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KOC High School benefits from Global Dignity training by world’s top young leaders

(Istanbul, Turkey) – November 28, 2006 – The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL), part of the World Economic Forum, with Young Global Leader John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE’s Founder and CEO introduced Global Dignity to students at KOC High School – a Turkish school with a global perspective, in Istanbul on Tuesday, November 21. The teaching session comes immediately prior to the start of the regional World Economic Forum meeting in Turkey.

“The best leaders recognize that they are in service to others, and likewise, in service to something higher and more important than self.  Thanks to fellow Young Global Leader and President of Yes for Europe Murat Sarayli, we have the opportunity to plant the seeds of empowerment and dignity in these bright students in hopes that the global dignity will be furthered by these promising students. By promoting Global Dignity we bring self-sufficiency and empowerment to communities all over the world,” said Bryant.

Global Dignity, an initiative of the Forum of Young Global Leaders and in partnership with HOPE Global Initiative, is a paradigm shift in thinking about global challenges; creating a new language based on universal human communication to inspire solutions to world problems. It is a non-profit and non-partisan organization with the mission to implement the principles for every human being to lead a dignified life.

Through the use of this teaching tool, students will learn how they can easily integrate these concepts into their everyday life to help promote dignity to the five Dignity Principles are:

·         Every human being has a right to lead a dignified life.

·         A dignified life means an opportunity to fulfill one’s potential, which is based on having a human level of health care, education, income and security.

·         Dignity means having the freedom to make decisions on one’s life and to be met with respect for this right.

·         Dignity should be the basic guiding principle for all actions.

·         Ultimately, our own dignity is interdependent with the dignity of others.

Koc student Nayantara Bagla said, "For me that 7-letter word  is so important now. It was never anything big but now I guess it will be one of the most important words of my life, not only my vocabulary."

Founded in 1988 by the Vehbi Koç Foundation, the Koç School is one of Turkey’s most selective and competitive university preparatory schools. Set under the backdrop of one of the developing world’s fastest growing economies, it attracts an outstanding academic staff of Turkish and foreign teachers, and students who score at the highest levels of entrance examinations. Koç School seeks to be a leader and a pioneer in Turkish education and to set standards for other schools to follow.

Global Dignity was co-founded by HRH Crown Prince Haakon Magnus of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen, University of Art & Design Helsinki and Visiting Professor at Oxford University, and John Hope Bryant from Operation HOPE, Inc. and is linked to the 2020 process of the World Economic Forum. More information about Global Dignity is available at www.globaldignity.com.

The role of HOPE Global Initiatives is to promote and advocate the benefits of financial literacy, self reliance, economic empowerment and “silver rights” as a tool for vastly improving the quality of life in developing countries. The role was expanded to serve underserved communities throughout the world.

About the Forum of Young Global Leaders

The Forum of Young Global Leaders is comprised of leaders, aged 40 years and younger, committed to shaping the future. The Young Global Leaders include leaders from each of the seven geographic regions and from the worlds of politics, business, society, learning, arts and culture. Each year, around 200 Young Global Leaders are nominated to serve for a period of five years, ultimately forming a community of 1,111 by 2009. The Forum of Young Global Leaders was created by Professor Klaus Schwab in 2004 and acts in close cooperation with the World Economic Forum in their joint commitment to improving the state of the world.

About HOPE Global Initiatives

HOPE Global Initiatives was developed out of the organization’s leadership role in hosting Ambassadors and Heads of State visiting Southern California, as well as the founder’s former role with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva, Switzerland, as their first ever goodwill ambassador to the United States.  The role of HOPE Global Initiatives is to promote and advocate the benefits of economic empowerment as a tool for vastly improving the quality of life in developing countries, with a particular focus on developing countries on the African continent. The role has expanded to serve underserved communities throughout the world.

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