Monday, May 26, 2025
Title: Global Governance Meets Personal Resilience
The program officially began today, and so did an unexpected challenge. While preparing breakfast, I suffered a deep cut to my thumb and needed to visit the local Auva Mieldling Traumazentrum. Though I missed the scheduled UNODC visit, this unforeseen event provided insight into how Austria’s healthcare system functions, quick, affordable, and rooted in human dignity. It mirrored one of the key discussions I had hoped to observe: the role of government in providing care and accountability. Even through physical discomfort, I reflected on how states can affirm rights not only in law books but in everyday service. Navigating this moment reminded me that advocacy is about being present for others, and for yourself—even when things go awry.
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Title: Walking Through Memory at Mauthausen
We traveled to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial today, where the weight of history hung in the air. Standing in the former quarry where prisoners once labored, I was struck by how systems of law had once justified atrocities. It was a chilling but essential reminder of what happens when justice is defined by power instead of principle. As someone committed to child protection, I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the silent suffering of those victims and the voicelessness that vulnerable youth often experience today. The experience reminded me that memory must fuel accountability, and that our work as future advocates includes bearing witness.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Title: Engaging Fundamental Rights with the FRA
Today we visited the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), where we discussed how the EU monitors and reports on systemic inequalities. I asked about the underreporting of abuse against Roma youth and those in state care—two populations I feel deeply connected to. Hearing the FRA’s approach to intersectional analysis and anti-discrimination enforcement inspired me to think critically about how U.S. systems could adopt similar monitoring tools. My own experience as a former foster youth came to the forefront. It became clear that effective policy depends not only on good intentions but on measurable data and consistent oversight. It was an empowering day that reminded me why transparency is essential in human rights work.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
Title: Behind the Scenes of International Crime Review
We examined the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its mechanisms for implementation. I was especially intrigued by Article 31, which empowers civil society to participate in review processes. I reflected on how marginalized communities—especially youth in foster care or affected by trafficking—could benefit if their lived experiences were considered in these evaluations. I envisioned future possibilities: drafting youth-informed monitoring reports, participating in public hearings, and consulting as a Guardian Ad Litem. The law, I realized, doesn’t just need lawyers. It needs listeners. It needs survivors. It needs bridge-builders. And I am determined to become one.
Friday, May 30, 2025
Title: Turning Pain into Policy – A Youth Advocacy Vision
In preparation for the Constructive Dialogue, we worked on drafting our own model policy recommendations. I shared a personal story about a relative who was criminalized at just 9 years old—caught in cycles of poverty, school pushout, and neighborhood neglect. My peers listened as I explained how these conditions could have been prevented through trauma-informed interventions and legal reform. Writing that policy proposal was cathartic. It was the first time I felt like my painful experiences were being translated into actionable solutions. I realized that healing is not just possible—it’s political. My story, once silenced, is now my most powerful tool.