Members of the Model United Nations club at Sacred Heart are passionate about researching complex issues facing the world today and leading positive change in their community through conversations based in research and thoughtful dialogue. Throughout the school year, students practice building skills in diplomacy, conflict resolution, negotiation and decision-making and apply those skills as they simulate nations within the UN General Assembly. This year, their work as a club did not stop with the end of the school year. With courage and confidence, and with their minds and hearts open to the issues of racial discrimination facing our nation today, the Model UN Club has collaborated to develop an educational resource for their fellow students and serve as student leaders within the wider school community. 

“It has always been the Model UN club’s mission to bring conversations about the pressing issues of our time into the school community,” said Madison Hales, a rising senior at Sacred Heart and Outreach Chair within the Sacred Heart Model UN club and Haydée Dennard, a rising senior who serves as co-chair of the Education Committee. “…The horrific murder of George Floyd has sparked an inspiring national push to correct deep-rooted racial injustice that has been ignored for far too long. George Floyd’s death has made it apparent that racism is a pressing issue within every aspect of our society, especially education. As a semi-immediate response to the situation, the Model UN club has created a newsletter that serves as a guide to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. We have compiled lists of educational resources, important petitions, places to donate, and ways to support the Black community on a local level. This guide is meant to serve as a starting point for members of our school community who wish to educate themselves and become a part of this movement.”

Anchored by the values of both the Society of the Sacred Heart and the United Nations, and integrating national educational resources as well as local avenues for action, the Model UN club’s first newsletter is available here, and a special Juneteenth issue is available here.