Junior Model UN for Middle School students
Junior Model UN is designed for middle and intermediate school students. The program provides participants with a simulation experience in the processes of research, debate, and resolution writing about global issues, just as the processes occur at the United Nations.
Students put contemporary global issues into context by learning about international relations, world cultures and geography. The junior Model UN brings the world to middle school students and prepares them to be informed citizens in a global world.
How do students prepare for Jr. Model UN?
Before the Session:Students choose a country to research. They learn about the country and its perspective on specific global issues. They submit a Country Profile and a Position Paper on a specific topic. Faculty advisors help students every step of the way to prepare for the conference Session.
At the Session:
Through a process of role playing, students become "ambassadors" of selected nations. The Junior Model UN challenges students to walk in the shoes of diplomats by portraying UN delegates who debate global issues such as refugees, the environment and the digital divide. Student delegates from different schools meet in committees to debate specific topics as representatives of the particular country they have chosen. They negotiate and compromise using diplomatic behavior, and then they write resolutions they have agreed upon. The entire group meets in General Assembly to report and vote on issues.
Junior Model UN helps students to
- gain a better understanding of world cultures
- understand the mission and workings of the United Nations
- learn to apply critical thinking skills to global issues
- develop leadership skills such as public speaking, teambuilding, and problem solving
Link: For Information about the 1st Annual Junior Model UN
January 21 and 22, 2006
held at John Carroll University