Model UN helps LI kids learn to debate

Are you into debating? If so, the Model United Nations is a club fit for you.

Model UN is a club where students get assigned to different countries and represent that country while debating on world issues. This is the same way the 193 member states of the United Nations discuss world issues and advocate for themselves in the General Assembly, the Security Council and the International Court of Justice.

The club is a great way to learn how to speak in public and voice opinions. We once debated the issue of child soldiers, kids who are forced to fight in armed conflicts around the world. We were assigned countries and had to debate whether child soldiers were good or bad depending on if it was legal in the country we were assigned.

Our Model UN teachers make sure all of us participate, so we all work together. Based on the sessions we have been to, it is safe to say that Model UN is a great way to learn about the issues of our world without kids thinking this is boring.

It is an exciting way to learn about things that one day may affect you. This club requires hard work and commitment. However, we also do fun activities. We make new friends and meet new kids.

Karen Landsman’s sixth-grade class, Polk Street Elementary School, Franklin Square