Childrens Parliament

This year and last year, our school was invited to participate in a relatively new initiative here in Finland: Children’s Parliament of the World. This Finnish organization is slowly spreading its message of empowerment to tomorrow’s leaders (our present adolescents!) internationally. Children’s Parliament is a forum that exists in the form of an annual, international conference, as well as a continual, online support and development network. It provides an opportunity for young adolescents (aged 11-15) to meet and discuss the socio-economic and political matters they feel are of utmost importance for their futures. One key element of Children’s Parliament is that there is very little actual adult participation during the conference time: the children themselves are encouraged to participate and lead themselves in all aspects of a debate/discussion and resolution process.

This year, our delegation consists of 15 students from grades 6 through 9. The students prepare for the conference once a week during After School Activity time for an hour. There is occasional “homework.” The Children’s Parliament of the World conference takes place this year in Turku from October 26 to October 30, 2004.

The most promising aspect of our students’ participation in this type of activity is that they return to our school feeling empowered to affect change in our local environment and generally become leaders amongst their peers. Last year, many Children’s Parliament students continued their leadership role by working on Middle School Students’ Council. Also, our students who have participated in Children’s Parliament of the World in Finland have the opportunity, if they and their parents choose, to participate in other Children’s Parliament of the World activities internationally.

Model United Nations (MUN)

The International School of Helsinki provides two MUN happenings: The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) and the Helsinki International Model United Nations (HELIMUN).

THIMUN (source: www.thimun.org)

The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN), a not-for-profit educational foundation, is an NGO in Roster Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information. The THIMUN Foundation organises several conferences:

• THIMUN, a five-day simulation of the United Nations for secondary school students,
• MINIMUN, a one-day Model United Nations in The Hague for schools in The Netherlands and Belgium, and
• THIMUN Youth Assembly, a five-day conference for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who discuss a variety of global issues and produce Action Papers, which will form the basis for the participation of THIMUN Youth in important international conferences.

The THIMUN Conference and the THIMUN Youth Assembly take place annually at the end of January in The Netherlands Congress Centre (Nederlands Congrescentrum) in The Hague.

The object is to seek, through discussion, negotiation and debate, solutions to the various problems of the world: e.g. questions of human rights, protection of the environment, economic development, disarmament, the problems of youth and of refugees, as well as the more critical issues of war and peace. The young delegates, in seeking solutions to these problems, can learn to break away from narrow, national self-interest and develop true international cooperation. The research and preparation required, the adoption of views and attitudes other than their own, the involvement and interaction with so many other young people from around the world, all combine to give the young people a deep insight into the world's problems, to make them aware of the causes of conflict between nations and to lead them to a better understanding of the interests and motivation of others. Thus, in a small way, the THIMUN Foundation, through its conferences, attempts to fulfil the aims and goals set by the founders of the United Nations in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations:

"to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours."

HELIMUN (source: www.helimun.org)

The story of HELIMUN started in 2001 when a group of Kulosaari Upper Secondary School students participated in the Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN). Two of these delegates, Ms. Aino Efraimsson and Ms. Milla Paalanen, got the idea of organising a MUN-conference to the 9th grade students at Kulosaari secondary School. The first MUN-conference, MINIMUN, was held in May 2001.

During the following three years the MUN-conference, now known as KUMUN, expanded. Besides Kulosaari Secondary School students also other schools were invited to participate in the conference. Delegates from International School of Helsinki, Espoo International and Riga Hanza School from Latvia were among those participating in KUMUN 2004.

In August 2004 the name of the conference was changed to Helsinki International Model United Nations (HELIMUN) to encourage also foreign schools to participate in the conference.