South African students win honors at UNAUSAMUN 2008

Model UN Team Wins Honours in New York UN Debate
South African Institute of International Affairs (Johannesburg)
PRESS RELEASE
30 May 2008

The recent xenophobia attacks in South Africa have made it difficult to be proud to be South African. But when four young South Africans recently took part in a Model United Nations competition in New York, they reminded us of what it means to be true ambassadors of the new South Africa and showed us a glimpse of a generation of future leaders that have the potential to take South Africa to new heights.

Abigail Keene (Redhill), Zahraa Khotu (Parktown Girls), Banele Dlamini (Orlando West) and Dominic van Loggerenberg (Redhill), were the 2007 finalists of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) Schools Development Programme. As the 2007 finalists, they competed in the 2008 United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Globalclassrooms finals in New York on 16 & 17 May 2008. The four finalists, representing the Republic of Tanzania, competed against approximately 2500 scholars from throughout the US and around the world. Abigail Keene and Zahraa Khotu won Best Delegation in the United Nations Development Programme session on Multinational Corporations and Development. Furthermore, Banele Dlamini and Dominic van Loggerenberg competed against 195 teams from around the world in the General Assembly session on Multinational Terrorism both receiving Honourable Mentions. read more...

A second article on the South African delegation here

Another Model UN Alum

Rainn Wilson, of 'The Office', discusses his Model UN past at 2:45.

Hollywood Actress Speaks at Global Classrooms Model UN Conference

U.N. Ambassador Calls for End to Slavery

Julia Ormond serves as the keynote speaker at USC’s two-day United Nations conference attended by hundreds of students.

By James Grant
06/10/08

Ormond: “May the next generation say ‘let us be the one that is going to be proactive in creating peace.’ ”

United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and actress Julia Ormond recently challenged 800 high school and middle school students gathered at USC to use their influence to end the scourge of human slavery.

“There are more people enslaved today than at any other time in our history,” she told the audience. “The selling of children is the fastest-growing global crime.”

An estimated 27 million people around the world today live in conditions that qualify as slavery, she said.

The unfortunate victims include boys forced to dive into African lakes to untangle fishing nets, girls sold into prostitution in Asia and the Americas, and workers of all ages confined to harsh conditions in various agricultural and production operations around the globe.

“There is an intimate link between poverty and crime,” Ormond said. “Our morality is often stripped from us by poverty.”

Ormond’s comments came at the kickoff of the United Nations Association’s Pacific Rim International Model United Nations conference, which attracted about 800 students from Southern California, Hong Kong and Japan.

During the two-day conference, the students took on roles as global diplomats, seeking to find solutions to a variety of economic and development topics – including eradication of illicit drug crops and other criminal activities.

Ormond challenged the diplomat/students to redouble their efforts to promote conditions that would help take away the rewards of human trafficking. “We’ve spent much of history going to war against one another,” she said. “May the next generation say ‘let us be the one that is going to be proactive in creating peace.’ ” read more...

HERO Student Profiled

Overland Park student to serve as 'hero' in Africa
By: Kelli Bamforth, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008 4:31 AM CDT
KCCommunitynews.com

While other high school graduates are soaking up the sun poolside, Olath Northwest graduate Layne Anderson, 18, Overland Park, will experience a different kind of heat in sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Hero youth ambassador, Anderson will visit Namibia and South Africa to offer support to children in AIDS-afflicted areas, including feeding programs, clean water, clothing, counseling and recreational activities.

Anderson raised $5,000 for the trip by soliciting family and friends, forgoing traditional graduation gifts.

“I love traveling and experiencing other cultures,” she said. “I’ve been blessed with so many things in life, living in America with a great family, and I knew I wanted to give back. This is a huge opportunity to go to Africa and work with children not as fortunate as me.

“Because it’s graduation time, a lot of family and friends were asking me what I wanted for gifts. I told them that making a donation would be great. I have only $300 to go.”

Anderson will attend Baker University in Baldwin in the fall and hopes to use her experiences in Africa to complement her intended career plans.

“I want to take international studies in college … I want to do something along the lines of traveling to other countries and bringing needed information back to the United States,” she said. “This trip is a great stepping stone toward achieving that goal.” read more...

Global Classrooms Teacher Gains Doctorate

Announcement:
University of Phoenix, Indianapolis Campus, announces that Imani Akin earned the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership on the thirteenth of September, 2007, and will participate in the graduation ceremony on Saturday afternoon, the twenty-first of June, 2008 at one o’clock Indiana Convention Center.