By Darby Sinclair and Erika Soublet, US History/Political Science & Forensic Teachers
This article first appeared in the 2016 Winter Window Magazine.
The development of global citizens has always been at the heart of TAS's mission to build bridges around the world. Students in the Upper School Model United Nations (MUN) program have redefined active service leadership.
Northwestern University's Qatar Leadership Conference provided an opportunity for 6 students and 3 teachers to travel to Doha, Qatar to present workshops on student leadership, debate, nongovernment organizations, human rights, and the International Court of Justice. The aim of this conference was to empower Arab youth through the development of leadership qualities with an emphasis on human rights to benefit this region in the decades ahead. Learning from leaders in the field of peace education, students were challenged to consider the question, "What tools and skill sets should young people be developing to advance the cause of peace?"
Our students internalized this question by fostering the relationships that they created with our Afghan student delegates who attended TASMUN in April 2015. Upon their return to Kabul, they developed the internationally recognized non-government organization "Hope for Education and Leadership in Afghanistan" (http://www. helamun.org/). Through collaborative mentorship, over 20 upper school students developed a plan to create personalized lessons through Skype and other digital platforms for students at HELA in Kabul.
Our students continued wrestling with weighty issues at the BERMUN 2015 conference titled "Countering extremism to foster international peace and security." With the conference commencing five days after the Paris attacks and less than two weeks after the Beirut attacks, there could not have been a more appropriate conference theme. Our students rose to the challenge and engaged in meaningful debates on a most relevant topic. The students also made a point of visiting the memorial in front of the French embassy to pay their respects. At a time when there is so much negativity in the world, it was refreshing to travel with a group of teenagers who are committed to making change.
These experiences embody elements of service leadership and youth empowerment, which make the TAS MUN program both unique in its mission and exemplary in its actions.