Model U.N. lets students 'step into others' shoes'

Wearing an African-print dress, the United Nations delegate from the Democratic Republic of Congo took the podium yesterday, a translator at her side.

Speaking French, she told fellow members of the U.N. Children's Fund that people suffering from AIDS needed treatment, or millions in sub-Saharan Africa would die. She urged Third World debt relief and stressed the need for protection from theft when help was finally delivered to countries like hers, plagued by corruption.

Rohimen Troyep, left, and Elana Stiefel pay rapt attention as UNICEF delegates discuss a resolution as part of a "mock U.N." held at UW.
Mike Urban / Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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Then her time ran out, a gavel banged -- and 18-year-old Cecile Kabagema took her seat at a long table next to an Eritrean classmate from Foster High School in Tukwila.

In their short lives, they have experienced first-hand civil wars, ethnic cleansing and rampant disease. Now a group of immigrant high school students are assuming the role of the governments that persecuted them, or applying their international savvy to the portrayal of another country, for the first Washington State Model United Nations meeting.

About 260 high school students, including American-born students and those new to the states, are participating in the three-day event winding up today at the University of Washington.

The conference, funded by a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was organized by UW students and the World Affairs Council, a non-profit organization promoting understanding of global issues. It's the only meeting of its kind in the Northwest. Organizers hope it will survive beyond the life of the grant.

More than 20 Western Washington high schools are attending the conference, which is open to students statewide. Participation is voluntary and many students were recruited through school clubs or class assignments.

Students selected a U.N. member country to represent and were assigned to U.N. committees. They researched their country's position on various issues, preparing to promote them at the meeting.

"It's a remarkable process of stepping into somebody else's shoes," said Janine Magidman, who teaches English as a second language at Seattle's Roosevelt High School and is an adviser for a team representing Rwanda.

Though most of the students attending the conference are from the United States, all 13 participants from Foster High have international origins.

Kabagema's family fled Congo 1 1/2 years ago after they and other members of the Tutsi tribe were imprisoned by the government. The family arrived in the U.S. four months ago from the Ivory Coast.

Kabagema was eager to represent her homeland.

"I remember everything," the 18-year old said of Congo. "I really understand the country."

But a clear memory created its own problems as Kabagema struggled to favorably portray the government that jailed her for three months. The challenge was made easier by the recent appointment of a leader, Joseph Kabila, who she hopes might be more sympathetic to her tribe.

Before the meeting, students had to write position papers reflecting their government's stand on key issues. "It was difficult to say anything good," Kabagema said. "I still don't understand the position of the government."

Jorge Sebastian Roberts, a UW undergraduate double-majoring in economics and business, helped initiate the event and is overseeing the proceedings in the role of U.N. secretary general.

"Even though it doesn't run exactly as the U.N., it's as close as the students will get in terms of handling these issues that are affecting everyone in the world," Roberts said.

High school students Erin Ellard, left, and Lisa Rough, right, take a break to laughingly sing "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" to Jordan Kearns, top, representing Argentina.
Mike Urban / Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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While the real U.N. delegate for Cameroon probably doesn't have bright blue hair and Japan's representative is unlikely to wear sneakers to committee meetings, the students were suitably outfitted for the event in blazers and skirts, some wearing native dress -- flowing Indian saris and discreet Middle Eastern veils.

They followed a formal meeting format, breaking into caucuses and regularly calling for motions and votes. The students wrestled with topics that include women and children in armed combat, economic globalization and the environment, and combating ethnic conflicts.

They questioned whether the U.S. could be trusted to hold up its end of a deal and emphasized the need to respect diverse cultures and religions. Their goal is to hash out resolutions in committee, which will be presented in today's closing ceremonies to the entire council. Rep. Jim McDermott, a Seattle Democrat active in international issues, will also speak to the students this afternoon.

Participating in the model U.N. helps students improve their public speaking and broaden their awareness of international topics, but according to Roberts, the most important lesson is "the idea of conflict resolution."

The students have to look at an issue from all sides, and "it might go against their own values and opinions of how things should be resolved," he said.

"This is one of those things that you won't find in any classroom."

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattle-pi.com