Maxime Labrecque, Max Bodner, Jagjeevan Phangura, Nathan Wisdahl and Fynn Roberts are a group of students from Roots & Wings Montessori school planning to attend a model UN program in New York in April.
All the studying and memorizing – not to mention fundraising – is consuming an enormous amount of their time and energy. But the goal, a trip to the United Nations in New York, is what’s keeping kids at Roots & Wings Montessori motivated.
The group of nine- to 14-year-olds is heading to the Big Apple in April to participate in The Montessori Model United Nations, a program developed for students to learn the work of the UN by actually participating in it.
Students from around the world are assigned a country for the mock UN and become ambassadors for that country. The Grade 4-9 classmates from Roots & Wings are divided into two groups, one representing Norway and one Bulgaria.
“When we go to the UN we need to know everything about our countries,” said student Maxime Labrecque.
“The students have also been studying up on other cultures, religions, societies and peoples throughout the world. We had to memorize 193 countries.”
They’ve also identified a list of problems facing the world, such as capital punishment, intellectual property rights, human rights on the Internet, education in Malawi and freedom of religion.
The youth will participate in smaller discussion groups and any potential solutions they come up with will be sent to the actual UN Secretary General to take into consideration – a fact which excites and motivates the students.
The trip is planned for April 1–13, with the secondary students attending the first week, and the elementary students the second.
The privately run school is hoping to get corporate sponsorship or cash donations to help cover the cost of airfare and hotel. Donations can be made by calling the school at 604-510-2588 or emailing info@rootsandwingsbc.com
