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Dear WorldLinker,

It is my pleasure to introduce the online edition of the WorldLink Reader. The 2008 theme on climate change set precedence for the institute to set more eco-friendly standards. By making this Reader and other informational material available online, WorldLink will greatly reduce its use of paper. We have all of you students to thank for motivating us to reduce our own carbon footprint.

As we prepare for WorldLink’s 13^th Youth Town Meeting, WorldLink students have proven that young people care deeply about and are not intimidated to take on the world’s most pressing issues. This student-led program has focused on topics such as human trafficking, rights of the child, terrorism and climate change – all at the request of its participants. With such challenging past themes, it is not surprising to see that the delegates from the 12^th Annual Youth Town Meeting decided to focus on fighting global poverty for the 2009-2010 academic year.

There are 1 billion people in the world who live on less than $1 a day. Almost half of the world lives on $2.50 or less a day. Poverty affects how a person develops, survives, and overcomes challenges. The 2010 Reader will explore some of the issues that can either help break people from or keep people in the cycle of poverty.  I hope this Reader helps you begin to understand the complexities behind global poverty .

I look forward to seeing you at the 13^th Annual Youth Town Meeting on Friday, January 22, 2010 and at the subsequent Youth Forums.

Yours in peace,

Karla Alvarez

Program Officer

Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice

Es para mí un placer presentar la edición electronica del WorldLink Reader. El tema del 2008 sobre el cambio climático establecio prioridad para que Instituto estableciera más normas que fueren respetuosas hacia el medio ambiente. Al hacer este Reader y otro material disponible electronicamente, WorldLink reducirá una gran porcion del uso de papel.

Mientras nos preparamos para la 13a Junta Regional Juvenil de WorldLink, los estudiantes previos han demostrado que los jóvenes si se preocupan profundamente sobre las cuestiones más complejas del mundo. Este programa, dirigido por los estudiantes, se ha centrado en temas como el respeto de los derechos humanos, los derechos del niño, el terrorismo y el cambio climático – todo a petición de sus participantes.

Hay 1 billon de personas en el mundo que viven con menos de 1 dólar al día. Casi la mitad de la población mundial vive en 2.50 dólares o menos al día. La pobreza afecta el desarollo de una persona, su capacidad de sobrevivencia, y abilidad de superar los desafíos. El Reader 2010 analizarán algunos de las formas que pueden ayudar a la gente a romper el ciclo de la pobreza.

 

 

 

 

Instituto Joan B. Kroc  por la Paz y Justicia

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Dear Reader,

Development, a word that many of us associate with industrialization, wealth and subsequently, power, has, over the past couple of decades, come to mean so much more. In editing this year’s WorldLink Reader, we have found that development does not necessarily indicate a sudden growth in wealth and power, but rather the concept of building a more coexistent society. We came across many articles that criticized the divisions of educational resources, social class, country borders and racial groups, but also proposed ways to reduce these differences in order to create a more efficient and competitive society for the future.

We found that the five aspects of development discussed in this Reader–Education, Food Security and Agriculture, Healthcare, Infrastructure and Governance, and Trading and Financial systems–are keys to breaking the cycle of poverty. In order to make significant changes and thrive in the international community, countries must have strong systems for each of these components of global development. These five subtopics are all intertwined and dependant on one another for each one’s individual progress. For example, without proper education, there could be no proper healthcare givers, and yet, without proper governance and infrastructure for an educational system, how can one expect to learn? Each system also must be strongly established if we want to achieve the Millennium Development Goals–eight goals agreed upon by representatives and heads of state in 2000 that aim to resolve and combat many of the most important problems that we face today.

We have learned that the key to successful development of these five aspects is not the absence of poverty, but rather the ability of people to come together to create a more sustainable, safe, and equitable world. That’s why it is commendable that you have opened the Reader today, as you have established yourself as a student ready to be educated on some of today’s societal problems in order to make a positive difference. By reading this you are taking the first steps to becoming what we like to call a Citizen of the World. But simply reading this is not enough.

We sincerely hope that the articles included in this year’s edition of the Reader encourage you to spread what you learn and give you a deeper understanding of what the world is really fighting for. Because this fight is not only about eradicating poverty, or improving the quality of governance; it is more about you than a hungry person or a corrupt government. This fight is a call to action to actually do something to expand the opportunities of those who have none, because you, reading this on the internet, have the resources to address the need for development.

Thus, the process towards a developed world begins with you, your knowledge and your initiative. With your enterprise and that of others like you, underdeveloped societies will have opportunities to learn, grow and advance. And so, we leave you with a question to contemplate on your quest to becoming a Citizen of the World: How will you contribute to humanity?

Yours in peace,

Sam Hargrove and Amruta Trivedi

2009 Fall Interns

El Desarrollo, una palabra que muchos de nosotros asociamos con la industrialización, la riqueza y el poder, en relidad significa mucho más. En la edición de este WorldLink Reader, hemos encontrado que el desarrollo no significa necesariamente un aumento repentino en la riqueza y el poder, sino más bien el concepto de construir una sociedad más coexistente.

Encontramos que los cinco aspectos del desarrollo de tratados en este Reader – educación, seguridad alimentaria y la agricultura, salud, infraestructura y gobernanza, y sistemas financieros y comerciales – son claves para romper el ciclo de la pobreza. Con el fin de hacer cambios significativos y prosperar en la comunidad internacional, los países deben tener sistemas fuertes de cada uno de estos componentes del desarrollo mundial. Estos cinco subtemas se entrelazan y dependen unas de otras para el progreso individual de cada uno. Por ejemplo, sin una educación adecuada, no puede haber dadores de salud adecuada, y sin embargo, sin una buena gobernanza y la infraestructura para un sistema educativo, ¿cómo se puede esperar para aprender?

Hemos aprendido que la clave para el desarrollo exitoso de estos cinco aspectos no es la ausencia de la pobreza, sino la capacidad de las personas a unirse para crear un mundo más sostenible, seguro y equitativo. Por eso es encomiable que se haya abierto el lector de hoy, como usted ha establecido como un estudiante dispuesto a ser educados en algunos de los problemas de la sociedad de hoy para hacer una diferencia positiva. Al leer esto usted está tomando los primeros pasos para convertirse en lo que nos gusta llamar a un ciudadano del mundo.

Esperamos sinceramente que los artículos incluidos en la edición de este año del lector animamos a difundir lo aprendido y le dará un entendimiento más profundo de lo que el mundo está realmente luchando. Debido a que esta lucha no es sólo acerca de la erradicación de la pobreza, o la mejora de la calidad de la gobernanza, es más acerca de usted que una persona tiene hambre o un gobierno corrupto.

Así, el proceso hacia un mundo desarrollado comienza con usted, su conocimiento y su iniciativa. Junto con su empresa y la de otros como usted, las sociedades subdesarrolladas tendrán la oportunidad de aprender, crecer y avanzar.

 

 

Interns de Otoño 2009