Time may well be at a premium for Winner, classmates Forrest Horton and Cory Turner and Sussex teacher Jen Ellis, who set off together Wednesday to attend the Second Annual Student Conference on Human Rights and the Culture of Peace. The conference, which will take place at the United Nations complex in Manhattan, will bring together several hundred students from 14 countries, ranging from fifth graders through high school students.

Last year, students taking part in the conference drafted their own version of the U.N.'s Declaration of Human Rights. This year, students attending the conference will talk about implementing last year's recommendations.

"Last year, students put together sort of a visionary document that stated what they would like the world to be like," said Ellis, a Sussex language arts and social studies teacher. "This year, the task is to address the document and figure out how to implement it."

While no students from Sussex participated in last year's conference, the private Missoula school has been involved in the Associated Schools Project, which is sponsoring the gathering for the past two years.

The project, established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1953, is designed to encourage schools to work in four areas: the promotion of human rights and democracy; teaching about the United Nations system and global issues; cross-cultural learning; and the preservation of world heritage sites, both cultural and natural.

Thom Sanders-Garrett, Sussex School principal, said the project seemed like a natural fit for Sussex.

"We have a high-profile focus on environmental things here at Sussex," Sanders-Garrett said. "We also spend a lot of time on peace issues and communication. We thought this would be a great connection for us."

Ellis said Sussex decided in September that it would send a delegation to the conference. After reviewing applications, Winner, Horton and Turner were selected to attend the gathering in New York.

In preparation, the Sussex students were required to take on a project related to the theme of the conference. They chose to prepare a report on hate groups in Montana.

"Our project is designed to educate people on hate groups at the elementary level," Ellis said.

While in New York, the Sussex contingent will attend a briefing at the U.N. building, meet with U.N. delegates and tour the facility. They then will split up on Friday to attend various workshops. Before returning to Missoula on Sunday, the Missoula teens, who have never been to New York, will get a chance to do some sightseeing.

Horton said he views the conference as an opportunity for teen-agers to have a voice on important issues.

"It's important to show that the youth of the world cares about these kinds of things," Horton said.

Turner said before embarking on the project, he knew little about the United Nations or its mission.

"Before I started I didn't even know if I knew what the United Nations was," he said. "But the whole project sounded pretty interesting."

Winner said she believes that the conference can be used to help promote human rights throughout the world.

"I think it makes a big impression if a group of kids get together and express opinions instead of them just coming from adults," she said. "Normally kids are not interested. But this shows that kids are interested in the future."

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