Model United Nations Erasmus Project

Project Title

Model United Nations

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Inclusion – equity; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy

Project Summary

PROJECT BACKGROUND
Simul’ONU is the result of an international exchange, with the students playing the roles of UN diplomats. Our project takes place first and foremost in the context of civil education. The consortium coordinator will have already taken part in this project three times and two of the consortium participants will have also taken part in it at some point. The primary goal lies in the context of education for social inclusivity; the UN Charter defends this value in its sustainable development objectives, presented in September 2015 for the 2016 – 2030 period.

AIMS OF THE PROJECT
The first objective of the project is to bring together pupils and teachers from four European institutions to reflect on a given theme, that of the ocean as of 2018, in line with the UN conference that will be held from 5th – 9th June 2017 in New York.
In addition to the consideration of a poignant and topical issue, the simulation aims to encourage students to argue and debate in English. The exchanges between the participants are done in English, as much during the preparation phases ahead of the simulation as during the simulation itself, as well as further down the line during the feedback on the experience.
All participants, learners and teachers, will engage in English-speaking linguistic practice.
Our project is furthermore an exercise in autonomy, a fundamental quality to develop for all students. They will have to make decisions and take stances on different issues.

NUMBER AND RANGE OF PARTICIPANTS
The specific target audience is comprised of the 100 participants but, as the simulation taking place in Saint-Claude involves many students indirectly, the true number of people impacted is estimated at around 200. The total target audience is about twice the size of the direct target audience.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
There will be several different kinds of activities.
In the beginning, exchanges will be carried out virtually. Six videoconferences will be organised over the duration of the project. These videoconferences will allow everyone to stay up-to-date with the progress of the preparatory work. They are just one example of this project’s use of innovative practices rooted in the digital age. Exchanges of the documents produced will be made via a shared platform (Google Drive), which has the advantage of allowing joint work between participants of the different sections of the consortium.
Next, the participants will get together on several occasions. Two simulations will be organised. As for the first one in February 2018, it will be preceded by a meeting between participants who are already experienced in the exercise and those who are not, in order to discuss the rules of operation and to formally introduce this international and collaborative effort.

METHODS FOR SUCCESSFUL REALISATION OF THE PROJECT
In order to successfully carry out the project, we have chosen to set up a website, as well as make use of social networks. With the help of a tool that counts the number of visits to the site, we will be able to see, measure and subsequently evaluate the utility of our communication media. We will keep up the videoconferences throughout the project. We have a general theme of making sure to prioritise peer-to-peer communication.

EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACTS
The visible results will be the publication on the website of all the stages of the preparation for the two simulations, from the questions to be debated to the resolutions adopted. A procedural handbook in five languages (English, Slovene, Swedish, Greek and French) will also be prepared and published on the website. Video clips will also be recorded during each phase of the project.
The invisible results will be a significant improvement in the linguistic capabilities of all participants with regards to the English language, as well as the improvement of their ability to express themselves with ease and confidence in front of an audience, and defend their opinions. The participants will also gain a better understanding of the UN institutions and an experience of active citizenship.
Simul’ONU is a project which promotes inclusivity and we hope that the overall impact, beyond the renown that it brings to the institutions involved, will be the promotion of the values of social inclusion like equality of the sexes and equality of opportunity. Through social inclusion, we want to give to our students, the generation of Erasmus’s 30th year, an ambition oriented towards the international. We want them to be capable of overcoming any and all economic or social handicaps in their pursuit of this ambition.

EXPECTED MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM BENEFITS
We hope to promote interest in international possibilities for all the participants, with students considering spending time abroad on their studies, and our teachers and their international counterparts having the opportunities to learn from each other and perhaps even work abroad.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 118480 Eur

Project Coordinator

cite-scolaire-pss & Country: FR

Project Partners

• 4th GENIKO LYKEIO TRIPOLIS
• Gimnazija Jozeta Plecnika Ljubljana
• Hjalmar Lundbohmsskolan