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Year 10 Model UN
Year 10 taking part in a Model United Nations conference on climate action
On Thursday 12 May 2022, 24 pupils from Year 10 were given the opportunity to have their voices heard via a Model United Nations conference on Climate Action. They took on the role of researchers for C40 cities - large urban areas across the world, which are committed to tackling the causes of climate change and mitigating the social, economic and environmental consequences of the changes - in order to address the question: What action can C40 cities take to tackle climate change and to mitigate its impact?
Following a briefing by Geography teacher, Miss Crouch, and Science teacher, Mrs George, the pupils carried out research into the contributions of the various C40 cities and impact of climate change on these areas.
Throughout the day pupils had the opportunity to work with Trainee Geography Teachers from the Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership (GITEP) to create resolutions which identified the action which needs to be taken in order to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The pupils focused on SDG #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG #13 (Climate Action). Working in teams representing Dhaka, Lagos, New York City, São Paulo, Shanghai and Sydney, the pupils worked in delegations of 4 and worked their way through a range of activities, before using their new knowledge to help develop resolutions.
After putting together resolutions and an excellent session of lobbying, the pupils carried out a debate over 90 minutes. There was a fantastic atmosphere and some tough questions and alliances tested, but the level of the debate reflected some fantastic ideas and the hard work of the teachers and the pupils.
“I was very impressed with how the pupils tackled the challenges of research and debate in such a short amount of time. The quality of the debate during the afternoon identified the pupils’ understanding of the issues and their application of knowledge from work covered in Geography lessons. The group were so enthusiastic and engaged throughout the day, and they should be very proud of their efforts." Miss Crouch, Geography teacher
“Working with the Year 10 pupils from Cirencester Deer Park was an absolute delight. All the students were fully engaged with the activities and provided great knowledge and understanding of the issues regarding climate change and sustainability. They were excellent at debating and negotiating their arguments and answering some really challenging questions. Great work!” Miss Ashby, GITEP Geography trainee
"I really enjoyed learning about our C40 city (Lagos) and it's physical, social and economic challenges. I enjoyed having the opportunity to debate new policies with other delegations. It was really fun seeing how competitive it got when negotiating with other groups." Ben H (Year 10)
“I really enjoyed learning about the development and culture of foreign countries and researching their current schemes to battle climate change. It was fun working in groups and also collaborating with other groups to further my knowledge on this global issue. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to other groups' ideas and different ways of thinking.” Isabel C (Year 10)
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