Chapter Spotlight: Kean University

Over the past semester, UNA-USA campus chapters have utilized creativity, tenacity, and grit in order to contribute to UNA-USA’s mission: supporting the United Nations (UN). As an intergovernmental organization, the UN is a platform where states negotiate, compromise, and produce solutions for major global dilemmas. As of 2015, the United Nations adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and declared that every goal should be completed by the year 2030. A lofty goal indeed, but UNA-USA campus chapters have dedicated their time and resources to inform, combat, and volunteer for this mission.

Over the past semester, UNA at Kean University vigorously planned and organized events to help further inform their students of not only the UN, but international news and important figures. As the Kean chapter leaders stated, “The mission of the Kean Chapter is to advocate for human rights, promote gender equality, and maintain worldwide peace and security. This mission changes every semester to promote the 17 SDGs.” Kean University has meetings every Thursday night dedicated to advocacy and international studies, a good measure of their commitment to the mission.

Throughout this semester, UNA-Kean has hosted many impactful speakers such as Kizito Kalmlima, the founder of the Peace Center for Forgiveness and Reconciliation and Samantha Power, former United States Ambassador to the UN. The chapter also keeps their events fun and light like their Pizza News Night.

UNA-Kean contributes a lot of their success to their partnerships with their University’s Human Rights and Interdisciplinary Institutes. A great tip for campus chapters nation-wide is to partner with the resources your university offers, you’ll be surprised by what you accomplish.

Kean University helps their members focus on a desire for social service to help better the world, and, according to their leadership, “We encourage students to be proactive and socially conscious to every aspect of the society we live in.”

You can learn about Kean University by following them on Instagram @unaatkean.