By Dan Allen
Dantallen@gmail.com
What do a Barbadian banker, a Palestinian social worker and a member of the Tanzanian parliament have in common?
They were part of a 22 country delegation of young political leaders who convened at The Point’
s theater on May 1 for wide-ranging discussion of activism, community development and social problems like AIDS and homelessness.
The State Department International Visitor Leadership Program worked with Generation Engage to realize the meeting with the diverse group of youth organizers, advocates and educators.
The visitors, most of them in their 20s, took turns pushing pins into a world map representing their home countries.
“When I saw the flags of the countries we represented and when we had to sign right beside it, that told me that we are going to be remembered in the Bronx for a long time,”
said Henrietta Peters, an officer for the Federation of Liberian Youth.
“The meeting changed my perceptions in that, I used to think that kids in the U.S., especially New York, did not care about social issues,” she said.
There were about 60 people in attendance, in addition to the 22 panelists present at the event, according to Rene Houtrides, who oversees a competition that challenges urban youth to write proposals aimed at solving community problems.
Representatives from Rocking the Boat, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, and Congressman Jose Serrano’s office also attended.
“Events like this allow students to think and question what they know,”
said Anita Antonetty, a Rocking the Boat staff member.
She said that it’s easy for Bronxites to forget how much they have in common with people from other parts of the world.
“We get so stuck in our neighborhood. We go to work, then school, then home,” said Antonetty. We’re so busy, we don’t realize that there are people around the world who think and feel like we do.”