TEAK Fellows Visit: A Field Trip to the United Nations
On July 24, the United Nations Association of New York hosted students from the TEAK Fellowship program.
The TEAK Fellowship helps talented New York City students from low-income families gain admission to and succeed at top high schools and colleges. The TEAK program, a five-and-a-half year fellowship, provides its students with academic support, leadership activities, and career advice.
The diverse group of students — of which 50% are members of immigrant families — spent the day learning about the United Nations and its activities on a global scale, and touring the UN building.
Mr. Ramu Damodaran from the Department of Public Information introduced some of the United Nations' functions and outlined some of the topical and urgent global issues that the UN is working on currently.
A similar event was organized late last year when twenty-six students from Young Scholars, a Trenton chartered school, were given a guided tour of the United Nations, followed by a private panel discussion and presentation by Ambassadors' wives from the Philippines, Lithuania and a staff member from the Rwandan Mission. This successful outreach laid the groundwork for the TEAK Fellows' visit that provided a stimulating and valuable international perspective.