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05-14-09
MAyor young welcomes UN Club students prior to their trip to the united nations
     On Thursday, May 14, Mayor Clinton I. Young, Jr. hosted a group of 30 United Nations Club students as well as representatives from the United Nations Association-Westchester Chapter at Mount Vernon City Hall before the group headed down to UNICEF, The United Nations, and the German Mission-Consulate.
     “The young men and women that we have here in Mount Vernon understand the fact that we live in a global society,” said Mayor Young.  “I applaud their efforts to expand the breadth of their knowledge and applaud the efforts of their teachers, the school district, the UN Association of Westchester, and the Verizon Foundation for their guidance and support in making this program a successful one.  You young people are leaders today and now have the responsibility to be leaders everyday.”
     The trip marks the completion of a program of study by the students of the Mount Vernon U.N. Club on the United Nations given by the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) Westchester Chapter.  The course of study broadly helped to develop interest in global issues, and helped the students hone their skills in research, writing and questioning how the world operates and their role in it. This includes classroom teaching, internet research, essay composition.
     “You have come to learn through your hard work that the world is becoming increasingly flat; that you can reach across the world to China or Zimbabwe by just getting on the internet,” said Dr. Tony Sawyer, Superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District.  “The U.N. Club continues to be additional beacon of valuable learning in our schools.”
     The U.N. Club was established at Mount Vernon 11 years ago by Mr. Demetrios Mihailidis.  The purpose of the Club is to expose students to International and Global issues.   About 8 years ago the U.N. Club partnered with the UNA-USA and Junior Achievement. 
     The program and trip was made possible a generous grant from the Verizon Foundation and the support of the Mount Vernon School District. 
     “This is definitely one of the most unique and effective projects I have dealt with over the years,” said Mr. John Butler from the Verizon Foundation.
     Former Superintendent of the MVCSD, Dr. Brenda Smith, who is now working at the United Nations, was in attendance and would be accompanying the group to UNICEF.
     “I would like to thank Mayor Young for his support in this and other initiatives that work to expose our children to the work of the United Nations,” said Dr. Smith.  “I know that the city, the school district, and the UNA of Westchester will continue to work together to increase these types of learning opportunities for our young people.”
     This year, many of the members of the UN Club as well as dozens of additional Mount Vernon students participated in a letter/essay contest sponsored by UNA-USA Millennium Development Goal Seven (MDG 7), and asked students to tackle the challenge of ensuring environmental sustainability. Students wrote letters to the President of the United States on why ensuring environmental sustainability is so important and what the US should do to ensure that MDG 7 can be reached by 2015.
     “As the Westchester Chapter of the UNA-USA promotes the work of the UN and the leadership of the US in this work we will count on the knowledgeable support of the students to ensure that the US plays an active role and reaps the benefits of full participation in the UN,” said Phil Reynolds, President of the UNA-USA Westchester Chapter.  “I wish you well as you become “ambassadors for a day.”