UN Club emulates international assembly
The United Nations club at City College continues to expand as its members aim to educate their peers about the history of the U.N. and its role in foreign affairs.
By Estela FuentesThe Guardsman
The United Nations club at City College continues to expand as its members aim to educate their peers about the history of the U.N. and its role in foreign affairs.
The U.N. club was founded in September 2009 by U.N. course instructor Jay Sayed and U.N. club president Elizabeth Weinberg to teach people about the organization’s role and goals. It is the club’s mission to show college students how the U.N. is a multifaceted peacekeeping and peace-building organization.
“The U.N. is the bridge of the world,” Jaqueline Bruno, club member said. “It gives us the opportunity to learn about other cultures and countries.”
General meetings include presentations and forums for discussion with question and answer sessions that anyone is welcome to join. U.N.-related activities give students a feel of what it’s like to be a U.N. delegate.
Club members discuss contemporary issues like human rights, nuclear weapons proliferation, social equity, environmental sustainability, and international law and justice at weekly meetings.
The 92 members of the club also serve as ambassadors of culture, making presentations about different countries and the richness of their cultures.
The club hosted a U.N. Day Event and a Human Rights Day Event during the fall semester. This semester, in collaboration with other clubs on campus, the U.N. club has participated in hosting events during Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
All U.N. club events are free and the club provides refreshments that are culturally related to the events. They have also assisted with other events on campus like those for Haiti relief and Earth Day.
“We aim to represent the unity of nations on campus, find common ground between all persons, promote tolerance and diversity, foster understanding and respect and forge pathways to world peace,” Weinberg said.
The U.N. club will be hosting a candlelight vigil for Rangoon bomb victims and for the tyranny in Myanmar on May 13 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the lower plaza of the student union. The last official U.N. club meeting for this semester is scheduled for May 20.
