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JHS 226 was among the 20 schools chosen to participate in the program that immerses students and educators in the work of the United Nations.
By Forum Staff
A South Ozone Park school has been selected to participate in the 2018-2019 NYC Junior Ambassadors program, Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced.
Junior High School 226 on Rockaway Boulevard is one of just 20 schools across the five boroughs to earn a spot in the program that immerses seventh-grade students and educators in the work of the United Nations in order to build young global leaders prepared to address urgent world issues starting with action in their own local communities.
According to the administration, each class selected for the NYC Junior Ambassadors program will incorporate the United Nations and its work on the Sustainable Development Goals to address poverty, inequality, and climate change into their curriculum, with educators teaching subject areas ranging from science to arts to language. All participants will receive a curated tour of the UN headquarters in Manhattan tailored to their class’s curricular interest, and a classroom visit from a senior diplomat.
Junior Ambassadors will also attend a special year-end celebration and receive a certificate acknowledging their participation in the program. Graduates will gain access to an alumni network of thousands of young, future leaders, while participating educators receive professional training and materials supporting the implementation of their lesson plans throughout the duration of the program, de Blasio noted.
Some 85 applications from educators across the five boroughs were submitted during this year’s application period, and 20 classrooms and after-school programs were chosen to become members of the latest cohort of NYC Junior Ambassadors. Selected participants include students with disabilities, English as a New Language learners, and new and veteran educators. With this latest cohort, more than 2,000 students and educators from more than 70 classrooms and after-school programs have participated in the NYC Junior Ambassadors program since its launch in 2015, according to the City.
“These promising seventh-graders will join thousands of alumni, throughout the five boroughs, in learning about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as well as taking action on global issues through community projects in their neighborhoods,” said Penny Abeywardena, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs. “Young people have a critical role to play in solving worldwide challenges from climate change to migration and inequality, and our Junior Ambassadors are doing this work every day. As host to the United Nations and the largest diplomatic community in the world, New York City is uniquely positioned to provide these youth leaders of today with the tools, experience and ongoing support to become the global decision makers of tomorrow.”
The NYC Junior Ambassadors program will run from November 2018 to June 2019.
“I welcome the new class of the Junior Ambassadors program, a terrific effort to empowering a network of young global leaders and educators across the five boroughs, and connecting them with the resources of the international community,” de Blasio added. “Our city is a global leader in sustainability, and that leadership also extends to helping our youngest generation learn how to make a difference for the world of tomorrow by starting in their communities today.”
