More than 600 DC-Area Students Convene at State Department for United Nations Association Model UN Conference

May 7, 2013

WASHINGTON — More than 600 middle and high school students from the Washington, D.C. area are taking part in Model United Nations activities during the United Nations Association of the USA’s (UNA-USA) Global Classrooms® Washington, D.C. Model UN Conference. The conference, hosted and organized by the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA), is taking place at the U.S. Department of State; the conference is the largest annual gathering at the department.

Students will hear from U.S. Foreign Service Director-General Linda Thomas-Greenfield and United Nations Foundation Vice Chair Timothy E. Wirth. Participants will work in committees addressing issues, including child marriage, climate change, and cyber security. The conference is in its 11th year, and it is celebrating its 10th year being hosted at the U.S. Department of State.

Global Classrooms D.C. students receive an extraordinary opportunity today as they partake in Model UN activities within the walls of America’s diplomatic headquarters,” said UNA-USA Executive Director Patrick Madden. “Over the course of the day these students will demonstrate that the knowledge and skills they have obtained through Global Classrooms can one day propel them to the highest levels of success and help them lead in solving global problems.”

More than 30 teachers and facilitators are supporting today’s conference, along with more than 20 college staff volunteers from American University, Columbia University, The George Washington University, Georgetown University, and The University of Maryland.

Global Classrooms Model UN has amazed schools around the globe with its ability to cultivate global literacy, life skills, and attitudes necessary for active citizenship, showing that students deeply care about the world outside their local communities. Through Global Classrooms Washington, D.C., students and teachers participate in year-round activities to help them understand the UN system, increase their knowledge of other cultures and traditions, improve their ability to think analytically, and creatively tackle global problems collectively.

For more information, visit www.unausa.org/gcdc.

Watch the Global Classrooms Model UN Documentary “Decorum” at http://www.unausa.org/decorum.

Tweet This: .@UNANCA‘s @GCModelUN students head to @StateDept to tackle global challenges http://bit.ly/IhntXF #DC

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Media Contacts:
Joseph Catapano
202.496.6398
jcatapano@unausa.org

About Global Classrooms

The United Nations Association of the USA’s Global Classrooms Model UN is an educational program that engages public middle school and high school students in the United States and abroad in an exploration of current world issues through interactive simulations and curricular materials. Global Classrooms is the only comprehensive program of study and instruction based on Model UN, the largest Model UN network both inside and outside the United States, and the only Model UN provider focused on underserved populations. Impacting more than 25,000 students and teachers annually, Global Classrooms is implemented as a stand-alone curriculum, co-curricular, and as an after school program. For more information, visit www.unausa.org/globalclassrooms

About UNA-USA

The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a membership organization dedicated to informing, inspiring, and mobilizing the American people to support the ideals and vital work of the United Nations. For 70 years, UNA-USA has worked to accomplish its mission through its national network of Chapters, youth engagement, advocacy efforts, education programs, and public events. UNA-USA is a program of the United Nations Foundation. UNA-USA and its sister organization the Better World Campaign represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world. Learn more about UNA-USA’s programs and initiatives at www.unausa.org

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.