Bid Now and support Journey for Change.
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service is a unique and innovative partnership between The Angelrock Project, The Salvation Army Greater New York, and The Salvation Army Southern African Territory that brought thirty at-risk youth from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2008 for two weeks of global service. Due to the overwhelming success of the program, Journey for Change 2: Empowering Youth Through Global Service has expanded to recruited 30 new youth from the Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville Salvation Army Community Centers. The ambassadors, along with 15 college aged mentors from NYU, Pratt and Medgar Evers, will travel to South Africa in August 2010, to begin their year long Global Ambassadorship program.
Auction packages include:
- A double date with Chris and Malaak to sit courtside at an upcoming Knicks Game and an autographed jersey from the Knick's newest player Amar'e Stoudemire.
- VIP tickets to The Tonight Show and a meet & greet with Jay Leno
- VIP tickets for 4 people to The Today Show, a tour of the studios, and a meet & greet with Al Roker
- A 3 night stay at the Nick hotel in Orlando, a VIP Nick gift bag, and a tour of the Nickelodeon offices in NY
- A unique Citizen's folding bike from the Nick Kids' Choice Awards autographed by Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Kevin James - the stars of Grown Ups
- A personalized video message from Chris Rock
- A VIP tour of the CNN and meet & greet with Soledad O'Brien
- VIP tickets to the George Lopez Show and a meet & greet with George Lopez
A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ANGELROCK PROJECT, THE SALVATION ARMY BUSHWICK COMMUNITY CENTER AND THE SALVATION ARMY SOUTH AFRICAN TERRITORY
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service is a unique and innovative partnership between The Angelrock Project, The Salvation Army Greater New York, and The Salvation Army Southern African Territory that brought thirty at-risk youth from Bushwick, Brooklyn to Johannesburg, South Africa in August 2008 for two weeks of global service.
The children, ages 12 to 15, participated in a rich volunteer, educational, and mentoring program. They volunteered in the shanty towns of Diepsloot and Soweto, helping orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) and grannies in their homes, schools, community centers, orphanages, clinics, and in their gardens. The youth were also partnered with college-aged mentors who chaperoned and mentored the children. Additionally, there was a rich cultural component sponsored by South African Tourism which allowed the youth to learn about the history of the country.
Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service was born out of the crisis inner-city youth across America are facing as they enter their teenage years. Many youth succumb to the pressures facing them, whether it is to drop out of school, get involved in gangs, or use drugs. Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service presented a unique and extraordinary opportunity to thirty such youth from the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn, New York.
Bushwick is an underserved neighborhood in Brooklyn that has consistently struggled to overcome obstacles, such as drug trafficking, a high incidence of child neglect, rising crime rates, and broken families. Over half of its population lives below the poverty line and receives some form of public assistance. Only a little over 60% of the students of its largest high school, Bushwick High, graduate in four years. Out of the 289 students that started high school as freshmen in 2002, 91 had out dropped by 2006.
Due to the crisis also facing OVC's on the continent of Africa, as well as in the country of South Africa, non-governmental organizations such as The Salvation Army Southern African Territory are meeting the needs of this population and their families by tackling such necessary issues as health, education, housing, and nutrition. Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service was a special project that assisted youth in the U.S. and South Africa by having them participate in a mutually fulfilling service and exchange program.
Upon completion of the trip, the youth immediately begin their roles as "Journey for Change Global Ambassadors" for one year. The Journey for Change Global Ambassadorship Program is just one way that sets Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service apart from other volunteer programs. Along with taking youth from the inner-city to serve globally, The Journey for Change Global Ambassadorship Program aims to serve as a catalyst to stay fully committed to these young people for an entire year, with the goal of creating leaders engaged in civic, political, and social change, as well as mentoring each child individually to assist their parents in guiding them to make positive long-term choices for their lives. The three components of the Ambassadorship program are education, service, and advocacy.
Due to the overwhelming success of the program, a second and third installment is currently being planned. The next service trip will be August 2010 will has recruited 30 new youth from the Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville Salvation Army Community Centers, as well as 15 college aged mentors from NYU, Pratt and Medgar Evers. The Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service trip was filmed by CNN and aired as part of the documentary "Black in America 2: Tomorrow's Leaders" hosted by journalist Soledad O'Brien. For more information on Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service and The Journey for Change Global Ambassadorship Program, please visit The Angelrock Project at www.angelrockproject.com.
To make a personal donation to Journey for Change, please click here.