Last High School Spring MUN Session Huge Success

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Dear <<First Name>>,

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Another Exciting High School Model UN!

Delegate posturing, all in good humor, was on full display at last Saturday's Model UN. It was clear that countries were leery of China having too much influence in Africa and the Middle East; yet they didn't want to go as far as removing China from the UN's Human Rights Council, despite their violations against the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region. Iran's attempt to Tackle United States Imperialistic Expansion generated a lively discussion, but was ultimately defeated in a very close vote. Although many delegates questioned Saudi Arabia's motives for help in the Reconstruction of Yemen, the plan was passed. A resolution to combat the rising sea levels of Pacific islands, amended to include all coastal and island nations, was passed with great enthusiasm, no doubt in part because of the powerful Elevator Pitch provided by Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas!) delegates. They ended their plea for support with an old Chinese proverb, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. The best time to stop rising seal levels was before they got to this point. The second best time is now." The resolution would have possibly passed with no discussion at all. And who knew the international might of Montenegro? For the right price, they were willing to grow all the grain needed as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War, despite only being about the size of the American state of Connecticut. Montenegro's "generosity" almost caused the nation to be tasked with paying for an entire later resolution, until that resolution was ultimately defeated. The obvious preparation delegates did before Saturday, their keen awareness of global events, their impressive (and often humorous!) role-playing, all made for a sophisticated and fun morning.

Thanks to everyone who completed the on-line evaluation. The winners of the drawing for $15 Amazon gift cards were: Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Parkway West HS; Trinity Young, Francis Howell HS; Zukai Sagan, Metro Classical Academy.

Click here to see pictures from April 15.

Looking for an Additional Model UN experience?

Consider participating in the weekend-long Model UN experience sponsored by Washington University in the fall, September 29th-October 1. Participating in a General Assembly is just one of many options. Other committees and simulations, including historical and current issues facing the UN, are a part of the experience.
Click here for more information.
Ideally, your school will sign up to bring a delegation. If that's not possible, and you are interested in participating, contact Civitas about how to get involved.

Roundtable Discussion and Book Talk this Saturday!
One topic: The voting age in the US

Join other high school students this Saturday, April 22 from 10 AM until noon at the Oak Bend Library Branch, to talk about a variety of topics, including the young adult novel, We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds.
C lick here to sign up .
At least half of the time will be spent discussing other topics of interest, too, that morning, so IF YOU DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ THE BOOK, you are still encouraged to sign up!
To listen to a short NPR interview with the author of We Deserve Monuments, click here.

1 Middle School General Assembly This Week

Students at the April 5 Model UN General Assembly

After visiting 8 classes last week to help delegates finalize their resolutions, this week we have our next General Assembly session. Students from Hixson Middle and St. Raphael the Archangel will be meeting together on Friday, April 21, to talk about a slew of issues including poverty in Argentina and other important topics. Resolutions for all sessions can be found here.

Next week we have 2 General Assemblies coming up. We're excited to see what the delegates from Brittany Woods, Grand Center Arts Academy, Maplewood Richmond Heights, and Rogers Middle have been working on.

We thank the Saigh Foundation for its continued strong support of our Middle School Model UN program.

High School Students,
If you are interested in being a part of a pilot group at the St. Louis Holocaust Museum, please email Dr. Warren Rosenblum:
wrosenbl@webster.edu

Calendar

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Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10:00 am until noon, Oak Bend Library Branch
Book discussion of We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds AND other topics.
Sign up here!
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Picture of the Week

Elon Musk reinvented Twitter. Now people are leaving.-- Image by Emma Kumer / The Washington Post; Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images; Amy Osborne for the Washington Post; (Stock)

This past week at the United Nations