Full Details

Tuesday, April 2

Roadmap to Model African Union
All Day Conference of High School Students
Time:
(All day)
Presenter:
Paige Alderson
Location:
4130 WWPH
Sponsored by:
Center for African Studies
Contact:
Paige Alderson
Contact Email:
pta22@pitt.edu

Model African Union 2019 Conference is here! More that 200 High School students converged at the University of Pittsburgh to hold conference and simulation of the African Union, debating and discussing issues facing African States while proposing resolutions.

The program gives students in grades 9-12 an opportunity to learn about Africa through studying the African Union and assigned topics and countries. The students who assume the roles of delegates for respective assigned countries simulate the proceedings of the African Union in one of the committees with pre-set topics to debate. Students research the background of their assigned country, their country's position on the topics at hand, and prepare notes on possible solutions to the problems faced. Students then convene at Pitt on the day of the conference to debate their assigned topics. Much like the real African Union convening in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The goal is to identify solutions, by negotiation and consensus, on which many countries can agree. Students write and pass a resolution describing the actions that they propose to take collectively in response to the issues. This activity requires countries with very different points of view to discuss their differences and find common ground.