Contact: Lisa Correnti, 202-393-7002

NEW YORK, March 7, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Twelve young adults arrived in New York this week to represent the International Youth Coalition (IYc) at the United Nations' 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). IYc involves youth in the international debate on life and family at the UN.

These volunteers are spending the week in and around the United Nations, participating in the many CSW events and panels, and reporting (as well as photographing) their experiences every day on the International Youth Coalition's blog, iycoalition.org.

This year's volunteers hail from around the world -- Zimbabwe, Mexico, Austria, Argentina, USA -- leaving their careers and universities for the week and bringing with them a remarkably varied group of specialties and backgrounds. Timothy Herrmann, director of IYc, remarks, "Not only do we have representation from Latin America, Africa, and Western Europe, but we also have Americans from different parts of the country with extremely diverse cultural backgrounds themselves. This just goes to show that the pro-life and pro-family world knows no boundaries and upholds values that transcend cultural differences."

The individuals of this year's IYc have backgrounds in law, bioethics, history, international relations, music, and poetry. While different aspects of CSW may have attracted them personally, the common thread running through the group is a unifying concern for the wellbeing of women, and the protection of basic human dignity.

Tatenda Mabikacheche, an international student from Zimbabwe, explains, "The CSW's theme of empowering rural women really stood out to me. I was captivated by the fact the youth are becoming more and more highly prioritized in aiding various development goals." According to Austrian volunteer David Jauernik, "I wanted to be able to do something for family and life dignity on the world stage, and to meet international Catholic people fighting for the same reason."

The IYc's Bridget Littleton points out, "As a young woman myself, not only do I have a personal stake in the decisions of these topics, but I also feel solidarity with other women around the world who don't have the opportunity to directly address representatives and decision makers."

These twelve remarkable individuals will be posting their experiences on the International Youth Coalition's blog all week. Be sure to check in frequently at iycoalition.org.