Last Saturday, Dr. Jim Hinrichs met through the power of ZOOM with Civitas students to discuss COVID-19. He gave background into the origins of the disease and then how it spread globally, and most particularly into the United States. He described the challenges in looking for possible cures and vaccinations, but how the tide may turn in the near future. In the meantime, the statistics are frighteningly high in the world, in the U.S., and in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

Dr. Jim works with St. Louis County, tracking cases and looking for the most effective ways to protect County residents. Utilizing a very descriptive PowerPoint, he illustrated how important it is for all of us to continue to be cautious. With the Biden Administration assuming power on Wednesday and utilizing new techniques to get vaccines into local areas, we could be on course to make tremendous progress by late spring or early summer.

Dr. Jim's specialty is infectious diseases and he is currently working at the St. Louis county Department of Public Health as an Infectious Disease Advisor. He received his MD from St. Louis University in 1975; trained in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology at Georgetown University in Washington, DC and Washington University in St. Louis, MO. In 2007, he received a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

For 40 years, he was been in private practice with affiliations with BJC Healthcare and SSM.

We extend our deepest thanks to Dr. Jim for such an illuminating presentation and his ability to comfortably answer student questions.

Geoffrey Soyiantet, founder and President of Vitendo4Africa (V4A), will join Civitas on February 6 via Zoom to talk about the African immigrant experience in St. Louis and other areas of Missouri. “Vitendo” is a Swahili word that means action, which is the core of the non-profit organization, providing action through support and services to Africans planning to arrive in St. Louis and those who are already here. Jeff and others will share how they have benefited from V4A’s help. Sign up now for this hour-long event that will focus on the trials and tribulations for immigrants merging two different cultures.

The event is Saturday, February 6 from 11 am until noon via Zoom. It’s free for all high school or middle school students.

Click here to register.

With national events and news dominating our lives these days, it will be a nice break to concentrate on international events again for a morning via Zoom when Civitas hosts another High School Model UN session on February 20. Middle School students are welcome to attend, too. If you participated in the November or December MUN event, you can sign up for the same country. If you do not have a country, just choose one for registration. If it is not available, we will let you know.

Writing a resolution is optional, but encouraged. Send resolutions to Stephanie via email: gavinstephanie89@gmail.com.

We hope to see you there!

Click here to register.

This spring, UNA-USA is offering The Emerging Leaders Fellowship for students and young professionals interested in leading a project, initiative, or event relating to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities. The theme for the spring Fellowship is "Champions for Equality". Program participants will demonstrate leadership, planning, and local initiative over the course of the Fellowship and present their action plan to the National Office, other cohort participants, and their local UNA-USA chapters. There is no cost to participate - so apply today using the link below!
 
Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzjemaw5PhaDh-rqH6mbl8iJrpF2FY1tafDhlM2vZklKLFbQ/viewform - APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON JAN. 20
 
For more information about the Emerging Leaders Fellowship, go to https://unausa.org/emerging-leaders-spring-2021/
 
Not a paid UNA-USA member? Sign up for FREE Youth membership registration by following this link: https://unausa.org/join/youth/

This past week at the United Nations