MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Grammy Award Winner and Humanitarian Usher Raymond IV, announced today that his non-profit organization, Usher's New Look, will take Powered By Service, an initiative from Usher's New Look that encourages young people to utilize their talents and resources to make a difference in their community, to the Global Peace Convention in the Philippines from December 10-14, 2009. At the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2009, Usher's New Look launched Powered by Service and a partnership with the United Nations Foundation to tackle critical issues facing the world including malaria prevention.

In the true spirit of service and activating grassroots leaders on a global level, Usher is sending a delegation to the Global Peace Convention -- an extraordinary worldwide gathering of social entrepreneurs. Shawn H. Wilson, President of Usher's New Look and James Harris, newly appointed youth member of the Board of Directors, will be present at the convention to launch Powered By Service on an international stage. Harris, 20, was inducted into the Board of Directors for his exemplary leadership as a young artist, community change agent and his commitment to personal academic and career success. As a former New Look camper, current Mogul In Training, member of the Youth Philanthropy and Advisory Board, and one of the first young people to execute a Powered By Service project, James has been engaged in every program Usher's New Look offers.

"The Global Peace Convention is Powered By Service- it's a gathering of like-minded people that are dedicated to tackling critical issues worldwide," said Usher Raymond IV, Founder of Usher's New Look.

The Global Peace Convention (GPC) is an annual gathering of peace builders from around the world. It began as a result of the excitement and positive impact of the Global Peace Festivals (GPF) held throughout since 2007. The Convention is an opportunity to exchange information and learn from the best practices to improve the quality of all peace-building projects. These include joint efforts made by Powered by Service and Global Peace Service Alliance (GPSA) to empower youth in hot spots like war-torn Mindanao and western Kenya. UNL and GPSA will team up to promote youth empowerment to eradicate Malaria and promote national healing following the post-election tribal violence. The Convention brings together key leaders in the realms of politics, civil society and religion to discuss creative approaches and foster youth action to tackle pressing global issues.

"Usher's New Look is excited to expand Powered By Service and learn best practices from global decision makers and youth leaders," said Shawn H. Wilson, President of Usher's New Look.

The theme of the Global Peace Convention in 2009 is "Peacebuilding for the 21st Century: Interfaith, Service and Family."

"Usher's New Look understands that service is a simple and selfless act which benefits others and enables people to connect despite their differences," said David Caprara, Director of Global Peace Service Alliance. "The GPSA Alliance is honored to help expand the pathbreaking success of UNL's Powered by Service by partnering with grassroots youth service initiatives in Kenya, the Philippines, US and other nations working multilaterally."

The Global Peace Convention rises on the foundation of service, interfaith cooperation, and families dedicated to peace, the core hallmarks of more than 30 Global Peace Festivals in 18 nations on 5 continents over the past three years.

The universal ideal of 'One Family Under God' serves as the organizing principle of the Global Peace Festivals along with mounting a global culture of service.

About Usher's New Look and Powered by Service

Youth ages 12 through 20 around the country are eligible to apply for a $500 Powered By Service grant by logging onto poweredbyservice.org or ushersnewlook.org. Grants will be awarded to exceptional service ideas so that youth are not only called to serve, but have the tools they need to create real change. For more information about Usher's New Look or Powered By Service, please visit the Web site at http://www.poweredbyservice.org or http://www.ushersnewlook.org.

SOURCE Usher's New Look

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