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New York Program

Anti-Self Destruction Incorporated (ASD Inc.), a California 501(c)(3) Corporation for the past four years has Co-produced the "YEA" Youth Empowerment Academy at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the "YES!" Youth Empowerment Summit in Geneva, Switzerland.

In response to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson's invitation to youth to offer their energy and expertise in the decision making processes of promotion and protection of human rights, ASD Inc. is in the development phase of an annual or biannual international cultural exchange/youth summit event. The event would in effect enhance our humanitarian, cultural and cross- cultural endeavors.

The event will position ASD Inc. to facilitate the introduction to youth and the involvement of youth in the United Nations processes in New York. The event will also serve as a vehicle to promote national and international functions of the United Nations and its associated organizations and agencies.

The objectives are to provide a venue to establish a base of communication and understanding between youth of all nationalities on the international level, while encouraging youth to learn more about the United Nations in order to become involved in UN processes. The exchange/summit will also provide young minds with a hands-on interactive venue that encourages freedom of expression on national and international issues relevant to youth.

Crucial components of the exchange / summit include a pinning ceremony, workshops, roundtables, signing of a peace document an annual East meet West formal dinner, fashion show and art auction, and an academic competition. During the academic competition participants identify any issue they feel affects them, and must also develop solutions to any identified issues.

Participants will have the UN Library and the internet at their disposal to gather any data needed to produce an intelligent solution.

Anti-Self Destruction Incorporated has started building strategic alliances with the national and international agencies considering membership in ASD Inc. They have all expressed an interest in either supplying youth participants for a movement of this nature and/or partnering with ASD Inc. in the production of specific cultural events.

Initially our plan is for a small group of twelve youth ages 16-24 and chaperones to visit New York. They will meet with youth from local key community based agencies, to participate in workshops and visit the UN.

The visits will take place during school intercessions and hopefully again in the summer months when most US schools are on break. During this time we would like to have the two groups of youth participants, under the banner of the Anti-Self Destruction Inc., International Youth Empowerment Movement (ASD/IYEM) received by as many UN Ambassadors as possible.

ASD is avidly seeking sponsors and soliciting airlines, bus and train companies to provide transportation for the twelve Participants and their Chaperones to New York from Los Angeles.

We would also like to have them visit organizations associated with the United Nations such as ECOSOC, UNESCO, UN Press Corps, UNAIDS, Counsel General Corps and, Non Governmental Organizations. The dates of our visits will be contingent upon any special meetings or summits that might be held and may be of benefit to the students.

We would like to create a high profile and increased interest in our project by gaining accreditation to those types of meetings for our Youth Media Teams, and young delegates. This would allow our teams and delegates to meet and dialogue with attendees of the meetings to create relationships, setup personal interviews and develop a resource database for future projects.

We will have lodging facilities in New York that will accommodate daily workshops and study groups. ASD has a Culinary Arts Academy that can prepare and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner for our group so we will also have a kitchen and dinning facilities.

We would also like to have the Culinary Arts Academy students meet with students from art and cooking schools in New York. Together these two groups will host a formal dinner/fashion show for associates and dignitaries to demonstrate the students’ talents and ability to work together. This event will be an annual dinner and fashion show entitled the Annual East meets West Dinner by Candle Light.

The ASD Digital Imaging Academy local Youth Media teams will document the events with digital video and photographs to create another opportunity for high profile and interest, produce short video news clips with graphics, a photo package for guests, and an art auction of one of a kind photographs and lithographs from the DI-Academy’s archives.

ASD Digital Imaging Academy New Media & Technology Teams annually travel to Geneva as Temporary fully Accredited UN Press, authorized to interview anyone on the UN grounds. The team was present in Geneva this past August 2001 when Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights gave her opening statement to the Fifty Second Session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, and I quote "youth under the age of 21 yrs. currently represent 40% of the earths population and that youth participation is key to our future success”.

The ASD Youth Empowerment Movement participants may or may not join the "YES!” Youth Empowerment Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. Merging the two groups at a later date is desirable but the two projects are distinctly different and will probably not take place at the same time during the year.

ASD Inc. understands the importance of establishing an international level cultural exchange program here in the United States of America, directly connected to and for the benefit of youth of all nationalities in America.