Model UN Club visits NYC

A the recent student activity fair, Model UN Club members share thoughts about their visit to the United Nations in NYC
(left to right): Marissa Peterson ’12, Sarah Marran ’12, Jamie Casagrande’12

The Model UN Club at Mercy High School in Middletown hosted a trip to the United Nations in New York City before the start of school.  The trip consisted of students, alumnae, parents, and teachers.  This was the first year that the tour was held when school was not in session.  This allowed students and parents to share a relaxing and informative trip.  The United Nations was originally established after World War II as a forum for countries to dialogue in an equal and peaceful exchange.  The students participate in Model UN conferences during the school year.  Students are assigned countries to represent and world issues to research.  At the conference, the students are ready to "resolve" the issue as representatives of their assigned country. Such issues as Human Trafficking, Poverty of Women and Children, Nuclear Proliferation and Medical Tourism were discussed this year.

“It was a great day and the students always come away feeling a powerful sense of the global picture and a yearning to help and to understand the problems facing "their world" today, stated Meg Malafronte, an advisor to the Model UN club.

Tara Palnitkar, Class of 2012, stated that, “The best part of the trip was getting to go to the real United Nations and see how it works. When you're in a club you can forget that there is a real UN out there. It really put things into perspective and showed all of us that the skills we are learning and the research we are doing in this club have relevant real world applications.”

Lauren Rita Slason, member of the Class of 2012, recalled that during her first conference the members of the club were discussing the conflict in Sudan and although they tried, it seemed next to impossible to write a resolution.  Lauren found that the trip to the United Nations this summer showed her that the discussions they have at the UN and the resolutions that are written really do have a large impact on the world.  Lauren explained, “Solving international issues is quite possible.  To see the actual room where they hold the general assembly makes the United Nations feel more "real" and serves as a wakeup call to say, yes, all of this is actually happening.”

Mercy’s Model UN will attend the Fairfield University conference in the fall and the Boston College High School conference in the spring.

The students in attendance felt a powerful sense of the global picture and a yearning to help and to understand the problems facing "their world" today.  The students always make a point to visit the Mediation Room where two Popes have visited and prayed in support to the Declaration on Human Rights.