International Trends & Services
Greater Queens (NY) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, has been at the forefront of supporting educational opportunities and advancement in Africa. Our first initiative, upon chartering, was to establish a relationship with the Ecole Elementaire Hamo #4 in Dakar, Senegal. Over the years, our support has made a tangible difference in the lives of these children. From providing backpacks and school supplies to purchasing a printer for teaching, we have bridged the gap for students who often lack access to books and instructional information.
As part of our Women’s History Month Program, we created the “International Wax Museum.” The program served to educate the young women attending the Young Women’s Leadership School in Queens, New York, through their research about global female leaders, both past and present. The young women represented each woman they studied, dressed in their attire, and researched the history and contributions of the women they selected to represent. When the “museum” opened to visitors, the students became animated sculptures of the women sharing information about their leadership and contributions to our global society.
Through our International Trends and Services, we introduced the prestigious Model United Nations program to Eagle Academy for Young Men of Southeast Queens and Pathways College Preparatory High School. This transformative program empowers students to delve into a country’s history, culture, geography, and economics, equipping them to become knowledgeable and articulate UN delegates. They engage in real-time debates on the UN’s agenda, broadening their horizons and fostering global citizenship. Countries studied by the student delegates have included Sri Lanka, Albania, Panama, Turkey, Australia, and Jordan.
The Model UN program allows students to experience spaces and interact with thought leaders, change agents, and decision-makers they would typically not have access to. This was especially true when our students were the only school approved by the Office of the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations to attend the 2024 General Assembly Commemorative meeting to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The students could view the proceedings and hear many inspiring messages from different countries. However, the one message that resonated with them was the message that “silence is not an opportunity for her generation” from 15-year-old Yolanda Renee King, Youth Activist and granddaughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King.
Before COVID, the students who participated in the Model United Nations Program assisted with the Haitian Survival Kit Program for four consecutive years. They helped secure and pack the kits donated to an orphanage in Haiti. The survival kits included underwear, dental items, female hygiene products, skincare products, and hair care products. In addition to the kits, additional items were shipped, such as children’s clothing, pajamas, socks, and shoes for children up to 18.
