QUEENS PERSPECTIVES: International Affairs Commissioner Penny Abeywardena Launches the NYC Junior Ambassadors Program at IS 125Q

Take a look at NYC Junior Ambassadors, a new program that will encourage 7th graders to participate in future social change using the United Nations as an educational resource. Roslyn Nieves discusses the program with Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs; Principal Judy Lynn Mittler; Dean Michael Sangirardi; and the enthusiastic 7th graders from Thomas McCann Intermediate School 125 in Woodside, Queens. Students Tanzema, Jasmine, and Lizbeth talk about their opportunity to be taught in a classroom at the United Nations (UN), empowering them to become actively engaged with the UN and to discuss the most pressing challenges in the world. By targeting New York City youth at a critical time in their personal and intellectual growth, the NYC Junior Ambassadors program seeks to help them understand the real connections between themselves, the City of New York, and international affairs, creating global diplomats, locally. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the Inaugural Student Cohort of NYC Junior Ambassadors and listed the NYC schools that will be participating, three of which are in Queens: • Anthony J. Pranzo School (P.S./I.S. 113) • Hunters Point Community Middle School (30Q291) • The 30th Avenue School (Q300) The NYC Junior Ambassador’s program is part of the effort by the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs to strengthen the connection between New York City and the United Nations, and is made possible through a partnership with the NYC Department of Education, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, the United Nations and the United Nations Foundation. For more information on the participating schools in NYC, visit:http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/113-16/mayor-bill-de-blasio...