On October 6, thirteen middle school students took part in the Global Leadership Conference at Suffolk University sponsored by the United Nations Association of Greater Boston. At this Model UN event, about 200 middle and high school students learned about the issue of cholera in Haïti and were assigned countries to represent in UN-style debate and negotiation. The students worked together to delve into the issues around this topic and to explore solutions.
Before jumping into our work, students had the opportunity to hear Dr. Joia Mukherjee, the Chief Medical Officer of Partners in Health, speak about the origins and challenges of cholera in Haïti. She concluded her remarks by reminding students that they are in fact the leaders of today, working on solving the issues of the world with energy, creativity, and determination.
Participants were sixth grade students Ruby Kokinos, Ana McEleney, Tomás Wright-Katz, and Lucy Zhang; seventh grade students Margot Klug, Cameron Colbert, Bree LeGrand, Kenna Schneider, Dana Chang, Aaron Radke, and Bonnie Wang; and eighth grade students Davin Roy and Miranda Harlow.
Ana, Kenna, Cameron, and Margot were recognized for their particularly effective participation.
In November the whole Model UN club (17 students) will attend the Northeastern University Model UN conference, along with about 500 middle school students from the region.