Global Classrooms
Encyclopedia
| Type | Non-Profit |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Leader | Amy Ruggiero, Director of Education |
| Field | Education Education Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts... |
| Purpose | Bridging the Education Gap and Creating Global Citizens |
| Event Planners | Kelly Siegel, Senior Associate Andrew Roush, Program Associate |
| Motto | Learn. Live. Lead. |
| Website | www.globalclassrooms.org |
Global Classrooms is a U.S. based global education program, belonging to the United Nations Association of the United States of America
United Nations Association of the United States of America
The United Nations Association of the United States of America or UNA-USA is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to building understanding of and support for the ideals and work of the United Nations among the American people. Its education, policy and advocacy programs emphasize the...
(UNA-USA), that engages middle school and high school students in an exploration of current world issues through Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
, wherein students step into shoes of UN Ambassadors and debate a range of issues on the UN agenda. Global Classrooms was created primarily for students in economically disadvantaged public schools who have little or no knowledge of global affairs or experience with Model UN
The Global Classrooms program is currently in 24 major cities around the world. Global Classrooms bridges the gap in the Model UN community between established global education programs and traditionally underserved public schools by exposing students to the growing influence of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
.
Background
Early in the 1990s UNA-USA observed that Model UN activities overwhelmingly attracted the participation of students and teachersfrom private and/or affluent suburban schools. Believing it to be of critical importance, UNA-USA determined that it would increase the number of students from economically disadvantaged public schools participating in Model UN. Global Classrooms was founded in 1999, as a vehicle for education to reach students who would otherwise never have the opportunity to participate in Model UN. It has been estimated that Annually, over 300,000 high school and university students worldwide participate in Model United Nations activities.
Program Support
Numerous organizations and high profile individuals have supported the Global Classrooms program. On May 13, 2010, MTV Networks InternationalMTV Networks International
MTV Networks International is a division of MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom. MTV Networks International includes the management and branding of 68 MTV channels around the world and other brands associated with MTV such as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central VH1, TMF, VIVA and Game One...
President, MTV Staying Alive
MTV Staying Alive
Staying Alive is an MTV international initiative to encourage HIV prevention, promote safer lifestyle choices and fight the stigma and discrimination which fuels the HIV epidemic. Staying Alive is now the world’s largest HIV mass media awareness and prevention campaign...
Chairman, and UNAIDS Ambassador Bill Roedy addressed the Global Classrooms international student delegation at the UN General Assembly, during which he discussed issues ranging from AIDS and HIV to global media.
Past Global Classrooms conferences have hosted speakers and guests such as: Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
Hillary Clinton, Esther Brimmer
Esther Brimmer
Esther Brimmer is an American foreign policy expert and current Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.-Education:...
, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs is the head of the Bureau of International Organization Affairs within the American Department of State that creates and executes policy in international organizations such as the United Nations...
, Ambassador Frederick "Rick" Barton, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council
United Nations Economic and Social Council
The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...
, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Kantathi Suphamongkhon
Kantathi Suphamongkhon
Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon is the 39th Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. He served as Foreign Minister during the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from 11 March 2005 until the military coup d'état on 19 September 2006.Suphamongkhon is now the University of...
and on multiple occasions, the United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Secretary-General
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat of the United Nations, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations....
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
The United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
is a major supporter of Global Classrooms and Model UN and annually offers its headquarters as the conference venue for the Global Classrooms DC conference. In addition to its ties to the diplomatic community, Global Classrooms continues to benefit from school based partnerships with school districts and universities such as: Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
, Kyung Hee University, Lebanese American University
Lebanese American University
The Lebanese American University is a secular, private and independent American university located in Lebanon...
, and the Mulberry School for Girls
Mulberry School for Girls
Mulberry School for Girls is a single sex community school in the Shadwell ward of the East End of London. Approximately 1400 students aged between 11 and 19 years attend Mulberry school...