HWi NATIONS UNIES"

POSTAL. ADDRESS ADRE55E POSTALE: UNITED NATIONS, N.V. 1OOI7 CABLE ADORES*—-ADKESBE TELEGMAPHtQUE: UHATION» NEWYOMK

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE SECRtTABY.GENEPJAL

CABINET OU SECRETAIRE GENERAL Rm. S-3840- Tel: (212) 963-5495 - Fax: (212) 963-1185 25 June 2001

Dear Ms. Martini,

On behalf of the Secretary-General, I should like to thank you for your letter seeking to begin a dialogue between the Foundation for Small Voices and the United Nations and seeking to perform a musical rendition at the opening of this year's general Assembly.

The Secretary-General welcomes the important mission of your foundation. It fills a very important niche, using a universal medium to foster multicultural/multigenerational cooperation at the national and international levels. It is a very progressive and innovative concept, which would benefit children as well as adults. The United Nations welcomes and encourages such outreach by groups the world over. The high caliber and celebrity status of the members of the foundation has peaked our interest.

However, since your focus is on children, I would pass your correspondence and video to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which is currently organizing a United Nations General Assembly on Children which will take place from 19 to 21 September 2001. UNICEF may have an interest in establishing a relationship with your foundation in the context of the session or for current and future programmes and events. The material will be passed to Mr. Ado Vaher, Director, Office of UN Affairs and External Relations at UNICEF. I will also forward a copy of your correspondence to Ms. Therese Gastaut, Director, Public Affairs Division, Department of Public Information (DPI). The Division is responsible for organizing public events at the United Nations in the context of the Organization's themes and conferences and special sessions.

Ms. Stephanie Martini Executive Director The Foundation for Small Voices New York

Copy to: Mr. Ado Vaher Ms Therese Gastaut Mr. Paul Hoeffel You may also wish to be in contact with Mr. Paul Hoeffel, Chief, NGO Section, Department of Public Information, regarding the possibility of being affiliated with the DPI/Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Section.

On behalf of the Secretary-General, I would like to thank you for your interest in the United Nations. We look forward to future collaboration with your organization.

Yours sincerely,

Gillian Martin Sorensen Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations . June 12, 2001 }AJU/tf a^vvxX^ • ) | f- •••. —"-™—- . ./ ;i ' "--,' ir i/ r\ ui ii I ; ---.-^ U-^L__iL - - j|r. The Foundation/or Small Voices jjjjj, Jiua l ? ym p* Mr. Kofi Annan The United Nations Attention: Room 3853 , NY 10017

Excellency,

\ I write to you with the following request to open a dialogue between The Foundation for Small

—»-«->o,.u»«Voices an~,,._,j.d tKeUnitecFNations"'3'»»~'f ..-..,-,„.„, . WelirTT~ e specificall1—~——.--<...-,..«-—y intereste. ,,._«™.,™,_d in furtherin, -™ ga-—-~~&~i,-..,.-™,,.™^^, the goals of tGeTJN . as GoodwrnAmbassadgrsr r . In addition, wejwould like very much toj3roposg_that_ we perform "one ofour three j^jrtj^rjnoj^ (see Exhibit B), which dHm^s~ouTcore message of the hope that children present to the world, at the Opening of the General Assembly in SeptejTiber^OQl.^ «^»^^^«-»-«^^~-~-»»™«,.,,

WHO WE ARE The Foundation for Small Voices is a NYC-based not-for-profit organization of professional artists, educators, and businesspeople dedicated to utilizing music to cross cultural, generational, and national boundaries to raise awareness and funds for national and international programs for children and families. Our work encourages the use of music as a means to build self-esteem, self-reliance, and a sense of community; we develop, maintain, and promote musical activities that foster multiculturaVmultigenerational global cooperation.

The Foundation for Small Voices was co-founded two years ago by award winning Composer/producer Jim Papoulis and child advocate and mother Stephanie Martini.

SOUNDS OF A BETTER WORLD* small voices calling (concerts, CDs, & DVD), is the central focus of our work. Composer Papoulis expands the parameters of pop music to create a hybrid of world, pop, spoken word, classical, and R&B musical forms, threaded through with the voices of children. As the millennium kick-off concert at Carnegie Hall, SOUNDS—whose songs inspire us...in our rush towards the future to stop...look in the faces of children and question what we value, how we live, and what we want for the future— captured the imagination of the sold-out audience.

DEVELOPING HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIPS The volunteer efforts of the Papoulis/Martini team has inspired the involvement of world-class artists including , , Phoebe Snow, Martha Wash, the Boys Choir of , and the Tokyo String Quartet, as well as international choirs and performers, who share the vision that the unending power of music "can heal, reveal, challenge, communicate, educate, and celebrate, as we journey towards creating a secure global future for our children."

AROUND THE WORLD The FSV entered into a multi-year partnership in 2000 with principal sponsor Hyatt International Hotels to offer a world concert series. This concert tour involves many layers of a 60 West 87th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10024, Tel 212.873.0121. Fax 212.873.1703, www.soundsofabetterworld.org • .^"^'••k>"*s. •"•'

•community, from its children to its corporations, in an opportunity to experience music as a ^g|^fuLn*sdiumfbr cultural exchange and global harmony. Jim Papoulis incorporates the •lusical traditions, artists, and children of each world location with the SOUNDS core of music, choirs, and musicians. Thus, each show celebrates local cultural heritage and promotes respect f within the context of cultural exchange. While the money raised benefits children's programs in the host concert community, the experience spotlights the real and lasting impact of working together creatively towards a common good. In 2001/2 we will be in Asia, Europe, & S. America.

MAKING MUSIC In addition to the concert series, the FSV takes a multigenerational, multicultural approach to creating songs. Through the signature "Small Voices Around the Globe" program, we conduct songwritirtg.workshops with children in underserved areas. In addition to introducing the children to basic components of song composition, the workshops demonstrate the following key elements that creative collaboration provides: teamwork, communication skills such as listening, hearing, being heard, and mentorship.

REACHING OUT During the past year, we have offered assistance to programs in music & art for the following organizations: The Children's Welfare League of America, St. Christopher's, Side by Side, Tomorrow's Children's Hospital, The Foundling Hospital, The Boys Choir of Harlem, The Young People's Chorus of NYC, the STAR Program, Project Return, and Grupo GAVIH in Mexico.

ONE CHILD AT A TIME Although aware of the adverse conditions that define many children's lives, we are, as professional artists, encouraged to continue contributing in the way we know best: through the collaborative creative process. Daily we receive and respond to letters, e-letters, poetry, lyrics, and artwork from children we have worked with in workshops and concerts (see exhibit B). We are currently developing a replicable model to increase the impact of our work, post-event/s and post songwriting workshop/s.

We believe that we are already engaged in activities that fall within the scope of the work you are doing, as we are actively promoting peaceful relations with families and corporations around the world, as they pertain to raising children for a healthy global future. Thank you in advance for your time. I have enclosed a brief press packet for your review.

I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Sincei

lanie Martini Executive Director The Foundation for Small Voices

Enclosures.

SM/aw