This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

Students from Around the Nation Come Together to Create New Youth Philanthropy Organization in Philadelphia

Sunday, July 18, 1999 - Friday, July 23, 1999

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U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS ADVISORY

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WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320

99-88

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Gross or Jessamyn Sarmiento
Wednesday, July 14, 1999

WASHINGTON, DC - Students from throughout the country will join together at a week-long convention in Philadelphia to launch a new national student philanthropy organization. Operation Day's Work-USA is adapted from a program started by students in Norway 35 years ago. At the "constitutional convention", the students will design their national organization and plan future expansion of the program to schools throughout America. The convention will bring together students and teachers from eight pilot schools across the country, which have been working with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish the U.S. program. Piloted this year in Washington, DC; Quincy, MA; Thetford, Vt.; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; and Grand Forks, N.D., USAID plans to have a national Operation Day's Work-USA program in every state and to have a student run organization by 2003.

Operation Day's Work-USA empowers young people to be true leaders while learning about global issues, democracy, philanthropy, and community service. Annually, students select a developing country to study during the school year, and then spend a "day of work" volunteering in the community to raise funds to support a program to benefit their peers in the selected country. This past school year, the eight pilot schools raised $31,000 that will be donated to a livestock-training program in Haiti. The goal of this project is to educate the youth of northwest Haiti in animal agricultural husbandry so that present and future families of Haiti will have a more secure economic base.

Operation Day's Work-USA has been selected by President Clinton as a Millennium Project and endorsed by first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, General Colin Powell's program - America's Promise, Scholastic, Inc., the National Peace Corps Association, and many other community service-based organizations.

According to Paul Austin, the director of Operation Day's Work-USA at USAID, "by participating in this project, students will have the chance to share their knowledge of different cultures with people in their neighborhood and to share their experiences of growing up in the U.S. with the global community. Operation Day's Work will impact youth, not only throughout the nation, but throughout the world also." Students that have participated in the pilot program have had the opportunity to speak with first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton about the importance of it and they also traveled to Norway to study how Norwegian students implement the program in their country.

PRESS SCHEDULE

WHAT: Students participate in Operation Day's Work-USA's convention in Philadelphia

WHEN: Sunday, July 18, 1999 - Friday, July 23, 1999

WHERE: George School; 1690 Langhorne-Newtown Road, Newtown, Pa.

NOTE: For more information or a schedule of activities, please contact Laura Gross at 202-712-4320, pager: 1-888-760-4938

CONTACT: Laura Gross, 202-712-4320; pager: 1-888-760-4938

This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

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