U.S. Youth Environmental Activists

Young U.S. environmental activists create big changes one school at a time!

Participants  learned how to organize their fellow students, inform and educate their families and communities and initiate change for a “greener” future in Legacy’s Indonesia-US Youth Leadership Program.

See creative and sustainable Indonesian Environmental projects, also. Read More

A Legacy of Sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Cristophorus was filled with excitement and inspiration from his sojourn in the U.S. during the Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership program. He returned to his school SMU Pangudi-Luhur in Indonesia and  implemented a self-designed environmental project. His project, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Re3) included submitting proposals to potential donors to gather funds and building an effective volunteer esprit du corps. His group introduced a trash management program with separation bins plus workshops on how to make saleable products from recycled materials.

Cristo and his friends not only excelled in being creative, they were also great in winning people’s heart to get donations. The “Re3” project successfully gained about 11 million rupiah ($1200 US)! Five million rupiah was a donation from Djarum Super (one of the biggest cigarette companies in Indonesia) and the rest was from fundraising at school and selling their recycled products (especially compost), and their Re3 logo T-shirts. The group will use the remaining funds to continue their work  to make the project sustainable.

Young environmental activists create change

Young environmental activists create big changes one school at a time!

Youth from Indonesia and U.S. learned how to organize their fellow students, inform and educate their families and communities and initiate change for a “greener” future as part of Legacy’s  Indonesia-U.S. Youth Leadership Program.

See U.S. participants Environmental projects also.  Watch Michelle’s Project U&I documentary video. Read More

The Importance of Democracy in North Africa

Peter Fenn, a Democratic political strategist and head of Fenn Communications, one of the nation’s leading political and public affairs media firms, was among the delegates who recently completed a 10-day visit to Rabat, Casablanca and Oujda, Morocco with Legacy’s  Legislative Fellows Program 2012-2013. Read More

TechGirls in Action!

Click on the image to go to Khadija's Prezi

The TechGirls 2012 summer program participants have returned home and are actively utilizing the skills they learned.  TechGirls is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

It  is  a program of academic study of applied technology for girls who already have a demonstrated aptitude and strong interest in the subject. It empowers girls to pursue higher education and careers in technology, and links peers who share interests and abilities. The program  develops leadership skills while promoting mutual understanding among the peoples of the United States and the countries and territories of the Middle East and North Africa.  Read More

Morocco’s Culture has opened my eyes

Negina Perzad, participant in Legacy’s Arabic Language Institute program writes:

Negina and fellow students on camelback in Morocco

“The idea of waking up every morning in Marrakesh, Morocco continues to blow my mind.  Many mornings I need to remind myself of where I am, why I am here, and I constantly feel the need to take the chance to just appreciate everything I have right now.  With a powerful religion and a unique society, Morocco’s culture has opened my eyes to a place other than America and has really influenced the way I see and interpret things now, and hopefully will continue to do so once I return home. Read More

Clever Stories, Bitter Stories and Happy ones

Sarah Geselowitz

“The night before last, over harira, my mother and brother told me the story of the Miserly Man who ate only harira. Then of the new bride whose mother would not leave her alone. Last night, the story of Aicha accused of adultery.  I’ve had literally hundreds of stories now; of Mohammed and his companions and wives, of older prophets, of folk heroes, of my family’s ancestral village, and of their own lives in Marrakech.  Clever stories, and bitter stories, and happy ones.   And all of them told in Arabic. Read More

Students help disadvantaged study English

Legacy participants Firda and Ferry

Firda Muthia Elsanty and Ferry Fhrans Valentinus

Indonesian Youth Leadership 2010, participants Firda and Ferry organized a program for impoverished students to study English, a subject often unavailable to Indonesian students in rural areas. As part of their participation in Legacy’s seventh Indonesian Youth Leadership Program (IYLP), Firda and Ferry recruited 52 volunteers to teach classes to students from 29 orphanages and centers for homeless teens. The lesson plans and curriculum included power point presentation, games and simulations, rewards for excellence, handouts, and testing. Read More

Life-changing and eye-opening journey

Sarah Higginbotham in Marrakesh, speaking to professionals in the field of Domestic Violence

Sarah Higginbotham is a knowledgeable and accomplished individual. She has specialized in intimate partner violence prevention, served as a hotline coordinator, an education and outreach coordinator, a volunteer coordinator and an advocate and counselor for victims/survivors of intimate partner violence during her 10 years of service in the field.

As a Title IX Coordinator and instructor and Clinical Coordinator for the Health Psychology Department at Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Roanoke, VA.,  she has been in the position of educating and training students, faculty, staff, and administration on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking prevention issues. Yet, she describes her participation in the  North African Community Health Initiative (CHI) as a “life-changing and eye-opening journey”.

The CHI program provides community health care professionals from Morocco and Egypt a new set of tools, resources, and knowledge to enhance rural health care in their respective communities.  In particular, this program builds the capacity of professionals who serve marginalized populations, particularly women and children. Read More

Instilling hope for a better future

From time to time many of people who were teenagers when they attended the Global Youth Village, ask to return as staff members. Each and every time they express to us that their experience was again rewarding and life changing, in ways they weren’t expecting.

Tommy Lee, Global Youth Village, staff

“I cannot begin to express the vast amount of appreciation and gratitude I have for you and the opportunity you all provided me with this summer. Having taken away so much from the Global Youth Village as a participant, I could not have fathomed how much  more the staff experience would change my life. I chose to return to this personally spiritual place in the woods to give back and inspire others, yet I am walking away richer than when I arrived. The optimism and spirit of the young people, the knowledge and talents of my fellow staff, and the dedication and effort put into creating this legacy from you all has left me feeling empowered and hopeful. Hopeful that people can come together regardless of their differences to alleviate suffering and promote humanity, hopeful that the work we have done this summer has made an impact on over 100 teenagers, and hopeful that I can truly make a difference. I thank you for instilling that hope in me.”