STUDENTS and staff from four schools in Wyre Forest and Hagley are currently spending five days in Geneva, Switzerland, on a fact finding visit of the United Nations.

On each day of their trip they will be writing a blog about their experiences.

 

Day 1 – Monday 25th August

Our five day Global Citizenship study programme has started well today at the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations.

We kicked off with a guided tour of the Palais des Nations and its many debating chambers, scene to historic discussions over the decades.

It was fascinating to see so many artworks of all kinds that have been donated by member states and also poignant to see the memorials to aid workers who have been killed in various trouble spots over the years.

The presentation we were given by a speaker from the UN information service set the scene for the rest of the week.

He described the structure of the UN and the vast scale of its operations - in Geneva alone there are almost 40,000 people involved in its works - more than 10 per cent of the city's population.

We finished the day with a fascinating tour of the League of Nations museum - going into detail about issues many of us know from GCSE history.

To see the treaty of Versailles close-up was amazing and the guide really brought the subject to life.

More tomorrow - UNICEF, Human Rights and Migration.

By Michael Conroy Harris, collaboration coordinator for The ContinU Trust.

 

To read the preview article about the trip click here.