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Dear Arthur,
We have information on the December 11 high school discussion as well as information on upcoming Middle School class visits.
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Civitas Home Page
Next High School Discussion Group on Saturday, December 11
Our final discussion group of 2004 will be on Saturday, December 11. It will be at Crossroads School (map below) from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM. Among topics for discussion are:
1. The "Bush Doctrine" of foreign affairs and consider how it may change the international landscape over the next four years.
2. The question of is there too much shopping and too little giving in the United States during the winter holiday season.
3. U.N. SCREWED -- Kofi Annan has come under scrutiny over the $64 billion oil-for-food program for Iraq, administered by the U.N. and supervised by the 15-nation Security Council. Suspicion has also been cast upon Kofi Annan's son, Kojo Annan, who worked for one of the major vendors to Iraq. Charles Duelfer, who led the failed U.S. effort to locate stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons in Iraq after the U.S.-led war, said Saddam earned $3 billion by cheating the oil-for-food program and another $7.5 billion outside of the program.
4. Election 2004 Chaos. in Ukraine - Remember when we were worried about rigged elections in our country?
5. Serial Port-a-Potty Tipper in Alabama - Someone in Dothan, Alabama has been knocking over portable restroom facilities. This fiend has already overturned fifty region Port-a-Potties. Do you think they'll get caught? Will something hit the fan?
Map & Directions to Crossroads School
Resolutions from November 20, 2004!
Video from November 20, 2004!
Pictures from November 20, 2004!
Scheduling Middle School Class Visits
After a successful kick-off at the student workshop in November, the eighth grade Model UN is ready to roll. A record 550 students from 22 different schools are participating in the program this year. Students are beginning to research the countries they will be representing in the spring and, in
the process, are identifying problems in their country and their region. Civitas is also scheduling visits to each of the classrooms to introduce how to write a UN resolution, so if you haven't heard from us yet, you will in the next week! The classroom visits will take place in January and February so that students can have their resolutions written in time for the next teacher's meeting on February 28. We're looking forward to spending some time in your classrooms with such a bright group of students!
Civitas home page
Register now for February POPULATION CONFERENCE!
The major conference of the year for Civitas students will be on the issue of World Population Growth. We have now settled on the dates of Friday, Feb. 25 (conference begins at 3:00 PM) - to Saturday, Feb. 26 (conference ends at 3:30 PM).
Here's some information on the conference:
Attendance is limited, so sign up early. If you think you might be interested in attending, please fill out a registration form now, and give it to a member of the Civitas staff. We'll talk about money, [it costs $60, and financial aid is available] schedules, parent consent forms, emergency information and other details after Jan.1, 2005. Registration is available on-line by clicking here.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, the world was home to 2 billion people. By 2000, there were nearly 6 billion. If we keep growing at present rates, world population will reach 13 billion in the next 40 years. What does that trend mean for your future and for the rest of the world?
Every one of those billions of people has an environmental "footprint." That's the area of the Earth each person needs to provide food, water, energy, and other essentials. Logically, the more people on the planet, the larger the total footprint, and the less room there is for other species and natural systems.
Population growth is hard on Earth's resources. As the world's population has grown and taken over more land for cities, industries, transportation and recreation, the amount of crop-producing land per person has declined. So have the fresh water and forested areas that provide resources vital to human survival.
And as these resources become scarcer, individuals and nations naturally take action to ensure their own survival. People in more well-developed countries-the "haves"-consume what the "have-nots" view as more than their fair share of resources. Some horde resources, cutting off the supply to other nations or groups of people. Some migrate in search of more resources. Others try to find ways to slow population growth. All too often, people and countries fight over the diminishing resources that they all need.
At Civitas' Conference on World Population, we'll talk about the political, social, humanitarian and environmental impacts of these trends. One of the big questions we'll be asking will be: How can we change the world from one of scarcity and destruction to one of hope and opportunity for everyone? Your role will be to represent a country of your choice, to identify issues, and to work collaboratively with other delegates to develop creative, positive solutions.
The conference will be serious, intense, and intellectually challenging. You'll use skills in communication, research, collaboration, reasoning, conflict resolution and debate. The conference is a place to learn, to be heard, to meet new people, to work collaboratively, and to add your creative thinking to important discussions with worldwide implications.
Link to Population Conference Information
Additional Links
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Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution
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