MGCNLCA Holds First Post-Pandemic UN Week
MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) hosted its first post-pandemic United Nations (UN) Week from October 23 to 26, with the aim of promoting global awareness, international unity, and diplomacy with its wide range of events and activities.
Spearheaded by the Araling Panlipunan (AP) teachers, this event provided students the chance to appreciate the beauty of the world and recognize the importance of global cooperation.
Hosted by the MGCNLCA’s Model United Nations (MUN) varsity secretariat, the opening ceremony officially kicked off the event in the Auditorium from 9:00 to 10:00 am last October 23.
In her opening remarks, School Principal Evangeline Co stressed the importance of global awareness and cooperation and emphasized that unity and collaboration are essential in the pursuit of making this world a better place for all.
Meanwhile, keynote speaker Marilyn Maranas-Manuel, a former UN diplomatic aide, shared her experiences abroad, recounting an incident in Iraq where she survived a bombing in Iraq while working at the UN Embassy. She narrated how the UN building collapsed during the bombing, killing most members of the UN, including a close friend of hers, Brazilian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN representative to Iraq and a rumored successor to the UN Secretary-General position.
Despite this experience, Manuel emphasized that if she could go back in time, she would still choose to pursue a career as a UN aide and repeat the same process all over again. “War is expensive, the financial cost is its cost to human lives,” she shared. “The collateral damage of conflicts weighs heavily on people, especially for children.”
Manuel underscored the sacrifices and values that UN workers uphold, urging the audience to seize opportunities to help others and make a positive impact.
“In the end, it comes down to values we want our children to inherit, to value peace, justice, respect, human rights, and solidarity,” she concluded.
The UN Week celebration featured a variety of school-wide activities such as Damascus’ food bazaar, an exhibition of nations from Patmos students, and engaging presentations featuring diverse cultures and traditions from Nazareth and Berea students. The younger participants joined the festivities, with Early Years students donning various costumes for a parade walk. Galilee students had a national costume dress-up while the rest of the IB PYP students made flags and shared the experience of tasting foods from different countries.
The UN is an international organization of 193 member states that is committed to preserving world peace and security, fostering goodwill among nations, and advancing socio-economic progress, higher living standards, and human rights.
