Atlanta delegation to the mission.

Metro Atlanta Students To Seek Ways To Overcome Hate During ADL Mission To U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Date: September 1, 2009

Ten racially, ethnically, and religiously diverse students from four metro high schools have been selected as delegates for the Anti-Defamation League's tenth annual Grosfeld Family National Youth Leadership Mission to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., from Sunday, November 15 through Wednesday, November 18, 2009. Local funding for the mission is provided by Atlanta residents Lynne and Howard Halpern.

The students will convene in Washington to debate, question, and wrestle with the harmful issues of bigotry and intolerance in America.  The centerpiece of the Mission will be their visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. "It [the Youth Mission] will be an exciting and educational trip. I’ll be able to bring back these experiences to share with my peers," said one of the student delegates who will participate in the program.

The Museum will not only educate the delegates about the Holocaust, but will allow for exploration of current issues of extremism and bigotry.  The student delegations will also have the unique opportunity to hear the personal stories of Holocaust survivors and current day civil rights leaders.  Their testimonies will remind participants that they each possess the power -- through their actions and behavior -- to combat bigotry.

"I want to be a part of an unforgettable learning experience. I couldn't believe that I was chosen," said another student when asked why he wants to participate in the Mission.

ADL developed the National Youth Leadership Mission to help confront and overcome racial tension.  The Mission uses historic and modern-day examples of moral courage to help motivate students to fight prejudice within their own lives and in their schools and communities.  The delegates become positive agents for change and help teach their peers the strength of diversity.

Shelley Rose, Associate Director of the ADL Southeast Region office noted, "This Mission encourages open communication and frank discussion so our youth can learn the benefits of diversity and be given the tools to combat bigotry."

The National Youth Leadership Mission was initiated in 1996 by ADL's Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest Regional office.  This year's Mission is comprised of 90 ethnically, religiously and racially diverse high school students from Atlanta, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, New England, New Orleans, New York/Albany and Washington, DC.  The following metro Atlanta schools are sending delegates to this year's Mission: Chamblee High School and Clarkston High School in DeKalb County; Dutchtown High School in Henry County; and Rockdale County High School in Rockdale County.

For more information about the National Youth Leadership Mission, the Anti-Defamation League, or its A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute, please call the Southeast Regional Office at 404-262-3470 or contact us.