Sunday, August 29, 2004
There's nothing like reading the news for making you think it's all hopeless.
The fact is that that is a lie.
Poeple CAN and Do make a difference, and all the horror stories that are printed in the New York Times or featured on the Google News page leave out one important thing: the millions of stories that happen every day where people help each other, do courageous things, create works of art, entertain, teach, invent, discover, and, in short, create.
So, just to balance things out, I thought I'd post some good news.
Young German Human Rights Activist Helps Lead Meetings at the UN
Sixteen year-old Katharina Waterkamp, originally from Verden an der Aller in Germany, represented her country in the Youth for Human Rights Youth Summit at the United Nations on August 23rd and 24th. She joined twenty-five other young delegates from around the world at UNICEF headquarters in New York Tuesday, addressing human rights violations facing youth internationally, and promoting the need for human rights education worldwide.
Ms. Waterkamp stated, "Unfortunately, few people my age know what their human rights are. The human rights situation in Germany is better than in many other countries, but it, like all other things, is not perfect. I currently live in Los Angeles because, in Germany, the right to practice the religion you wish to is not respected by many people."
The meetings, part of an international Youth Summit, were hosted by Youth for Human Rights International, and co-organized by the Church of Scientology, the Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance, and the Friends of the United Nations. >>
The fact is that that is a lie.
Poeple CAN and Do make a difference, and all the horror stories that are printed in the New York Times or featured on the Google News page leave out one important thing: the millions of stories that happen every day where people help each other, do courageous things, create works of art, entertain, teach, invent, discover, and, in short, create.
So, just to balance things out, I thought I'd post some good news.
Young German Human Rights Activist Helps Lead Meetings at the UN
Sixteen year-old Katharina Waterkamp, originally from Verden an der Aller in Germany, represented her country in the Youth for Human Rights Youth Summit at the United Nations on August 23rd and 24th. She joined twenty-five other young delegates from around the world at UNICEF headquarters in New York Tuesday, addressing human rights violations facing youth internationally, and promoting the need for human rights education worldwide.
Ms. Waterkamp stated, "Unfortunately, few people my age know what their human rights are. The human rights situation in Germany is better than in many other countries, but it, like all other things, is not perfect. I currently live in Los Angeles because, in Germany, the right to practice the religion you wish to is not respected by many people."
The meetings, part of an international Youth Summit, were hosted by Youth for Human Rights International, and co-organized by the Church of Scientology, the Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance, and the Friends of the United Nations. >>
