Mater Dei Prep’s DeBiase Virtually Attends United Nations World Youth Skills Day Conference
Tezikiah Gabriel, Executive Director of Pathways To Peace and Emma DeBiase
MIDDLETOWN — On July 15, Mater Dei Prep (MDP) student Emma DeBiase, (MDP ‘23) attended The United Nations World Youth Skills Day Conference virtually. Emma was attending as a High School Representative for UN NGO Pathways to Peace and as a student leader in The Mater Dei Prep Global Leaders Program.
Her platform was to connect with other UN Global Representatives and student leaders and look for opportunities to discuss our MDP Educational Tool Kit and our campaign with “The Peace Traveler” initiative called #mymaskisforyou. This campaign encourages “teaching the conversation in peace building and mask protection as an action.”
View the campaign on the school’s website in their news section.
Emma was able to interact and learn from numerous global speakers such as Columbia’s First Lady H.E. Maria Juliana. The First Lady of Columbia spoke of how we need to think about the three “E’s”, “Entrepreneurship, Education, and Employ.” UN Rep David Bungallon of the Philippines, as well as other diplomats and representatives from UNESCO, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia all were in attendance. All representatives addressed how the youth will be the source of new technology and how we need to work together to reshape the education of MDP students.
Emma contributed to the conference by submitting a question regarding the success of youth and what organizations would participate. The question/statement centered on, “To create a sustainable change, the youth must be able to own and initiate their skills into our communities. With the support by organizations such as the UN and other local organizations, what do you recommend that would create opportunities for success?”
Emma came away from the meeting by feeling incredibly lucky to be a part of something bigger than herself. She looks forward to using the lessons she learned in building more peaceful and sustainable societies
That afternoon Emma, a Matawan resident, attended her second UN Meeting. She participated in a Pathways to Peace Executive committee meeting with Tezikiah Gabriel, Executive Director of PTP; Deborah Green, Founder of Peace
Traveler and George Anthony, Head of the MDP Global Leaders program.
The meeting focused on the Mater Dei Prep Global Leaders Campaign #mymaskisforyou. Deborah spoke about the professionalism of working with Alexis Lombardo (MDP ‘21) in editing the #mymaskisforyou YouTube video. Deborah will be using segments of the video featuring Mater Dei Prep Global Leaders to spread a global message that in wearing a mask people are Peace Building in action by committing a caring act. The Trenton Monitor Diocesan News Magazine will be featuring the MDP #mymaskisforyou project. The article was written by MDP Alumnus John Spinelli.
Chiara Del Cogliano, MDP Faculty member, will be attending an upcoming UN High Level Commission on The Status of Women Conference on Gender Equality as a UN CSW64 Stakeholder. The Conference is scheduled for tomorrow, July 21.
To view the conference, please go to www.unweb.tv.org
The Global Leaders Program continues to build platforms for peace and leadership and looks forward to developing a new cadre of students for the coming year.