A two day meeting to explore the future of a Youth Ambassador Project was held March 19­20 at the University for Peace. The project came out of the Global Citizenship 2000 Youth Congress sponsored by the International Foundation of Learning, together with other community partners, held April 4­6, 1997 in Vancouver, Canada. With the goal of providing youth the opportunity to be mentored by the leaders of today in order to help foment their global vision and leadership skills, the project will create a cohort of Youth Ambassadors over time, who will themselves take over the project and give it form. It is expected they will use the experiences gained to promote global citizenship and cooperation through good works and right action over a lifetime.

The Youth Ambassador Project is currently in its pilot phase. The first participant, Chris McBride, has been in Costa Rica since January, 1998. Chris first completed a six month preparatory internship based on the World Core Curriculum at the Vancouver Learning Centre. Since arriving in Costa Rica he has participated in the International Advisory Board meeting of RFPI, studied Spanish intensively, and gotten involved in the outreach activities of the Humanitarian Foundation.

Dr. Desmond Berghofer of the International Foundation of Learning chaired the meeting. Debra and James Latham and Joe Bernard of RFPI, Dr. Geraldine Schwartz of the Vancouver Learning Centre, Chris and his parents Jane and Mike McBride, Dr. Robert Muller, Chancellor of the University for Peace, and Barbara Gaughan-Muller all worked together with him in the dynamic two days to determine future possibilities and form ongoing partnerships to carry the project forward.

A selection process will be established through the International Foundation of Learning to choose the next participant(s) who will begin the internship at the Vancouver Learning Centre in September 1998 and arrive in Costa Rica in January 1999.