Upper Elementary students at Greenspring Montessori School traveled to New York in February to represent Kenya and Congo-Brazzaville at the Montessori Model United Nations Conference. The students have been researching and preparing speeches throughout the school year on topics such as promoting international cooperation on peaceful uses of international security, disaster risk reduction, combating desertification, empowering youth in inclusive and sustainable food systems, and the rights of indigenous peoples.
The students did extensive research on their topic and wrote position papers outlining suggestions to address these issues from the viewpoint of their country. From there they used key points of the paper to draft speeches. These speeches were delivered at the MMUN Conference to delegates from other schools who were researching the same topics. Suggestions were debated and discussed in the committees until they were able to draft resolutions to gain consensus.
Two members of our group were elected by their committee to speak at the closing ceremony. The entire group consisted of more than 1,600 people: delegates, coordinators, chaperones, and Bureau members, so it was quite a large crowd to address.
The students also had an opportunity to visit the United Nations building, where they got to sit in the General Assembly room in the very place where UN Ambassadors listen to speeches, debate, and ultimately vote on resolutions impacting our entire world.
We are so grateful that our Upper Elementary students have the opportunity to engage in this meaningful work learning conflict resolution and problem-solving skills with children around the globe.
