New Rochelle Woman Organizes Rights Conference in NYC

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With the enthusiasm and spirit of today’s youth, 18-year-old Amie Dukuray and her coach 22-year-old Tess Gardephe of New Rochelle have planned an International Human Rights Conference as part of their year-long Coach/Fellow relationship created through The Future Project, a new education reform non-profit that launched in 2011 in three cities: New York City, Washington, DC, and New Haven. The conference is entitled “Wake Up for Human Rights!” and features speakers from several prominent national and international advocacy organizations, including Malaria No More, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Ground Up Global and Pencils of Promise.

The free conference is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at St. Paul and St. Andrew, located at 263 West 86th St. in Manhattan. In addition to the panel presentations, there will be food served and a brief talent portion to enjoy.

The conference is the culmination of the yearlong mentoring relationship the two young women have shared through The Future Project. “When I was thinking about what I wanted my future project to be, I felt strongly about promoting ways to protect the rights of people everywhere,” said Dukuray, who is graduating from The Legacy School for Integrated Studies (at 14th Street and 6th Avenue) in June and plans to study human rights in college. “I know that there are so many youths interested in taking action and addressing difficult social justice issues. I wanted representatives from some of the best-known human rights organizations to tell young people how they can join the movement and create positive change.”

“Amie has been a joy to collaborate with this year and has such a wonderful sense of justice and equality. She has grown so much this year and displayed true courage and perseverance—traits that she will take with her as she encourages others to take a stand for what’s right,” said Gardephe, a New Rochelle resident who graduated this week from New York University and is going to teach in New Orleans through Teach for America. “When she wanted to organize a conference for Human Rights, I was so excited to help her put all the pieces together.”

The Future Project was created by Andrew Mangino and Kanya Balakrishna, both 2009 graduates of Yale University. The organization is founded on the idea that young people can do incredible things when they are given the permission and support to put their dreams into action. This year, 75 high school Fellows from underserved NYC public schools have worked with college student and young professional volunteer Coaches to create amazing projects, like Amie. This is a movement that is inspiring teens left and right. To learn more about The Future Project’s team and mission, check out the organization’s Web site, www.thefutureproject.org.

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