| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 29 May 2003 Contact: Kristin Hayden, Founder/Executive Director, 206-799-2877; kristin@oneworld-now.org SARS EPIDEMIC CANCELS HIGH SCHOOL TRIP TO CHINA Yet students continue cultural enrichment, leadership in Seattle (Seattle) OneWorld Now!, the innovative global leadership program for Seattle high school students, has cancelled its program to China this summer due to SARS. OneWorld Now! serves economically disadvantaged youth, who do not traditionally have opportunities to study abroad. For the past year, juniors at Ingraham High School have taken after school classes in Chinese language, multicultural education, and leadership as part of the OneWorld Now! program. They were to culminate their experience with a summer study abroad opportunity in China, but the SARS epidemic raised immediate concerns. "Studying in China would have been the chance of a lifetime for these students," said Kristin Hayden, Founder and Executive Director of One World Now! "But the students' health and safety is our priority. Besides, we're fortunate to have so many global leadership opportunities in Seattle." Instead of studying abroad, the One World Now! students will practice their leadership skills as counselors or participants in one of the following local summer programs. The Chinese Heritage Camp will reconnect young Chinese adoptees with their birth culture and language. The Middle East Peace Camp will bring together young Arab and Jewish children to develop friendship, trust and build peace. At the International Language Camp, young children will learn Swahili, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese. Finally, the Northwest Asian Weekly is offering a summer leadership camp for young Asian-Americans. "Even though we can't go to China now, the summer activities offered by OneWorld Now! are going to be lots of fun and still lets us use our Chinese language skills" said student Duyen Nguyen. Next year, the OneWorld Now! students will enroll in internships with Seattle-based global non-profits and participate in international activities at the University of Washington, as part of OneWorld Now!. "Our goal is to promote global citizenship and leadership," said Hayden. "The SARS outbreak has shown us how connected we really are to communities around the world. OneWorld Now! students are using this as a learning experience and finding other leadership opportunities." OneWorld Now!, a project of the TIDES Center, is a non-profit organization focusing on global leadership opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth, providing full scholarships for eligible students. The program will be offered at several additional Seattle Public Schools this fall. For more information, visit www.oneworld-now.org or call (206) 799-2877. # # # |