On Tuesday, November 11th, Open Youth Networks member and grad of the 2007 YouthLAB Program - Zane Scheuerlein was awarded a Goldman Sachs Youth Prize for Excellence in International Education.

The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society partnered to create the Youth Prizes for Excellence in International Education, which are awarded to U.S. high school students, ages 14-18, who demonstrate an in-depth understanding of key issues in international affairs. On November 11, 2008, five U.S. high school students were awarded $10,000 college scholarships for proposing solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges. The ceremony was held at the Waldorf Astoria in NY during the 2008 Annual Gala of the Asia Society. The 2008 competition asked students to create an in-depth written essay or multimedia feature examining a social or economic issue that has relevance to them in a global context.

Over 700 American teens from every state, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, addressed a wide range of political and humanitarian issues, including entries on the environment, peace and conflict, poverty, education, immigration, and many more.

In his video “Border Crossings” about environmental injustice in Chicago and a small border town in Mexico, Zane documented the effects of waste sites and industrial facilities on air pollution, employment, and public health in neighboring communities. Zane is interested in alternative media production, international relations and sociology.

Click here to see Zane’s video, Border Crossings.

Click here to see more photos of the event.

Click here to read a brief article in the Evanston Review.

Click here to read article/see video at Northwestern News Network

Our very own Marisol Becerra was recently awarded one of the prestigious Brower Youth Awards by the Earth Island Institute for her community organizing work with Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and the creation of “Our Map of Environmental Justice” through the support of Open Youth Networks.

A huge article appeared in the November 3, 2008 front page section of the Chicago Tribune which you can access here. Also, read Mindy Faber’s response to the article here which unfortunately neglected to mention Open Youth Networks or LVEJO.

The Brower Youth Award website is chocked full of great information too, not only about Marisol but about the other winners as well. Check it out here.

But first watch this video…