2 Days to Remember!

Montessori Life, Winter 2004 by Selman, Ruth Corey

The United Nations Headquarters in New York offers guided tours to the public. The guides, usually knowledgeable natives and often in national dress, lead groups of 10 to 15 through the corridors and main meeting rooms of the famous icon building, pointing out highlights and offering statistics related to the displays. First-time visitors who have been fed nothing more than media information about the world organization usually find the experience something to think about, although the sheer magnitude of information may not be absorbed easily. For young people, especially schoolchildren who have little more than a "unit" on the United Nations in their social studies classes, much of this tour washes over their heads in a blur of impressions.

Based upon this observation, the Peace Fund of the American Montessori Society designed a program I initiated to prepare youngsters with a foundation experience before their visit to the UN. Middle-school children of ages 12 to 14 represent the dawn of community consciousness. They want to reach out to the world around them. They want to know!

As teachers and parents, we must go beyond the scraps fed to them by the media, especially as it relates to the United Nations, the Peace Table ot the world and the center of hope for the planet. Why not bring them to the source, and prepare them adequately to absorb the information directly? Why not bring them to New York to network with UN personnel, to be given a foundation experience before they take the tour? And why not on United Nations Day, the birthday of the UN Charter?

On Wednesday evening 22 October 2003, 30 middle-school students representing 8 Montessori schools in 12 states converged with their chaperones at a New York midtown hotel. Here they spent 2 ½ days in an immersion experience filled with active listening, discussion, dining, and touring, and surrounded by the images of hope for world peace. Participants came from Abintra Montessori School of Nashville (TN); Greensboro (NC) Montessori School; Brickton Montessori School, Chicago, IL; Oak Meadow Montessori School, Littleton, MA; Meadow Montessori School, Monroe, MI; Dallas (TX) Montessori School; and Oneness-Family School, Chevy Chase, MD.

From the first welcoming meeting of the program, titled Youth Visits the UN(YVUN), at the hotel conference room to the finale, the International Luncheon at the Delegate's Dining Room overlooking the East River, the enthusiasm among the participants could only be matched by the perfect sunny days. Speakers and workshop leaders included Rolf Luyendijk, Specialist for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (UNICEF); Nahela Hadi, UNA-USA, executive director of the Adopt-A-Minefield Program; Elizabeth Scott Andrews, senior editor, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with Laurie Treuhaft, translator, United Nations; and Dr. Renee Cherow-O'Leary, professor, Teachers College (Columbia University) with her friend Elana Haviv, executive director, The Children's Movement for Creative Education, who recently returned from Bosnia. The flair and splendor of 191 flags, representing as many member countries, waved in the breezes over the smiles on the students' Faces as they posed For photos displaying the banners of UN DAY 2003!

The YVUN Committee supporting and implementing my dream included Patti Yonka, the talented and creative administrator of the project, who also contributed her musicianship with guitar and song; Lesley Nan Haberman, director/owner of the Family School, who managed all the New York logistics and offered the use of her school auditorium as the chief homebase meeting place; Tom Jankowski, former middle-school teacher, who managed the ground operations and supervised the scheduling and decorum of the students, as well as being responsible for documentation of the pilot program; and the stalwart John Martin, who managed to sacrifice time away from his own school in Austin, TX, to photograph every step of the way.

A major hurdle to overcome, the budget, happily received a big plus with the AMS Peace Fund Grant of $2,000. Last but not least, we offer thanks to Eileen Ast, AMS executive director, for her unconditional support. The success of this project goes to our heads-we dare not stop now! We know the need is there. Numerous Montessori schools have called to express disappointment over not receiving the information early enough to participate. We reach out to you now: UN DAY 2004 will be celebrated this year! The project is well beyond the initial planning stage.

Please contact Patti Yonka or me [patyonka@aol.cm, ShalomRuth@aol.com] as soon as possible, as spaces arc always limited. Come join us for what promises to be an annual lifetime experience.

DR. RUTH SELMAN is an AMS NGO representative to the UN.