[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12184]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING YOUTH INTERNATIONAL DAY AND THE CULMINATION OF 
                        INTERNATIONAL YOUTH YEAR

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize International 
Youth Day and to honor youth leaders in Rhode Island as we celebrate 
the culmination of the International Youth Year.
  Since 1999, when the U.N. designated August 12 as a day to recognize 
the integral role youth have played in sustainable progress, we have 
commemorated the importance of young people getting involved in our 
global, regional, and national development.
  In celebrating the many milestones of the youth of today, we also 
honor the lives and work of those who led them, and Rhode Island has so 
many fantastic youth leaders. One such example is my friend, Franklin 
Rodriguez, the Minister of Youth Affairs in the Dominican Republic and 
the president of the Ibero-American Organization of Youth, who has 
joined us here today in the gallery.
  Under Franklin's leadership, the Ministry of Youth has worked to 
engage and empower Dominican American youth in Rhode Island by 
collaborating with the Community College of Rhode Island to provide 
training opportunities and honoring outstanding young civic and 
educational leaders in the community with their Youth Excellence Award.
  Many of Rhode Island's Dominican residents are young people who have 
contributed to the cultural, economic, and social development of our 
State in so many ways. For this reason, I'm honored to recognize 
International Youth Day, the leaders of the youth movement, and the 
culmination of International Youth Year.

                          ____________________