In the previous school year, UNICEF challenged Nord Anglia Education students worldwide to raise awareness of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to be reached by 2030, and to work with their local communities to develop solutions for these global issues. They directed our focus into Goals #2 and #3 of Zero Hunger & Good Health and Well-Being respectively. While in New York, we were able to discuss the different projects and ideas each one of the schools had developed and were given feedback to be taken into account for future challenges.
We also had the marvellous chance to hear directly from diplomats, including the President of the General Assembly of the UN and the Executive Director of UNICEF, about how we, as ambassadors, can work together to promote sustainability in our schools. They believe that students should have the Sustainable Development Goals embedded into our DNA; that we have only one chance to save our planet, and together, step by step, we can work towards achieving these goals by 2030. They are keen to hear our voice and projects, which gives me no doubt that this partnership with UNICEF will be absolutely fruitful, just like it has been for the past year.
Here at Nord Anglia International School Shanghai, Pudong (NAIS Pudong) we’re reminded constantly that we have to be ambitious. When selected I was informed that as part of the activities, a conference of Model United Nations (MUN) was going to take place. MUN is an educational simulation of a United Nations debate. Participants, known as delegates, are placed in committees and assigned countries where they represent members of that body. MUN goes along with a very specific and detailed procedure, which can be challenging to understand as a first-comer. I was presented a challenge. Since I had never taken part in an MUN conference before, I was not familiar in any way with any of the rules or procedures. Everyone else going with me from my school had already attended various conferences.