On December 7th, 2007 at 4pm youth from around Chicago held a press conference to confront Cook County and City of Chicago government for violating the Convention on the Rights of a Child.

Youth from Fearless Leading by the Youth, Cabrini Green, Southwest Youth Collaborative's Generation Y, the U.S. Human Rights Network and other testified about:

* The school to prison pipeline - Kids are getting sent to jail for fighting and talking back in violation of Article 40 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child which states: "Prison sentences should only be imposed if a child is convicted of a most serious offense" and Article 28 which states "Governments should ensure that school disciplinary practices do not violate a child's dignity"

* The violation of the right to a quality education – Youth are not receiving quality education, violating Article 29 "Governments should ensure that a child's education allows him/her to develop to his/her fullest potential."

* The violation of the right to a decent standard of living – Youth have to move every time their families are displaced by gentrification and are often trapped by poverty, in violation of Article 26 and 27 which provide for the right to "social assistance… [such as] housing assistance" and the "right to a standard of living that fosters physical, emotional, social, moral and spiritual development."

Youth delivered toe tags representing the youth whose lives have been taken by these and other Human Rights violations to the members of the Cook County Board and the Chicago City Council along with letters demanding Chicago and Cook County sign on and implement the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"I think it is long past time for our Human Rights to be respected. We're sick of being locked up, sick of being moved around," says Damian Turner of Fearless Leading by the Youth.

"You would think our country cared about its future (youth) but they don't. Now it's time they take us in consideration and respect our Human Rights," says Cozy C.Y. Hendrix of the Coalition to Protect Public Housing.

On December 9th, the U.S. Human Rights Network hosted SWYC youth for the 2007 Human Rights Conference at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois.

They experienced human rights training workshops, guest speakers from around the country and networked with national, regional, and local grassroots organizations that are utilizing the human rights framework in their day to day work. The conference's cultural opening was held at SWYC's Amandla Center the night before, where attendees shared their artistic talents, music, and energy with a unique group of youth and activists in town for the conference.