Kelly Family Receives Service to Humanity Award

Legacy honors The Kelly family – Susan V, Kelly. Founder and Executive Director of Kelly Foundation, her mother Nancy and father Dan who have for the past 30 + years sponsored more than 200 young people to Global Youth Village as part of a larger support strategy for teens at risk from refugee and Native American backgrounds.

In the early 1980’s there was an influx of Vietnamese and Cambodian children arriving in the US with heir families. The youths were moving into an affluent culture form the day-to-day survival mode as “boat people” or escaping the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia.  The Kelly family took interest in several families and supported young people to attend GYV as a way to help them acclimate and see themselves as global citizens with the potential to change the legacy of hate they escaped from.

In the early 1990s their focus shifted to Native American reservations where young people were isolated and their futures corrupted by hopelessness that comes form poverty.  The young people they sent to GYV came form more than 30 tribes across the US.  This first exposure off the reservation gave them confidence to enter and stay in institutions of higher learning.  The Kelly Family has been very comprehensive in their approach to young people, providing counseling to the entire family when needed.

Dan a retired lawyer, businessman and CIA employee became instrumental in the financial and fundraising areas of the foundations.  All of Susie’s drive came form Nancy’s models of generosity. 

In addition to the Kelly Foundation Susie, Dan and Nancy also have been instrumental in establishing the Center Pole at Wellknown Buffalo.

The Center Pole is a community-based organization whose mission is to empower Native American reservation youth through knowledge, experience and global awareness and train them as agents of change, to promote the exchange of information, ideas and understanding between Indian reservations and the mainstream, and to conduct projects to promote a just future for Native communities. 

An important component developed by Susie and Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo, Executive Director of the Center Pole is a cross-cultural service learning component. Individuals and organizations from across the country partner with volunteers from within the community on a variety of service projects and experience Crow culture firsthand.

Native American youth volunteers learn valuable leadership skills and earn volunteer hours, making them eligible for national and international education programs.

“Ninety two per cent of Native American college students who enter college drop out.”

The Kelly Foundation is the educational arm of the partnership, where Native American reservation student prepare for college and receive the type of support and guidance necessary for success.

The Center Pole has distributed more than $1 million worth of basic necessities to people living in poverty on the Crow, Northern Cheyenne and Ft. Belknap Indian Reservations using local volunteers. It has assisted more than 500 Native American youth in attending mainstream educational programs, colleges and universities. It contributes to the preservation of Crow Indian art, culture, history and language and supports increased awareness of living Native American culture. The Center Pole was recently honored nationally with the Res 2009 Youth Entrepreneurship Advocate of the Year Award and an award from the Petra Foundation.

Nguyenvu Nguyen Recieves Legacy’s Service To Humanity Award

Nguyen Vu Nguyen M.D.

Nationality: Vietnamese American

Attended GYV: Participant 84-’88

Education: Harvard University 1990-1994 AB in Biology . Emory University School of Medicine 1995-1999. Training in pediatrics at Oakland Children’s Hospital. Training in pediatric cardiology at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON. Training in pediatric cardiac intensive care at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Current work: Pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  I also volunteer with Operation Smile, Children as the Peacemaker Foundation, and Project Vietnam.

Biography: I was born and raised in Viet Nam, and immigrated to the USA in 1982 as part of the Boat People Movement. I currently live in Chicago, IL.  My most treasured memories of Legacy were being able to have experiential learnings through one-on-one meetings with young people from other cultures and walks of life. It was at Legacy that I experienced the safety of living without threat of wars, conflicts, violence, and poverty. What I have done with my life since those summers, has been to accrue education and skills to empower others, particularly, children of our planet.  In addition to being a pediatric cardiologist, I hope to return to school for a master of public health and spend more time in Africa and Asia.

Cross Cultural Immersion Music Workshop

It’s a catchy song – Nick

We sing it all the time in the morning – Cali

Yin is learning drum and singing.  She played piano and clarinet when she was younger, but gave those up.

Nick played the flute in 8^th grade,

“We’re learning a lot about music – the high notes and the low, and the between, and the drumming.”  A., a GYV participant from Iraq started drumming on the table as he demonstrated what he was learning in his Arabic music class.  The class, lead by Arabic musician Sami Abu Shumays, is bringing speakers of more than 5 languages, from 4 countries together to learn to sing and play music from the Middle East.  For many, it’s their first experience playing music.  M., also from Iraq, has never been involved in music, but has learned to drum for the class.  A. has worked professionally as a DJ, creating beats for commercials and songs. 

Other participants were already accomplished musicians when they joined the class, but are enjoying learning a new form.  Klara, from Germany, plays jazz and classical saxophone, and is excited to be learning a new form of music.  Cali, from the United States, plays violin, piano, clarinet, flute, drums, and lap harp.  She says, “It’s a lot of fun because we get to meet each other and learn.”  Nick, from Chicago, agreed.  “It’s bringing us closer together.”

Learning to sing in Arabic has been a challenge for the non-Arabic speaking participants.  Cali says the aspirated Hs are particularly difficult.  She explained her difficulty, and it turned into a mini-lesson on the correct pronunciation.  The Arabic speaking students in the class spend a lot of time helping the others understand the meaning of the music they are working on. 

Both sections of the class are looking forward to performing the song they are learning at Sharing Night.  “It’s a catchy song,” says Nick.  “We sing it a lot in the mornings,” Cali added.

Peacebuilding Workshop- An Iraqi Prespective

The Peacebuilding Workshop is a kind of workshop  that focuses on communication and dialogue as tools to bring about peace, understanding and experimental knowledge.  It helps promote listening, expressing thoughts and sharing personal experiences to build connecting bridges between participants to bring them closer together so that they could comprehend and appreciate each other in a peaceful and productive manner.  Providing a safe and comfortable environment for the participants is the key to beneficial communication and it accommodates speaking up and learning diverse techniques about conflict resolution skills by experiencing the facts rather than studying them.  Demonstrating that respect and positive attitude leads to a win/win result provokes the participants to try to make a difference through embracing dialogue and peace as the lane that leads to solutions for our problems. 

When I first came here I was really confused about my goals and I had so many thoughts in chaos that I didn’t know how to sort them out, but I have experienced in this workshop that there is really no way to peace, peace is the way.  I finally have the motivation that I was lacking to go for my dreams which is to make a positive difference in my society.

~ Iraqi Participant Session B, 2009

Poetry for Peace

In honor of its 30^th anniversary Legacy has launched a Poetry for Peace campaign.  In our Peacebuilding Programs, the young people discovered new ways of self-expression through the arts.   The authors’ identities have been concealed to insure safety and security – peace. We will be featuring their poetry on our website so please enjoy.

 I believe peace will never be achieved

It is what the dead dream of

Last I heard of peace it fled with the truth, love, and ambition

I read of peace once alive even heard stories of its death

I believe peace is one with the sail and we can only pray.

I believe peace is dead, peace is gone

and all that remains are embers

yet

I live to create truth

I live to see beauty

live with faith that the dead leave echoes, and while

peace is only a word, it echoes of love

resonates with the soil in me

So if I can live these truths and hear these echoes;

Then can I now believe?

RJ – USA

I believe peace will make my life still

no more hurt no more cry. Just try to chill

Truth is my life

I don’t believe in lies

So when you lie, just keep it inside.

I see beauty in this world Its beautiful.

Don’t hate your life, Its a miracle. 

Young Man from Baghdad

I believe peace will make us closer

Make our diversities more similar

We can come together in harmony

Love, happiness, tranquility, freedom, peace.

Truth is a quest for those who persevere

An answer for those who wonder

An example for those who learn

The truth that is, was, and will be.

I see beauty in nature, the city

I see beauty in guns, in roses

I see beauty in one, in all

Beauty is that which resides in everything, hot and cold 

Hameed  – USA

I see beauty in everything

good and bad

cuz everything has the chance to change.

Young woman – Iraq

I believe peace will bring together the most unforgiving societies into one.

Truth is understanding.  Sarah – USA

Peace will raise you up to the highest mountain top

and then fling you to the ground when it is lost

Peace will solve more problems than war.

Peace is a faith most important to humanity

that raises our consciousness.

Peace is my religion.

Liam – USA

We’re living in a peace camp for now

no one ever falls

cuz we’re together and holding hands

each and who ever breaks

they help him get up and rise

Since all the violence I’ve seen

I can’t believe where have I been

I wish that peace would be so true

and a thing that everyone has to know.

Young woman from Iraq

I believe peace will make better world

make better community

Truth is

Beauty of the heart

beauty of the loving family

power of the united family

united community

united people

Young man from Iraq

Identifying Universal Values and Building Common Ground

At first, one would think Iraqi and US teens would have little in common since their life experiences are so different. However  during GYV’s  Peace-building Program, there has been incredible connection, integration, and appreciation between the youth from the U.S. and from Iraq. Friendships have become so strong and people have bonded over open discussions of cultural differences.

A moment that brought us all together came from a speech GYV founder, J.E. Rash, gave the first day the youth arrived. He pointed out that there are certain universal human values that transcend cultures and continents. The young people from both countries added compassion, honesty, integrity, respect, courage, family, community, strength, open-mindedness, humility, and the ability to listen to a list of universal values.  Recognizing that we all aspire to and agree upon the same ideals created a foundation for open communication and respect that was perfect for living in cabins together, participating in our peace-building workshops, and engaging in all of the other fun activities around the Global Youth Village.

One 16-year-old Iraqi participant described her experience at GYV this way:

The Americans were so nice. I learned a lot of stuff here – to be responsible for myself, to care for myself and my friends in hard times, and it was a great experience for me to meet the Americans and talk with them. My thought about Americans changed when I came here and met them. The way I talked to them, we talked about a lot of stuff we have in common, and the workshops were great and fun. Yesterday we were all dancing.

Despite diverse cultural practices, variations in religion, and differences between our governments, recognizing the universal human values we all share transcends these separations and provides hope for a peaceful world community.

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