The students created a detailed presentation summarizing the promises made at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China in 1995 and the United Nations Millennium Declaration made at the Millennium Summit in 2000.This presentation was shared in Religion classes throughout the day and the students led small discussion groups to document the issues facing girls in the Bronx.Many of these issues included teen pregnancy, alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, sexually transmitted diseases and breast cancer awareness.
Part of the inspirational material presented by these determined and focused young women was a video from www.girleffect.org.Inspired by the message presented, students were asked to write a short statement about what they would like the UN to do for girls today.Throughout the day the following themes began to surface: access to health care, equal pay, domestic violence and education.The importance of education was summarized beautifully by senior Adeola Okoduwa, “Knowing that there are young women like me who cannot share in my educational opportunities, inspires me to seek out some sort of solution that will give all young women the same mind set that I have.”
Members of the Mount St. Ursula National Honor Society will take these statements with them to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on March 1-12 where members of the CSW will examine the promises they made to girls of the world in Beijing 15 years ago.Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly, osu, former Provincial for the Ursulines of the Eastern Province, was present at that conference and the students of Mount St. Ursula will be attending in her honor.
To learn more about how you can make a significant impact in the lives of women and girls across the world the MSU students encourage you to visit www.kiva.org.
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