PRESS RELEASE

Berkeley Speaker from International House Visits Juvenile Hall

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — July 9, 2008 — In collaboration with David Gilliam of the University California at Berkeley International House, City Youth Now brought graduate student Bret Strogen to the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center to present a provocative lecture on water and energy conservation to the youth on Unit 2. Strogen is currently an environmental scientist working on his PhD. Strogen engaged the students to discuss environmental related issues and impressed upon the youth the importance of taking action to conserve our precious resources such as water and energy. His overall lesson was "Learning to Appreciate Convenience" in a nation with readily available clean water and energy.

Strogen presented an interactive lecture, putting environmental issues in both a local and global context. He spent the time talking about his personal experiences in Guatemala and on the Hurricane Katrina relief team in New Orleans. From these experiences, Strogen presented compelling and tangible lessons to the youth on water, energy, and waste. By sharing his personal experiences with the detained youth, they were able to see science at work beyond the classroom and text book. At the end of the presentation, the young men participated in a thought provoking question and answer session. The session ended when one young man raised his hand to thank Strogen for "enriching their minds that day."

About City Youth Now:
Founded in 1950, City Youth Now is a nonprofit organization that addresses the needs of youth under the jurisdiction of San Francisco's Juvenile Court — including youth in the foster care and/or delinquency systems. Probation officers, social workers, attorneys, and others make grant requests for youth under their supervision. City Youth Now grants range from clothing for a youth who is leaving Juvenile Hall, to tutoring or music lessons for a child in foster care. www.cityyouthnow.org

About International House:
International House is an independent, self-supporting, non-profit organization with close ties to the University of California Berkeley. Our mission is to foster intercultural respect and understanding, lifelong friendships and leadership skills for the promotion of a more tolerant and peaceful world. The House achieves its mission by providing students and scholars from the United States and around the world with an opportunity to live and learn together in a challenging and supportive residential and community-oriented program center. Its resources and activities are designed to stimulate diversity of thought and experience among residents, alumni worldwide and members of the campus and Bay Area communities. http://ihouse.berkeley.edu/i/index.html

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Press Contact:
Caitlin Walsh
Program Director
City Youth Now
caitlin@cityyouthnow.org

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