Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste (aka East Timor) was a truly unique experience. We were warmly welcomed to this beautiful island nation and were impressed with the many actions being done there to improve human rights issues. Given Timor-Leste’s difficult past of colonization, occupation, and war, human rights violations have historically been rife. Though there are still many issues plaguing the country today (like domestic violence), there has been a period of relative peace since its official independence in 2002, and the government is eager to patch up the wounds of the past and move on to a stable and prosperous future.

More than 60 percent of Timor Leste’s population is under 25, so there is a lot of emphasis being placed on education and there are many efforts being made to ensure that young people are taught their human rights from an early age. We had the opportunity to visit a youth community center called Ba Futuru and were really impressed with the work they’re doing. By teaching young people useful skills (English language, job skills, etc.) and educating them about human rights and other key issues, they are helping to create a generation that will know their rights and know how to defend them.

Ba Futuru hosted an event for Youth for Human Rights International while we were there which was a big success. Children from many areas came out to see our PSAs and hear several speeches. They also organized a traditional percussive dance for us and held a workshop at the end of the event to discuss human rights with the children. A Timor-Leste national television crew was there and an agreement was signed to put the Youth for Human Rights public service announcements on Timorese TV. This is very exciting news!

After the event, we were able to squeeze in some important meetings and have been able to secure a great deal of support from the government and international groups working to improve Timor-Leste. It’s clear that this is a country is really working to make a happier life for its people.

Behind the Scenes

The 2009 World Tour covers twelve countries in just six weeks – not exactly an easy task, especially since we manage to conduct over a hundred official meetings and squeeze in visits to orphanages, schools, youth groups, and community centers along the way! We also have a major Youth for Human Rights International event in nearly every country and have to shuttle ourselves all over to get from meeting to meeting and country to country. So, basically, we’re very busy!

The world tour team actually consists of several different groups: the touring team, the home team, and the in-country teams. The touring team grows and shrinks depending the location and what’s needed in a certain area, but Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, president and founder of Youth for Human Rights International and Jimmy Collins, videographer/photographer travel to every tour stop. The home team, based in LA, sets up meetings and makes sure that everything is running smoothly and that all reservations, appointments and commitments are scheduled and confirmed. The in-country teams meet the touring team at the various tour stops and assist with translation, transportation, and coordination. With everyone working together, the tour moves smoothly and there is a lot of opportunity to really make things happen!

Sleep is definitely a luxury on the tour. We are almost constantly working, but there’s no doubt that we manage to have an enormous amount of fun along the way too! There are quite a few laughs to be had on tour and we are never short on fun cultural experiences.

We’ve put together a few “behind the scenes” photos and videos which we hope will give you a sense of what life on tour is like. We also hope you’ll enjoy seeing us goof around a bit! (The photos cover Barbados and the video covers the other countries we’ve been to so far.)

Argentina

Buenos Aires, what a wonderful city! We got to see quite a bit of Argentina’s unique capital and, as usual, got a lot done. We packed in a ton of meetings early in our stay and managed to open up nearly a full “free” day to visit a children’s hospital, an orphanage and an aid group for refugees. These were all really special experiences. Each group got to see our public service announcements, and they loved them. We also were able to donate some coloring books, clothing and other useful items for the kids, who were very grateful, as evidenced by the pictures they drew for us in appreciation!

This stop really set things off for the newly-formed Youth for Human Rights Argentina chapter. The local team was inspired by Dr. Shuttleworth’s work in their country and empowered by some of the avenues we opened up in our meetings and the event we held with two senators at the national legislature building. The eager local team is now planning a tour of their own to circle Argentina and promote YHRI around the country. They also hope to expand and form new chapters in the surrounding countries. They’re already building up their stock of materials and getting ready to make human rights education a reality in Argentina.

Here are some photos from our stay, as well as a video from the orphanage we visited and a clip of some authentic Argentine tango dancing!

Colombia

Before we even mention anything about Youth for Human Rights in Colombia, we must say that Colombian food is absolutely incredible. We fell in love with it and may have a difficult time getting used to anything else on the tour! We will try to manage. But, the food wasn’t the only good thing about Colombia...our trip was a big success for Youth for Human Rights International. We met with some major government and military officials and, while details are forthcoming, let’s just say that Colombia has embraced Youth for Human Rights in a major way. It’s clear that the country is eager to move forward from it’s turbulent past and has a much more open atmosphere for projects which are really trying to make a difference in people’s lives.

A perfect example of this change in Colombia came from a wonderful man who we had the pleasure to meet, named Papa Jaime. Papa Jaime has devoted his life to saving children from streets and sewers. He won the World Peace and Justice Prize in 1991 and was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. Through his foundation Niños de los Andes, he has created a multitude of schools, safe houses and rehabilitation programs to save children from a life of poverty, drugs, and physical abuse. His work is truly inspiring and has benefitted over 50,000 children.

We had the pleasure to meet Papa Jaime and visit one of the safe houses he started. He told us stories about finding kids in the sewers and risking his life during floods to save kids that were sure to die on their own. Shockingly, when Papa Jaime began his work in the mid-70’s, he faced a lot of opposition and was told that he was ruining the image of Colombia! He had many enemies and it was clear that more than a few people didn't want him to succeed. But, he persevered and now roughly half of the funding for his projects come from the government of Colombia itself!

Colombia has made some major changes and Youth for Human Rights International is proud to be working with this beautiful country to further improve conditions and to educate people about the importance of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By knowing their rights, people will have the opportunity to exercise them. Colombia is ready for YHRI and this is no small victory! Look out for more news on YHRI in Colombia soon.

Check out our photos below and take a look at the video clip from our Youth for Human Rights event, featuring Venezuelan hip-hop artist, Cotur, performing a piece inspired by Youth for Human Rights International. To see Cotur's amazing music video, go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnqUpm6XkS0

Barbados

We didn’t really know what to expect when we put Barbados on this year’s itinerary. Our previous tours have only touched upon the Caribbean, so it was time venture out into the West Indies and see what we’ve been missing. We weren’t sure how much people would know about human rights in Barbados. But, it turns out they’ve been playing our public service announcements on national television for years and really know their stuff! People all over the island immediately recognized our work and were interested in Youth for Human Rights.

We found ourselves in meeting after meeting with high-level officials and were invited to a special event at “Independence Square” in Bridgetown, the capital. We were also officially invited to join the National Youth Expo 2009 Parade to kick off a series of youth-focused spring vacation camps. Perhaps most importantly, though, we were able to appoint Reverend Michael Steele of Hope Transplant Ministries to be our honorary ambassador for Youth for Human Rights International in Barbados. Reverend Steele will work with the local community to promote human rights education and get our booklets and public service announcements even more widely distributed on the island. This is a big step and Barbados is now the 84th country on our growing lists of countries with YHRI groups internationally! As a kind gesture and wonderful finale to our stay, Reverend Steel invited us to his wedding, which was a truly spectacular experience. Bajan (the local term for all things Barbados) weddings are definitely something special!

Music performed by Morning Star Ministries, Barbados

Mexico

Mexico was a blast! Somehow, we managed to squeeze a few week’s worth of activities into just a few short days in Mexico City. A lot of planning goes into the tour and it's amazing to see it all come together. We had several important meetings that have resulted in major support for Youth for Human Rights in Mexico. This is great news and a big step toward furthering human rights education in Mexico. On our last day, we had a Youth for Human Rights event, featuring speeches from human rights activists, youth leaders, artists, and Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, President and Founder of Youth for Human Rights. Mary was presented with a certificate and medal of honor at the event which was attended by local celebrities, officials and school children. The award-winning United music video and several of the Youth for Human Rights public service announcements were screened at the event, which also featured some local rappers, and a troupe of incredible Aztek dancers. Check out the video below for the highlights!

Youth for Human Rights World Tour 2009

Welcome to the official blog of the Youth for Human Rights World Tour 2009! In honor of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights we will circle the globe in our 6th Annual World Tour, to celebrate the outstanding work that has been done and inspire further dissemination, promotion and reading of this important document in educational institutions around the globe.

The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) is to teach youth about human rights -- specifically, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights – and inspire them to become life-long advocates for tolerance and peace.

The exciting 2009 World Tour will cover Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Colombia, Jordan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Uganda, and the USA! We will try to post a blog entry for each country, so keep checking back for updates with photos, videos, and more!