UNA-NYC Sponsors High School Delegation for Model UN Conference in May

The United Nations Association of New York will sponsor 12 high school students from the Model UN Club of the Francis Lewis High School of Fresh Meadows, New York, to attend the Model UN Conference, to be held at the United Nations on May 14-16, 2009.

Model United Nations conferences are simulated by students who represent different nations and negotiate resolutions that will settle disputes and address problems facing the international community today. The student delegation from the Francis Lewis High School will represent Nigeria at the conference.

At such a conference, students conduct the same work as actual UN delegates. 

At state, national and international Model UN conferences, conference staff are attuned to the ideas that student delegates offer to solve the world's problems, and then share them with UN agencies and organizations. The overall goal of the club is to solve specific problems of the world within three days. At a typical conference, student delegates will represent a country and debate against other students representing other countries, while at the same time taking care to promote peaceful resolutions to problems. Model UN team members attend numerous conferences which generate valuable experiences for solving issues of the world.

The Francis Lewis High School Model UN club engages in an authentic simulation of the United Nations system -- through learning about the system itself, the skills of debate, compromise, conflict resolution and negotiation. Model UN team members have fun learning about the workings of world diplomacy directly through the lens of current events. The club also promotes interest in current events and international relations. Students have opportunities to participate with the club in conferences where they debate on different topics after intense research and planning.