Press & Media

In the News

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The Huffington Post features an op-ed article by GK Leader Maya Faison, a 16-year-old climate activist from Queens who is calling for stronger environmental policies in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Click here to read Maya's full article.

Art McFarland of ABC Channel 7 News reports on Global Kids' award-winning U.S. in the World Summer Institute at the Council on Foreign Relations. Click here to watch the news clip.

Executive Director Evie Hantzopoulos teams up with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney to author an op-ed piece for the Washingon D.C. newpaper The Hill on the repercussions for today's youth if our elected officials do not take action on climate change. Read the full article here.

The Washington Informer features GK's Global Gateways Summer Institute as fifteen youth from D.C. travel to Haiti for two weeks to work with fifteen Haitian students on a film project with the Cine Institute. Click to view the full article!

MetroFocus Magazine highlights Global Kids' youth campaign against climate change in this feature article on five high school students attending the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 20-22. Read the full article here.

A Global Kids teen learns her opportunities are as big as her world. Read the full article, published in the Bed-Stuy Patch, here!

Global Kids is thrilled to receive $10,000 for its Undesirable Elements program, conducted in collaboration Ping Chong & Company, from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The program helps students understand how creativity and artistic expression can inform others about serious issues and create positive change in their communities and the world. To view the full article on the New York Nonprofit Press, click here.

MarketWatch reports on the Global Kids Annual Youth Conference, taking place at Baruch College on April 20th. This year’s Conference, designed and led entirely by Global Kids Youth Leaders, is all about climate change. Click here to read more.

Global Kids placed 15th among small nonprofits and 38th overall in the annual NonProfit Times survey which ranks organizations according to employee responses on leadership and planning, corporate culture and communications, role satisfaction, work environment, relationships with supervisors, training and development, pay and benefits, and overall employee engagement. Read the official report here!

In March, an Independent Task Force sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) produced a report on U.S. Education Reform and National Security which concluded that the United States' failure to educate its students leaves them unprepared to compete and threatens the country's ability to thrive in a global economy. A summary of the report's findings can be found on the CFR website or in this New York Times article. Global Kids founder Carole Artigiani participated on the task force and published a dissent to the report's recommendations. Click here to view Artigiani's dissent.

For the second year in a row, Global Kids has partnered with the Brooklyn Smoke-Free Partnership in implementing an anti-smoking unit for 30 ninth graders at the High School for Medical Professions (HSMP). Brooklyn Smoke-Free is an organization that, in part, fights for the health of communities throughout the borough by combating the way in which Big Tobacco Industries market their products to youth.

On March 21st, 2012, GK Leaders from HSMP spoke out against Big Tobacco and held their own National Kick Butts Day event at their school. They performed skits, facilitated interactive and informational games, brought in a guest speaker, and premiered a music video created by Staten Island artists who were inspired by the students’ work. Check out their video, “Smoke Free (Way to Be),” by clicking here!

In honor of Corporate Philanthropy Day 2012, Global Kids is grateful to enter into a new partnership with Hilton Worldwide. The partnership is expected to benefit Global Kids' Washington, D.C. branch, which is approaching its second anniversary and already serves 60 youth in weekly programs at Columbia Heights Educational Campus and Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School and hundreds more through special trainings and peer education. By summer, the program will expand to include The Academies at Anacostia and Maya Angelou Public Charter School. Hilton Worldwide team members will volunteer through career mentoring and service learning projects with the students throughout the community. Read more on MarketWatch!

Global Kids leads training aimed at getting more Jewish educators interested in “games-based learning” techniques that add high-tech and low-tech play in their classrooms. Read the full article here!

Fifteen D.C. high school students spent ten days in Brazil learning about foreign policy and development issues as part of Global Kids' five-week summer foreign policy institute, Global Gateways. Amber Walton, a senior at Bell Multicultural High School from Anacostia, speaks here about her experiences in the program and observations of Brazil. Click to view the full article.

"In the daily high school routine of drudging through textbooks, annotating passages, and dissecting calculus problems, it's easy to forget that learning is an interactive process," writes high school senior Sharon Mizrahi in this Huffington Post article about her experience organizing Emoti-Con, GK's youth-led media and technology festival. Click here to read the full article.

Education Week reports on Global Kids' selection as a 2011 Excellence in Summer Learning Award recipient by the National Summer Learning Association, a Baltimore-based nonprofit focused on promoting summer programs and summer learning. The award is based on overall programming quality as it relates to in-depth academic content and strengthening youth-development outcomes. Click here to learn more.

The National Summer Learning Association has chosen Global Kids' U.S. in the World Summer Institute as one of the best summer learning programs in the country. This annual award recognizes summer programs demonstrating excellence in accelerating academic achievement and promoting healthy development for young people, as measured by the Association’s Comprehensive Assessment of Summer Programs. Click here to view the complete press release.

A group of 25 New York City high school students are spending a part of their summer learning first-hand about international issues from the movers and shakers who shape opinions. They are participating in the Global Kids program, “U.S. In the World: International Law and Foreign Policy,” being held in conjunction with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Three runners will travel across the continental U.S. to raise funds and awareness for Global Kids. Their “Transcontinental Project,” will occur as the nation marks ten years since the horrific 9-11 attacks.

The Award-winning Documentary Budrus was screened at Global Kids’ CFR Summer Institute on July 21st, followed by a special Q&A with Director Julia Bacha. Click here to learn more about this moving film and other unique opportunities available to youth in Global Kids’ Summer Institute.

NYC Haunts, the location-based game developed by middle school students in GK’s Online Leadership Program, is featured in The Huffington Post. Click here to read more about how the game harnesses mobile location-based gaming techniques to teach players about their neighborhood’s haunted history.

Companies such as IBM and Chase are finding new ways to involve employees and customers in charitable giving. Click here to read more about how this new trend is benefiting organizations like Global Kids.

The Chase Community Giving Advisory Board has selected Global Kids as its Spring 2011 grand prize winner. According to Kimberly Davis, President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, "Global Kids really impressed us. They've really thought through how they can make the biggest difference." Click here to read the official press release.

The typical video game might have players rescuing the planet from destructive alien forces, but at the Games for Change conference, games created by groups like Global Kids are allowing gamers to save the Earth from pollution, fossil fuels and other realistic problems. Click here to watch the NY1 interview from the conference with GK Online Program Director, Barry Joseph.

Canada's National Post explores the impact of pro-social video games such as "Ayiti: The Cost of Life," developed by Brooklyn teens enrolled in Global Kids' Online Leadership Program in 2007. Click here to read the full article.

Over 75 students came out on May 20, 2011 to support Global Kids' campaign to win $500,000 in the Chase Community Giving contest! Click here to view pictures.

This year's Youth Conference, held on May 13 at Baruch College, celebrated the power of global media and technology in effecting change. Participants were asked to "update their status" as they discussed issues such as Cyberbullying, the Environmental Impact of Media and Technology, Media Literacy, and Gender Stereotypes in the Media. Click here for pictures.

Executive Director Evie Hantzopoulos appears as a guest on Judith West's program "Getting Your Money's Worth" to discuss Global Kids' mission and the recent New York Times article, "What Works in the Classroom, Ask the Students." Click here to watch the full interview.

Global Kids' benefit on April 26, 2011 at the Council on Foreign Relations was showcased in the New York Times Styles' Party/benefit section.

Global Kids is showcased in a special web piece on Starbuck's Youth Action. As the program expands to the United Kingdom, Global Kids is highligted as an example of what Starbucks Youth Action looks like in the United States.

Bed-Stuy students Alysha Huggins, Gabriel Johnson and Irene Hupstead are three lucky high-schoolers who got a chance to meet Ambassador Susan Rice this past February at an event held at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

The special session was organized by Rice and Global Kids, Inc., a nonprofit group based in New York City dedicated to educating underprivileged kids on the subjects of international affairs, media and public policy. Click here to read more!

Newly-appointed Executive Director Evie Hantzopolous speaks with Robin Zarlow on her program, "Night Vision," about the history of Global Kids and her vision for the organization's future. Click here to watch the video.

Ambassador Susan Rice hosts Global Kids youth at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and discusses her career in public service and international affairs. Click here for pictures.

In a News 9 Special, "Cool Schools: Inquisitive Students Ask Tough Questions", Global Kids' newest DC program is in the news with a recent trip to visit the Chilean Ambassador. Visiting embassies is one of the ways the school gets its students to think globally. The teens took the mission to heart according to Ambassador Arturo Feramdios. "These guys were very provocative. They didn't have any problem asking you shocking things, because they wanted to know about that, so from my perspective, it was an enriching opportunity too."

The trip was organized by the non profit organization Global Kids. Director Eddie Mandhry says the goals include giving the students a chance "to influence police to change and address some of the things that are happening in their community in different parts of the nation, or in Africa, central America or in Europe."

In the lead story, "The Encore Generation: Making a Difference", on NYCitywoman.com Carole Artigiani is showcased for her vision behind making Global Kids a reality and GK"s 20 year history.

“That’s the idea,” explains Artigiani. “To help the students understand the complexity of issues, to learn to create strategies to address those issues in their communities and around the world, and to put those strategies to work. A huge part of the American population is excluded from the policymaking process. They feel that they are powerless to change lives.”

Student leaders also run an annual Youth Conference that attracts more than 600 students, and designs online games and initiatives. “Global Kids really grew up with the Internet,” notes Artigiani. Youths and teachers in more than 100 countries now access the online leadership program. A team of Global Kids, in partnership with Gamelab, designed “Ayiti: The Cost of Life,” a digital game about poverty as an obstacle to education in Haiti; another, on Katrina, followed. The staff is training librarians, teachers, and student leaders how to integrate digital media into school curricula. This past fall, students in New York City and Chicago participated in a “virtual dig” in Brazil, created in conjunction with experts at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

To read the article, click here.

Evie Hantzopoulos, who recently transitioned to the role of Executive Director after being with GK for 14 years is interviewed among 20 other new Executive Directors and CEO's in this month's cover story on New York's nonprofit sector. To download the article, click here.

New York, NY, September 1, 2010 – Global Kids, Inc. announced today that Evie Hantzopoulos has been named Executive Director of the organization, effective September 1, 2010. Ms. Hantzopoulos, who succeeds Founder Carole Artigiani, assumes this role after serving Global Kids for over 14 years. She has been Deputy Director and Director of Programs since 1998.

Global Kids launched their DC programs with a world-class benefit hosted by the French Ambassador Pierre Vimont on December 6th, 2010.

The gala event featured a silent auction and delicious food prepared by award-winning chefs Daniel Boulud, Jose Andres and Michael Richard and others. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Comtesse Elisabeth de Kergorlay, Chef Daniel Boulud, and DC TV news anchor Kimberly Suiters.

For more about the evening and more photos, see the Washington Scene website.

CNN's Richard Roth reports on an interactive special session of the United Nations Security Council titled, 'Voices of a New Generation" seeking to give young people (ages 13-21) an opportunity to address the world's most influential body on matters of international peace and security.

100 + Global Kids youth participated in this special day. Kerri, Global Kids Long Island City High School student is shown on CNN asking the most challenging question of the day relating to North and South Korea relations.

After the Security Council session, Global Kids youth attended a lunch reception at the United States Mission to the United Nations.

Global Kids is honored to be featured in a fascinating look at K-12 programs in the United States that are focused on international education. The article, by Marian Kisch, is entitled "Opening Young Eyes" and is the feature story in the September/October edition of International Educator.

NY Times profiles Global Kids Summer Institute where New York City youth spend three weeks at the Council on Foreign Relations listening to lectures and taking part in workshops on issues like global warming, China’s economic juggernaut, Darfur, child prostitution, international law and world trade.

"There Theodore C. Sorensen was the other day, passing the torch to a new generation of Americans.

For 25 teenagers listening to him, Mr. Sorensen’s time as President John F. Kennedy’s adviser and speechwriter might as well have been ancient history. It was almost 50 years ago. Nowadays, that qualifies as ancient.

But they sat attentively as Mr. Sorensen, 82, talked about the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when fears ran high that the United States and the Soviet Union were about to blow the world to smithereens. What he tried to convey was “the importance of words.” Without them, there is no diplomacy. Without diplomacy, wars are not averted.

“Words can be more powerful than weapons,” Mr. Sorensen said, because they “solve things.” That was the case in 1962. “The United States never fired a shot,” he said. “But the crisis ended — because of words.”

Click here to read the full article.

The Huffington Post Spotlights Global Kids Leaders Taking Part in this Summer's U.S. in the World Institute.

Thirty-three youth spend seven weeks this summer learning about the environment, food production, and healthy food choices, as well as getting hands-on experience working on an innovative farm at the Wingate Campus.

To read about Friday's event on the BK Farmyard blog, click here!

To read about Wingate Campus and its innovative farm in the NY Daily News, click here!

To read about students' work on the farm on News 12, click here!

Last Spring, Global Kids engaged in an experiment with Common Sense Media and Harvard's Goodplay Project in hopes that we could come to understand key questions of how youth and adults relate to life online through a series of cross-generational online dialogues. The Focus Dialogues, which had over 250 participants from around the world making over 2,500 posts, highlighted some important ways that the two groups are thinking about ethical dimensions of digitally mediated social participation. We're now pleased to release Meeting of Minds [pdf], a report on the dialogues that shares key findings that emerged.

The findings of the report offer some important perspectives for parents and educators about how youth are thinking about these issues. For instance, teens often relate to ethically challenging situations online from a place of concern about repercussions for themselves, rather than from concern about the implications of their actions for larger communities. Adults, on the other hand, spoke more about responsibility to others and to communities when discussing digital dilemmas. Whereas a teen who makes a fake profile page about her teacher might think it’s funny, adults are more likely to urge consideration of how such an act might hurt or damage the teacher's reputation.