| As a young girl growing up in apartheid South | | | | and under the poorest and most devastating |
| Africa I saw firsthand the devastating effects of | | | | conditions. |
| discrimination and the lack of the most basic | | | | On this year's Tour I was so impressed with the |
| human rights. Traveling abroad I realized that | | | | grassroots level work of local YHRI teams. |
| discrimination and slave-like conditions could be | | | | Watching them in action in their own communities |
| found far beyond the borders of my country. | | | | was amazing. During one of our meetings with top |
| Children who do not know that they have human | | | | officials I listened to one of the YHRI youth |
| rights are vulnerable. As an educator I knew that | | | | leaders discussing human rights. He talked about |
| teaching learners about human rights would be the | | | | the issues and the vital role that informed youth |
| first step for them to defend and protect not | | | | can play to help officials handle their local |
| only their rights but also those of their peers. | | | | problems. That country has a majority youth |
| I am proud that we have taken the United | | | | population—more youth than adults. I watched |
| Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights | | | | the profound impact he created with his insight |
| (UDHR), an excellent but scholarly document, and | | | | into the situations at hand and his clear explanation |
| depicting those rights in simple literature and | | | | of solutions that can be brought about by |
| videos so that anyone can quickly learn and teach | | | | teaching human rights to the youth. I was so |
| the 30 articles enshrined in that document. We | | | | incredibly proud! |
| have brought the UDHR, a document for the | | | | Right now we are planning our sixth annual YHRI |
| people, to the people. | | | | International Summit to bring together youth |
| Human rights cannot be taught at people—it | | | | from around the world to discuss human rights |
| has to be with people. Because those rights need | | | | issues and the important role of human rights |
| to relate to the people where they live, study, | | | | education in raising the quality of life for young |
| work and dream. This is the reason we have help | | | | and old alike. And we are already planning the |
| Human Rights World Tours for the past six years. | | | | YHRI World Tour 2010. The exact route is not |
| Nothing replaces meeting people and interacting | | | | yet set but the countries are lining up with |
| with them where they live. By traveling to | | | | outreach and meetings that promise, once again, |
| different countries I can see the issues people | | | | to expand YHRI exponentially! |
| face and the outstanding efforts individuals are | | | | I have witnessed extreme poverty and I have |
| making to improve conditions. One face-to-face | | | | met children who are raising their brothers and |
| meeting accomplishes more than months of | | | | sisters after their parents, families and even |
| e-mails, phone calls or faxes. | | | | societies turned their backs on them. I have seen |
| This year our Youth for Human Rights World | | | | children dying of preventable diseases. I have |
| Tour started in the US and wound its way | | | | seen the effects of widespread illiteracy in the |
| through twelve countries: from Mexico to | | | | information age and I have listened to scholars |
| Barbados, Colombia and Argentina in the | | | | discussing human rights with cold disconnect from |
| Americas, on to the Pacific and Australia and | | | | the harsh realities faced by so many millions. |
| Timor-Leste (East Timor). From there we went | | | | When we started nine years ago, few people had |
| to Jordon in the Middle East and Russia and | | | | even heard of the United Nations Universal |
| Switzerland, and finally to Africa with Uganda and | | | | Declaration of Human Rights. Even high-level |
| South Africa. Within the space of a couple of | | | | officials whom I interviewed did not know what |
| months, with the help of dedicated volunteers | | | | their human rights were. Today millions of people |
| around the world, we spoke with hundreds of | | | | are learning about human rights through |
| leaders, met thousands of students and reached | | | | community groups, religious groups, schools and |
| millions through the media resulting in exponential | | | | the media. Thousands of groups have |
| expansion of global knowledge about human rights. | | | | incorporated the YHRI materials into their own |
| It was an inspiration to see how much support | | | | programs. We are making "Human Rights" buzz |
| there is for human rights, and how many | | | | words! |
| public-spirited leaders and dedicated individuals are | | | | I was inspired to do this work by L. Ron Hubbard |
| adopting our program. United Nations officials, | | | | who wrote, “Human rights must be made a |
| heads of state, ministers of education and so | | | | fact, not an idealistic dream.” What I believe is |
| many other political and community leaders took it | | | | beautifully expressed in The Creed of the Church |
| on themselves to teach human rights to the next | | | | of Scientology, which states that "Man is basically |
| generation as soon as they realized how easy it is | | | | good; That he is seeking to survive; That his |
| to do so. We learned the most profound lessons | | | | survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows |
| from the many wonderful people working hard to | | | | and his attainment of brotherhood with the |
| improve conditions with incredibly limited resources | | | | universe. |