Elmont schools to host Model UN breakfast

The Elmont Union Free School District will be hosting its sixth annual Model United Nations International Ambassadors’ Breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 22 at 9 a.m, at the Dutch Broadway School. The breakfast is a platform for discussing the Model United Nations Program with the district’s new delegation of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students.

For more than 50 years, the Model UN program has provided academic simulation of the United Nations and helped educate students on civics, effective communication, globalization and multilateral diplomacy. The Model UN program originally began in the mid-1970s in the Sewanhaka Central High School District, and was incorporated into the Elmont Union Free School District curriculum by Elmont Superintendent Al Harper in 2004.

The sixth annual Elmont Model UN Conference will be held May 25.

Michael Jaime, president of the Elmont board of education, said students who participate research countries, take on roles as foreign diplomats and participate in a simulated session of an intergovernmental organization, which includes investigating international issues and developing solutions to current world problems.

“Every country has delegates, and they pick a country and then come together and formulate a debate on what they learned on that country,” Jaime explained. “The dialogues between each of the countries is very fascinating … last year, one group debated on nuclear proliferation in the world.”

Jaime said before the students can assume their roles as student ambassadors, they must do extensive research on the topic their committee will address at the conference. Elmont’s student ambassadors will research alternative fuel sources to alleviate dependence on petroleum.

During the Elmont Model UN Conference, students utilize a variety of communication and critical thinking skills to represent their countries’ policies. These skills include public speaking, problem solving, research, policy analysis, active listening, negotiating, conflict resolution, note-taking and technical writing.

“This is a very good program, and it actually helps a lot of the kids during their college days, as far as applying for colleges and applying for colleges,” said Jaime.