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59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) Saturday, March 7 - Friday, March 13, 2015 United Nations Headquarters, New York City STUDENT APPLICATION PACKET IMPORTANT: This application packet is for high school students only. Adults (including college students) who would like to join us this year for CSW should contact GLI/FMF for more information about your involvement on our CSW delegation. About the GLI Delegation to the UN CSW Girls Learn International (GLI), a program of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), is thrilled to host a delegation to the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) from Saturday, March 7 to Friday, March 13, 2015 at the United Nations in New York, NY. GLI is dedicated to bringing the voices of U.S. students into the movement for universal girls’ education. The GLI Program is based on four main components: learning about human rights, raising awareness, communication with GLI partner schools across the globe, and fundraising. To that end, GLI advocates for the ongoing inclusion and development of girls’ rights in the work of the United Nations and works to promote the active participation of girls as agents of change. GLI is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue this work by hosting a delegation to serve as advocates at CSW59, where they will make girls’ rights visible on an international stage. GLI Delegates will have the opportunity to: Learn how the UN system works and experience real-‐life advocacy; Actively participate in a week of workshops, panels, presentations, and other events in and around the UN; • Speak and work with delegates from across the globe to further girls’ human rights; • Gain an in-‐depth understanding of the issues and topics that affect women, girls, and their communities worldwide, and how NGOs and the UN are attempting to address these issues; • Meet with members of the UN community, such as diplomats and nonprofit leaders; • Actively participate in workshops drafting documents on behalf of the world’s girls to be submitted to the UN General Assembly; • Delegates may have the opportunity to speak on panels, facilitate workshops or report on CSW events. Delegate Requirements Delegates must be active in a GLI Chapter at their high school. Delegates can be girls or boys. Both are very welcome! Delegates do not have to be the Student Leader or Chapter President. Chapter members are very welcome to apply as well. Students who have not attended the CSW before will be given preference over returning students. There is no limit to the number of students from a GLI Chapter who can apply to be delegates. However only 35 students total (from all 150 GLI Chapters) will be selected. •
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1 Student delegates must be 16 or older as of March 7, 2015. Unfortunately, for our younger GLI students, the United Nations will not grant access passes to students younger than 16. • Delegates must be at the United Nations and available to participate in activities from about noon on Saturday, March 7 to late afternoon on Friday, March 13. Delegates should not expect to participate in any classes, tests, school events, sports events or any other commitments outside of GLI that week. • Delegates who live in the NYC area will need to submit a note from their school that they have been excused from school activities for the whole week. • All delegates must have a government issued photo ID to receive a UN pass. A driver’s license, non-‐drivers state ID or passport are acceptable forms of ID, school IDs are not accepted. • Delegates traveling from out of town must attend with an adult acting as a chaperone. Delegates staying at home during the CSW do not need to have a chaperone. Application Timeline Please read this entire packet before working on the application. •
If you have questions about the application or the CSW contact Malak Yusuf myusuf@feminist.org or Ashley Steimer-‐King ashley@girlslearn.org. (Note: Ashley will be on maternity leave until early November, Caeli Waldron can direct your question during Ashley’s leave. She will be checking Ashley’s email or you can email her directly at cwaldron@feminist.org.) Student applicants must complete their electronic application by Friday, December 5th, 2014 at 6pm Pacific Standard Time. Applications submitted after this date cannot be accepted. Date Details December 5, 2014 • Application deadline (and travel scholarship deadline) December 22, 2014 • Applicants notified about acceptance. If accepted, the applicant will receive a short Acceptance Packet to complete. January 9, 2015 • Acceptance Packet due (for accepted students) • Information Form due (for adults including college students) Adults acting as chaperones must complete this form. Submitting the Application The online application form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CSW59application. This online application does not allow you to save your work; you complete the application at one time. We recommend setting aside at least an hour to submit your application. Please call Ashley in the West Coast office at 310 556 2500 if you have trouble accessing or submitting the application. Do not email about difficulty submitting your application. There are 6 sections of the application: 1. Personal Information – Your name, age, email address, cell phone number, etc. 2. Chaperone Information – Before you complete the application you should talk to your potential chaperone about the CSW and the commitment it involves. You will also need your chaperone contact information: name, phone number & email address. 2 3. School Information – Your Chapter/School name, city and state, as well as a description of your involvement with your Chapter. 4. Short Answer Questions – Sections 4 and 5 will take you the longest so we recommend drafting your answers in a separate document ahead of time. You should limit your answer to no more than 150 words per question; some shorter answers are ok too. (TIP: To count the number of words in Word or a similar program, just highlight the answer, go to ‘Tools’ and select ‘Word Count’.) You will answer ALL of these questions: • What LOCAL girls' issues are you most interested in? Think about the issues girls face in the U.S. • What GLOBAL girls' issues are you most interested in? Think about the issues that girls face around the world. • If you are selected to be a GLI delegate, how will you 'bring back' your experience to your school, your community, or the GLI Regional Student Advisory Board? • Tell us about your previous experience in a multicultural setting and explain why diversity is important to you. • Tell us a 'fun fact' about yourself that we wouldn't otherwise know. 5. Short Answer Questions Continued (Select Two) You will SELECT two of the following questions to answer: • In your own words, what is the CSW? Why is it important that GLI students participate in the CSW? • Why do you want to be a CSW delegate? What skills or experiences have prepared you for this role? For example -‐ leadership skills, public speaking, etc. • Give us a specific example of a time when you made a difference at school or in your community. • What have you done that you are most proud of? 6. Interests & Experience – Brief questions about your level of interest and experience in writing, speaking, journalism, online activism, etc. 7. Returning Delegates (If applicable)– One short answer questions about what you can offer as a returning delegate. For Delegates Coming from out of Town GLI delegates must organize & fund their own trip to the CSW. GLI does NOT book flights, hotels or chaperone students from event to event. GLI covers the cost of the CSW orientation registration fee but for delegates coming from out of town costs include travel to NYC, hotel, transportation within the city and meals. The estimated cost breakdown for delegates coming from out of town is: 3 Item Flight Travel within NYC Travel to/from Airport Food in NYC Housing Total Cost per person Cost Notes $350 Varies widely depending on where you live Two subway rides per day for 6 days, plus occasional cab $75 ride split among several people Assumes two people splitting a cab – from JFK to UN area $45 & back to JFK $315 $45 per day x 7 days Assumes 4 people per room for 7 nights at $300 per $525 night, varies depending on where you decide to stay $1,310 Students and chaperones are responsible for planning their trip to NYC and for getting to and from each event. There will be some meals together, and some will be on your own. GLI staff will provide a full schedule of events, orientation materials for delegates, and will be on hand each day to help delegates fully participate in the CSW. Chaperones are responsible for helping students get from one location to the next and for staying with them during most of the events. Travel Scholarships There are a limited number of travel scholarships for delegates who cannot afford transportation to and accommodation in NYC. Scholarships are partial and vary in amount depending on need. If you would like to apply for a need-‐based scholarship, please ask your parent or guardian to write a letter explaining the request for scholarship funds. The letter should include the circumstances behind the need for scholarship funds and the expenses (amount) you would like covered. Please also include a breakdown of the costs that you or your family will be covering. Scholarship requests are due by December 5 and should be emailed to ashley@girlslearn.org. If you don’t receive an email back that your request was received please call Ashley at 310 556 2500. In past years, students have fundraised to cover the costs of attending the CSW. GLI is happy to help you brainstorm fundraising ideas to help cover travel costs. Please note that Chapter fundraising for your Partner School cannot be used to cover CSW travel costs. For Delegates Living in NYC Area Delegates who live in the New York City area (NYC, northern New Jersey, etc.) may be able to commute to the CSW from home. It is important to understand that all delegates, including those commuting from home, are expected to be present at all events. Delegates should not expect to participate in any school events, sports events or other commitments outside of GLI that week. As a part of the acceptance packet, you will be required to submit a note from your school that you are excused from school activities for the whole week. You will receive your personalized schedule for the week on Saturday March 7 at the GLI orientation, and you should expect to be busy from the morning to the evening every day from March 8-‐13. 4 Frequently Asked Questions What is CSW? The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a group of government representatives commissioned by the United Nations to work on issues of gender equality and the advancement of women. Every year this group hosts a global meeting where people from around the world come to the United Nations in New York to influence international policy on the rights of women & girls. This two week–long conference is known as the annual Session of the Commission on the Status of Women and in 2015, the 59th Session, or CSW59 for short, will be held. You can learn more by visiting the official CSW website: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw59-‐2015. What is CSW59 about? Every year, CSW has a priority theme, and in 2015 that theme will be “a review of progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.” The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is an agenda for women’s empowerment adopted at the last World Conference on Women in 1995. It deals with removing the obstacles to women’s public participation in all spheres of public and private lives through a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-‐making. CSW59 will also address current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action, as well as opportunities for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women in the post-‐2015 development agenda. The action plan sets time-‐specific targets, committing nations to carry out concrete actions in such areas as health, education, decision-‐making and legal reforms with the ultimate goal of eliminating all forms of discrimination against women in both public and private life. How is GLI involved in the CSW & what kinds of activities will delegates participate in? GLI and FMF are officially associated with the United Nations and involved in planning and conducting some of the workshops and presentations by and for girls across the globe. GLI/FMF co-‐
chairs the Working Group on Girls (WGG), the group that plans a lot of activities and events during the CSW. GLI staff works throughout the year to further girls’ rights at the UN. In the months leading up to the CSW, GLI works to secure passes to specials events and find leadership roles for our delegates during the CSW. Events include, for example, the Teen Orientation, a visit to the US Mission to the UN, Girls Political Empowerment and many more. During these events, students work with adults and each other to learn more about CSW and the priority theme, discuss the issues, talk about their experiences, brainstorm how young people can be involved in working for girls’ and women’s equality, and draft documents to be shared with diplomats and NGOs. Delegates can also attend presentations by and speak with UN delegates, and tour the UN itself. Each year GLI reads through the hundreds of events scheduled for CSW and puts together a schedule of the events most related to girls’ issues. GLI staff also works to secure passes to special events that require a ‘secondary’ pass to attend. 5 When and where are the events held? The GLI delegation will be participating in events and other activities, including orientation and registration, from Saturday, March 7th to Friday, March 13th. Delegates who are located outside of the New York area will need to make travel plans to be in the UN area by about noon on Saturday March 7, which may mean booking your flight to arrive on March 6th. Though the CSW is a 2-‐week conference, GLI delegates will only be participating in the first week, when activities are most relevant to students. All the events are in Manhattan, with the majority located either in or around the UN complex on 45th Street and 1st Avenue. Most (but not all) events are walking distance from the UN Building. Delegates will receive personalized schedules on Saturday March 7. Delegates should expect to be busy all day every day from the 7th to the 13th. What does it mean to be a GLI Delegate? GLI Delegates spend seven days participating in CSW events. They will work together to advocate for girls’ education in workshops and student-‐adult dialogues. Delegates will contribute their knowledge of girls’ human rights, as well as gain insight about girls’ and women’s rights, how the UN works, policymaking, the role of NGOs within the UN system, and how decisions made at the UN translate into on-‐the-‐ground changes in countries around the globe. Delegates may also have the opportunity to speak on panels, visit with UN Mission (foreign embassy) representatives, attend a session at the U.S. Mission, and meet girls from across the globe. Do I need a chaperone? All student delegates coming from out of town must have an adult chaperone for the duration of the trip. If several students from a GLI Chapter are a part of the GLI delegation, only 1 chaperone is needed for that Chapter. Adults acting as chaperones will be responsible for their own travel costs. Adults acting as chaperones will also have the opportunity to attend UN events and participate in the CSW in their own right. Will I have time for sightseeing or going on college visits while in New York? As a GLI delegate, your schedule will be pretty packed so do not assume that you will have much time to sightsee. Most days, you will be attending CSW events from about 8 or 9 am until 7pm or later and you may have prep work to do in the evenings. If you wish to sightsee or go on college visits, we recommend coming early or staying in NYC past Friday, March 14. Can I still participate in CSW59 but not be a Delegate? Probably yes! If you are not able to commit to the full week or are not accepted as a GLI Delegate and you live in the NYC area there may still be some events open to you. While we cannot guarantee that the UN rules will stay the same, in the past there have been some events open to the public. While you will not formally be part of the GLI Delegation and will not be registered for a UN pass, you may be able to attend these public events. Just let Ashley or Malak know that you are interested and we will be sure you receive information about the public events. 6