Prep Week

I have been interning for the WorldLink Program at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice all Fall. The IPJ is a very humanitarian organization with its home on the University of San Diego campus, which works to provide help to people worldwide through its various programs. One of its programs is called WorldLink, which strives to "connect youth to global affairs." Recognizing the importance of youth involvement and interest in solving local and global problems, WorldLink offers local and foreign students information and discussion on the problems that we face today. This is the program for which I have been interning. My first main project was, along with my fellow Fall intern Amruta Trivedi, to edit the WorldLink Reader, our yearly publication which compiles a vast array of information on the year's student-selected topic (this year's is Development: Fighting Global Poverty) as a resource for students aiming to learn about the complexities of the issue.

Our project now is to prepare for the 13th Annual Youth Town Meeting, which brings together over 700 students from all over to listen to expert speakers and discuss the yearly theme, as well as vote on next year's. It is WorldLink's biggest event of the year, and draws significant media coverage. Students always feel inspired and empowered after participating in the Youth Town Meeting. I can't wait for this year's, where I will be opening the meeting by making a speech with another intern, as well as acting as a moderator for one of the presentations.