In 2020, as we honor the 40th anniversary of Mohonk Consultations, we are unable to gather at Mohonk Mountain House for our achievement award ceremony. Yet we are particularly delighted to announce that Mohonk Consultations’ 2020 Distinguished Achievement Award celebrates the commitment and achievements of the Rondout Valley High School Human Rights Club:
Kasey Arnold, Co-President
Menena Baron, Reform Movement Consultant
Emily Bartolone, Treasurer
Brooke Bogart, Tech Director
Jennifer Callan
Una Flynn
Bryce Hopper
Emma Markle, Environmental Action Advocate
Adin Morinico-Robinson
Victoria Nazario, Vice President
Lena Pileggi, Co-President
Katherine Reynolds, Speaker
Aria Sickler Avery, Indigenous Rights Coordinator
Anya Slater
Rasheen Smith
Justin Startup, LGBTQIA+ Rights and Events Coordinator
Alma Sutherland-Roth, Secretary
Fredie Veale, Public Relations
Dior Williams, Speaker
Diana Zuckerman, Human Rights Club Advisor, Teacher of Spanish, Coordinator of Amnesty International’s Mid-Hudson Valley Chapter, and Commissioner on the Ulster County Human Rights Commission
WATCH THE VIDEO they made about their work!
This group has participated in our events for years—most recently in our programs on farmworkers and peacebuilding. They greatly enriched those events through their focused presence, their offerings in breakout groups, and by speaking on panels. They are an inspiration to us, to their families, fellow students, teachers and friends. We thank them for their work, their generosity of spirit, and their engagement with community initiatives. We believe that our ability to navigate a just transition to a world in which the interrelationship of all life on Earth is truly respected and protected will be elevated by leaders like these.
We asked these students for their reflections on their human rights work during their high school years.
They made THIS VIDEO and shared their thoughts below.
The work we do in our club is so very important in spreading awareness for social justice issues that impact our community locally and globally. It is also essential to empower our youth and that is why we are so lucky to work with Mohonk Consultations because they work hard to empower our local youth and spread awareness about social justice issues.
Watch Kasey’s talk at our conference, Creating & Sustaining Peace, beginning at 09:00.
In the Rondout Valley High School Human Rights Club we take pride in our success and impressive ability to connect with our community in many ways. We do more than connect. We speak to, listen to, speak for, as well as present for our community. It is a vital outlet for young activists like myself and my fellow club members. After attending the MC Peace Conference we were happy to learn that Mohonk Consultations has a similar determination for success within their community. Learning this was truly inspiring for our club.
It’s important for me to be a part of the human rights club because I believe this club is making a difference. It is important for people to discuss what’s going on in the world so we can make changes, overcome wrongs and shed light on the current problems in our society.
I feel that it’s important to be in the human rights club and do human rights work because there are so many problems in the world and so many people without a voice and the club works to help those people with those problems.
The work we do as the Rondout Valley Human Rights Club is important because we inspire those around us to get involved in important initiatives and help create effective change. We work hand in hand with our peers and community to create a better and more inclusive world for not only ourselves but for future generations.
I think it is very important to be in the human rights club because with all that’s going on in the world we need to take a stand. This club gives people hope and it’s nice to help out in any way we can.
The work that the human rights group does is incredibly important to me because I want to be part of a generation that works to heal a history of injustices. Before I joined this group, I was just a sideline supporter of human rights. I was all talk and no action except the occasional march. Reposting statements on Instagram is great and it spreads knowledge to many people but it’s not enough. Now I am an activist, creating my own statements, attending weekly meetings and I have connections with people from all over the country. —Lena Pileggi
I am grateful to have been a part of the Rondout Valley Human Rights Club because I met a lot of kind and compassionate people who were committed to helping others. It also gave me the opportunity to actively engage in the community. Receiving the Mohonk Consultations Award inspires us to continue in the work we do.
In our club, we all work together to organize and participate in human rights events to learn, educate, and inspire others to join us in being a part of the solution. Our work is important because we are part of the solution in creating a world in which everyone can live in peace. A world that consists of both peace and prosperity for all people and the environment. After attending various conferences at Mohonk for two years, it is quite clear that we share the same goals. —Victoria Nazario
The youth in our Human Rights Club give me hope for a better future for all. They always impress me with their powerful and passionate voices. I feel proud and honored to work with them.