouthconnect.org/Key%20Achievements%202010.pdf

To continue GYC’s effective, important programs around the world and in the USA, we need your help!

More Reasons to give to GYC today! Our Exciting New Program Plans:

New York City Programming: We plan to replicate our LAC model in NYC in 2011 and 2012! Youth human rights delegations from Rwanda, Bosnia, and possibly other countries where we have worked since our founding, will dialogue and work with youth in NYC, with grassroots organizations and policy makers.

Scholarships: In the coming years, we plan to reduce program fees and to offer more scholarships to enable youth from disenfranchised communities in the USA and Canada to be able to take part in the programming overseas in Rwanda and Bosnia, and potentially other countries.

A “heart”-felt incentive to give Now!

For every $50 received prior to December 31st, 2010, we will send you an Umutima (Heart) Zip-up Shopping Bag created by the inspirational Ineza Cooperative in Rwanda!

We invite you to be a part of our exciting future, and need your help to continue GYC’s programs during this especially important year!
2011 is the UN International Year of Youth!

All contributions are tax-deductible and go directly towards GYC’s programming, after the purchase of the bag in Rwanda of course!

Help us raise $15000 before the year's end! That's 300 Hearts!

Contributing is easy, tax-deductible, and only takes one minute:
Donate online through our secure website: http://globalyouthconnect.org/donate.html

Mail a donation to GYC: P.O. Box 1342, New York, NY 10159-1342

Or, donate through Razoo!

Thank you for your support of Global Youth Connect!