Dear friends and family,

Please bear with the text--just want to make sure you get all the info you need ! Please feel free to pass this on if you have other friends who may be interested in the cause. 

Thanks in advance for your time and generosity!!  

xo jenko

 

 

Why am I going to Pakistan?

To staff a conference at the University of Gujrat with 14 other US and UK youth leadership trainers from CASC and GYL. We are the inaugural bid at a long-term partnership with the University to establish a peer to peer youth leadership program. Our vision is that Pakistani youth are empowered to make change in their communities now and in the future, as well as train and mentor each other with skills and tools from our training curriculum.

Official summary of the project can be found here.

How can your donation help?

Educational opportunities can be hard enough to come by, let alone if you're growing up in a nation that has been battered by war.  These students have a unique opportunity to gain training and experience, which they can then continue to share and teach through the establishment of a well-developed program. Depending on the success of this first conference, the Ministry of Education and the University of Gujrat will determine if they will support this program to continue.

 

The more experienced staff we have on hand, the better we are able to deliver a successful conference and experiences for each of the participating students.


The PayPal widget to the right is the easiest method for sending your donations, if you'd like to mail it just drop me a line and I'd be happy to send you my mailing address.

 

Why I want you to help :)

I have volunteered and donated 10yrs of service to CASC because I believe in the curriculum, the process and the people. The skills I acquired through my 10yrs have empowered me to start an educational pilot program when I was studying abroad in Cameroon, W Africa; it has given me tools to use when I was a young-fresh-out-of-college middle school  teacher in the Bronx, NY; and my experiences working with diverse groups and processes have made me a valuable asset to my team at the non-profit I currently work for. I have multiple family members who have become involved with the organization, and my friends from CASC are part of my daily support system!

I have become passionate about international education development because I believe that all students should have not only equal quality in education, but also opportunities. Education is an amazing institution; it's the first thing to spring back post-conflict, and a cornerstone to improving communities. 

The University of Gujrat is predominantly female, and the benefits for improving education and opportunities for women is overwhelming: as female education rises, infant and child mortality fall and family health improves; women's increased earning capacity (via education) positively effects child nutrition; and children--especially daughters--of educated mothers are more likely to be enrolled in school and have higher levels of educational attainment. All this leads to better educating the other 50% of the population, and allowing them to be more politically active and better informed of their legal rights.

I believe this small step has the possibility of radiating a huge amount of positive change.

Who are CASC and GYL?

CASC is the California Association of Student Councils, a 60+ year old organization that has been dedicated to leadership training for youth in CA, and the world over. CASC has participated in numerous landmark events over the years including, a youth summit in Aomori, Japan to help youth speak out on whether a nuclear plant should be built in their region; training of S African HIV/AIDs youth leaders; designed special project conferences for schools to address "at risk" students and community building; as well as being the genesis for the creation of a school where the student leaders teach a leadership course 3x week for the primary school students.

For more information about CASC please go here.

Our curriculum covers, but not limited to: conflict resolution; team dynamics and teambuilding; collaborative decision making; intrapersonal communication styles and tools; project planning and managing; how to run an effective meeting; cross-cultural awareness and social development.

 

GYL is the Global Youth Leaders, and is our newest international partner in youth leadership training. Our fellow international partners are the Associated Young Leaders, based in Russia; Association of Young Leaders, Kazakhstan and the Centre for Volunteering and Community Action at the University of Lancashire, UK.

 

If you'd like any more information or are interested in getting yourself/others involved in CASC, please feel free to drop me a line.  
Thanks again, your time and generosity are much appreciated!! xo jenko