23 November 2004
Student Program Promotes Understanding, Awareness of APEC Agenda
"Voices of the Future for APEC" offers insights, platform for sharing
Washington -- The "Voices of the Future for APEC" program offers students from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member nations the opportunity to interact with world leaders and provides the students with a platform to share the insights imparted in these sessions.
Launched at the 1998 APEC leaders' meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Voices program aims to promote youth participation in APEC and to convey the APEC vision more broadly.
To these ends, Voices for the Future of APEC Chile 2004 -- led by the National Youth Institute of Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, and the U.S.-based Virtual Trade Mission Foundation -- invited students from every APEC member nation to participate in the 2004 program in conjunction with the November 15-21 APEC meeting in Santiago, Chile.
Over 80 high school and college students participated in the Voices 2004 program, including students from Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Chile, Monterrey TEC University in Mexico, Furman University, the Hispanic Center of Indianapolis and the Jesse Helms Center in the United States. Students from Canada, Peru, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand also participated.
As part of the program, the students conducted interviews with APEC leaders and members of the APEC Business Advisory Council. Among those leaders who met with the students were U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Mexican President Vicente Fox, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.
The students' interviews with the APEC leaders examined specific themes, including democracy and human rights, the global economy, education, ethics and corruption, the environment, and culture. Through the exploration of these APEC themes, the students developed a better understanding of APEC policies.
"To gain such experience from people who make a difference in the world has been invaluable to my learning and [to] the way I perceive issues such as globalization and free trade," said New Zealander David Stevens.
The Voices program also offered the students an opportunity to share their experiences and newfound understanding.
This was done, in part, through the broadcast of the Voices students' November 21 session with Secretary Powell and Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker. The session was carried live on Chilean television, as well as broadcast live globally on the Internet via the facilities of Mexico's Monterrey Tec.
Additionally, the students shared their experiences and insight into the APEC agenda through the production of half-hour programs based on their interviews. The programs were distributed to television networks in APEC member nations and broadcast on an APEC Web site. Additional distribution of the Voices program is being provided by the American Embassy Television Network and Apple Computer's web-based Learning Interchange, which has over 1 million visits per week from classrooms around the world.
In an interview with the Washington File, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega hailed the Voices program as a "very innovative, creative way to communicate with young people using their voice, their perspectives, their language."
Prior to his participation in the Voices Chile 2004 program, Noriega emphasized the impact of students conveying the APEC message to their peers and communities.
"So much of our agenda is about fighting poverty, empowering people economically and politically," he pointed out. "I can say that in a hundred speeches around the region, but it will have more impact when these young folks inquire and see for themselves and then communicate back to their people about the agenda."
Noriega participated in a November 19 luncheon with the Voices students in Santiago. Following the session, 15-year-old Brittany Bellamy of South Columbus High School in North Carolina expressed her enthusiasm at the prospect of sharing her experience.
"Being here at this forum has inspired me so much," she said. "I am looking forward to going home and sharing all of this with my friends and family, in the hopes that they will become as inspired as I am."
"Following is a transcript of Secretary Powell's November 20 session with the VOICES students: "
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/38779.htm
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
