This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

Administrator J. Brian Atwood
"Operation Day's Work -- USA"
The Open Forum
Washington, D.C., February 17, 1998
U.S. Agency for International Development

Again I am glad you could all be here today, and I want to thank Rick [Little] for doing such a wonderful job laying out exactly why we need to focus on the problems of youth. We do face enormous challenges around the globe in helping youth and it will take a tremendous effort if we hope to be effective in responding to these challenges. I also agree strongly with Rick that not only do we need good programs and sound approaches, but that we really do need to instill the values in youth that will make them able stewards of the next generation.

Rick is a wonderful example of what I like to think of as a new breed of American internationalist. The International Youth Foundation has effectively bridged the gaps between private giving, the wonderful work of non-governmental organizations and the important role of bilateral donors such as USAID -- largely as a result of Rick's leadership. Across America we are seeing more people like Rick emerge: people who come to international affairs not out of the salons of Georgetown, but out of a deep understanding of how connected the world has become -- and I think that bodes well for our efforts to deal not only with the problems of youth, but with the myriad problems of development.

Clearly, we cannot take for granted that things will automatically be better for every subsequent generation. If we want to make sure that today's youth will acquire the tools needed to be strong leaders in the coming millennium, we will have to make a concerted effort. This holds true both in the United States and in the developing world.

It is crucial that we continue to explore new ways to get America's youth engaged with the rest of the world. A poll released this January shows how vital this task continues to be. This poll of college freshman is an annual affair, and has been conducted for the last 30 years. The poll read a bit like Pandora's box, with some issues of real concern followed up with a healthy dose of hope.

This class of freshman -- more than 250,000 of whom took part in the survey -- established some dubious distinctions: they expressed the highest levels of academic and civic apathy of any group polled in the survey's three decade history. While international affairs were not addressed in the summary of the report I reviewed, it is difficult to imagine that if these freshmen are apathetic about what is happening around them, that they are very engaged in the world away from our shores.

As Mary McGrory commented on this same poll, "Some people think it is wrong to kick-start teenagers out of their self-absorption. But the need is so great, there should be no quibbling over how they become involved in other people's problems."

When we look at nations such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark, we see a very different picture in terms of how those nations look at the world around them. On balance, the youth of these countries are far more knowledgeable and educated about international affairs and the developing world in particular.

All three of these nations are consistently the most active and generous in terms of providing foreign assistance to the developing world. All three of these nations have a much better understanding of why assistance to the developing world makes for enlightened investments in self-interest more than charity.

The contrasts with the United States are striking. But are we to believe that the difference in attitudes between the United States and these other countries is simply a function of geography or weather? I don't think so. Certainly, it is not an accident that Denmark, Norway and Sweden are consistently leaders in global awareness.

For three decades these nations have placed a priority on instilling the value of giving and being engaged in helping to make the world a better place to live in the minds of the young people of their countries.

Norwegian awareness about foreign assistance begins with the school-based program entitled "Operation Day's Work" -- an annual fundraising effort organized by Norwegian high school students to earn money for their less fortunate counterparts in developing nations. This program began 34 years ago as a very modest effort. Today, more than 900 high schools and 220,000 students participate annually in Operation Day's Work.

Norway's students not only raise millions of dollars, which are then matched by the government of Norway, but they also become fully immersed in all aspects of the country they have chosen to study. Lessons about that specific country are incorporated into the school curriculum. The program raises student awareness about global economic issues, the importance of preventing crises, the impact of poverty and disease on a society and what actually makes democracy work.

Clearly, we need to redouble our efforts to build ties between America's youth and those in other countries. And that is why I am so proud to announce that with the help of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the International Youth Foundation and the members of other organization represented here today, we intend to help make Operation Day's Work USA a major part of the American landscape.

It is my hope that "Operation Day's Work USA" will help sow the seeds of our future in the mind's of the world's children. While the initial effort is being spearheaded by USAID, the International Youth Foundation, and our partners, it ultimately will be implemented by the schools and students themselves, working with local officials, NGOs and the private sector. A number of practical concerns about how the program will actually operate have yet to be decided, but it is intended that many details will be determined at the local level with input from the national umbrella organization.

Local participation is essential in shaping the program to fit local needs and capabilities. We will most likely seek private funds, not government funds, to match students' contributions. The ways in which students raise funds may vary as well.

This effort will take a lot of hard work. Today, we probably have as many questions as answers as to how this will all evolve. But I am proud to say that we have a long list of people here today who are committed to working with us over the next year to make this happen.

USAID has been joined by a terrifically diverse group of partners interested in this effort including the government of Norway, the International Youth Foundation, the Close-up Foundation,Talk Radio News Service, the Partners of the Americas, AFS, the Peace Corps, World Vision, Interaction, ADRA, Creative Associates, Quest International, the Inter-American Development Bank, America's Promise, the Humphrey Institute and others. We are determined to create a long-term education program that will work for every community, every school, and every student that wants to get involved.

The program will be piloted in several pilot schools in the first year and expanded to other communities in the future. The goal is to have Operation Day's Work USA become a nationwide, annual event by the year 2003, with each program being designed and implemented at the local level. Several schools in Minnesota, Vermont, North Dakota, Washington and the District of Colombia have expressed interest in being part of the first year pilot effort. Preliminary discussions are underway in each of these communities and several other communities have expressed similar interest in the program.

I think it is useful to liken this effort to something like Earth Day. Nearly 30 years ago, someone had an idea to create an opportunity to both celebrate our environment and to draw attention to what we are doing to destroy it. Today, Earth Day is a annual, national event where nearly every community and school in the country has earth day activities on the same day in April. No two events are alike -- they are all locally driven, created at the community level to serve the needs of the community. And while we see tremendous value from the work done every earth day, the greater contribution is to the public awareness of the importance of the environment that lasts all year long.

Year one of Operation day's Work will be dedicated to establishing a non-partisan umbrella organization comprised of public and private sector agencies, teachers, students, parents and the business community, committed to planning and developing a model that can be replicated nationwide. The goal is to enable programs to be developed by local communities and run by students. The national umbrella organization will articulate several common threads to which local programs should adhere, including using the same day to observe Day's Work, compliance with community service requirements and in helping guide the selection of each year's specific developing country on which to focus.

We are all very excited about this program, and I want to deeply thank all the people who are helping to get this project off the ground. In concluding my remarks, let me just say that around the world, we will be facing the largest generation of youth this planet has ever seen, or likely will ever see, in just a few years. How we respond to the challenges of this generation will be crucial to developed and developing nations alike. Will America become more actively engaged and help prevent crises before they happen, or will we succumb to the temptation to pull the ladder of economic prosperity up behind us?

I think Operation Day's Work USA has almost unlimited potential and will help us meet these challenges head on. This program can effectively harness a sound model that has worked in Norway and elsewhere and infuse with the terrific energy and entrepreneurialism of America's own communities. The more America knows about the developing world, the more America will care about the developing world. I thank you and look forward to working with many of you on this efforts in the year ahead.

Now I would like to introduce Karsten Klepsvik, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

As I mentioned, the Norwegian Government has been instrumental in helping us get where we are today. They have been extraordinarily generous in not only helping my staff understand how the Norwegian program operates, but in providing resources to get this program off the ground. In fact, thanks to the Ambassador, we have here today Kare Dag Magnersnes, the young man who currently coordinates Norway's Operation Day's Work. Again, my heartfelt thanks to you Deputy for all your efforts, and to the government and people of Norway for making the world a better place. Deputy Klepsvik...

This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

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