One local senior is taking her plight to the big leagues

[view:node_ad=5]A Canyon High student was chosen by the International Youth
Delegation to the United Nations to be one of five Student Ambassadors.

Julia Price, a senior at Canyon was chosen to be the North American
Delegate to advocate on behalf of the Red Hand
campaign in Washington D.C. 

The Red Hand campaign is an organization which tries to
persuade countries to adopt the   “Optional Protocol to the Convention of the
Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.”  The protocol prohibits the use of children
under the age of 18 in armed conflicts. 
Since its adoption by the General Assembly of the U.N on February 12,
2002 more than 100 states have ratified the treaty. 

Price and three other delegates from Europe, South America,
and Africa made a presentation to the U.N Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon and 45 other ambassadors with a speech commemorating the
passage of the protocol and asking for stronger action by international leaders
to stop the use of child soldiers.

In addition to the speech Price and the other delegates, two
of whom were former child soldiers, presented the Secretary General with more
than 250,000 red hands gathered from countries all over the world.

As President of the Human Rights watch Student Task Force
(STF) at Canyon High school, Price helped to collect
more than 1,600 red hands.

In addition to her work collecting red hands she and the STF
organized a Child Soldier Awareness assembly at Canyon High. 

Currently the STF is working on fundraising for the
organization Ajadi-ka, which negotiated the release of the Student Ambassador
from Africa who was held as a child soldier, and
Taller De Vida a group that works to rehabilitate and demobilize child soldiers.

They are also planning a human rights film festival to help
bring the global awareness of the issue to Santa Clarita residents.