Harlem Children Society launches new programme in Christchurch

Students in Monterrey, Mexico watch live video telecast with presentation posters in the background.

NEW YORK – Over 1000 students in under-resourced and under-served backgrounds on five continents joined together to celebrate their interests in studying medicine, science & technology, math, engineering, and social sciences in the “5th Annual Global Harlem Science Street Fairs & Festivals,” organised by Harlem Children Society International (HCS) in  September.

Part of this global celebration included the launch of a new Harlem Children Society programme at Canterbury University in Christchurch.

In a simultaneous series of worldwide events linked together through a global webcast, the best-and-the-brightest high school students chosen to participate in HCS International programmes – joined by family members, university and industry mentors, community and government leaders, and local community members – presented their research projects in eight celebrations and gatherings across the globe.

In addition to celebrating the anniversary, the occasion served to launch new HSC International programmes in NZ, Moldova, Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

The tremendous success in New York – where 100 per cent of HCS students are accepted to university and 20 per cent are accepted by the most prestigious universities in the US – is drawing international attention as an ideal model for providing opportunities to under-resourced students.

“This year’s ‘Global Harlem Science Street Fairs & Festivals’ marks a giant leap forward for Harlem Children Society International,” said Dr Sat Bhattacharya, the molecular geneticist and cancer researcher at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

“By linking students in eight countries via web-cast to celebrate the unifying impact of scientific inquiry and the human spirit across continental and cultural divides, we are raising awareness of the global impact of science, medicine, and technology.”

“HCS International’s programmes bring science directly to the urban streets and far-flung villages of the world to foster the desire of the most promising students with the fewest resources and opportunities to pursue a better education and to build awareness about the importance of investing in these students today to nurture tomorrow’s leaders in science.”

HCS International advisory board members and participating students organised the simultaneous events and celebrations in: NZ (Christchurch), Kenya (Meru), Ethiopia (Awassa), India (Kolkata, at Mother Teresa’s Orphanage), Moldova (Chisinau), Mexico (Monterrey), The Hopi Nation & The Navajo Nation (Arizona, US).

Students from around the world appeared on a large screen on 127th Street in Harlem, New York, to present their research on a wide range of topics, including depression, computer tomography, diabetes, nutritional diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, biological effects of prescription drug and alcohol abuse, nanotechnology, biotechnology, space research, genetic engineering, and many other topics.

Dr Bhattacharya continued, “Our model is very simple, yet very powerful: working with professional scientists and university mentors, each HCS International local chapter provides students with access to laboratories and professionals from local institutions.

“By identifying the most promising students from under-served and under-resourced areas early in their high school years, HCS International provides them with a positive path of support and encouragement that yields better grades, places them on university campuses and in clinical settings at an early age, and better prepares them with the confidence they need to be successful in college.”

Muriungi Marete, a former teacher in Kenya and now a post-graduate student at the University of Canterbury, who is developing a new HCS programme in NZ observed, “Starting in Christchurch, we are very excited to establish the Harlem Children Society model that is so successful in New York.

“Tomorrow’s discoveries in biosciences, engineering, mathematics, and social sciences are waiting to be tapped in the minds of today’s students across the globe.

“Tomorrow’s Einsteins may come from Africa, forests in India, some small NZ town, Eastern Europe, or from under-resourced families in the US.”

Marete is implementing HCS International programme in Christchurch based on his experience in establishing a successful programme in a remote village in Kenya that now includes over 100 students.