As I post this photo above, my heart aches to be back with this amazing group of students and teachers at the American International School Chennai (AISC). But I will be the first to admit I was not all that excited about traveling to India. I'm not a big fan of crowded cities and I am weak when it comes to spicy food. But I heard wonderful things about the CHEMUN conference from two extraordinary woman so I knew I had to go. And after a week with this crew, I would go back in a heartbeat. These individuals, the school, and the city taught me so much.
The K-12 campus of 900+ students was extraordinary. You get to know a place in the details. You could see and feel all the messaging on the walls (and the floors) of the school in action every day. Every single item in their conference gift bag was thoughtfully included, hand picked from recycled goods or were purchased from local businesses. They value service to their community as is evident in all the action that comes out of every classroom, much of it supporting the SDGs.
Above, the canvas bag is manufactured by a local business that is supported by The Yellow Bag: https://thelogicalindian.com/environment/the-story-of-a-couple-who-left-their-jobs-in-mncs-to-sell-cloth-bags/ . The business model is aligned with the value of eco-friendly products manufactured through an inclusive working environment (SDG 5,8,10,12). The notebooks are one of a kind made from recycled misprint material, a perfect reuse of waste material and a wonderful example of responsible production. Below are the CHEMUN cookies distributed for snacks in every forum. They were handmade by the Writer's Café, a local café operated by women who have been victims of domestic violence and/or are burn survivors. These women have been rescued by the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC), trained in cooking, baking, and confections, and are then given an opportunity to be independent income earners.
Clockwise: 1.Recycling, 2. No single-use plastics in the cafeteria, 3. Strategically placed lost and found, organized by days-lost, outside the parent café, 4. Signs of inclusivity.
Ok, obviously the school facility made a huge impression on me. So many ideas I want to bring back to Burroughs. Now for more about the conference.......
The CHEMUN XIII conference ran for three days in November with this year's theme being Ethics and Advancement with a focus on the human cost and risks of economic development, mass production, technological innovation, medicine, and globalization. The delegates were tasked by their Secretary General, senior Prahalad Giridhar, to reflect how topics like unfair labor, that are a result of advancement, tie into their lives on a personal level and work to figure out what they can do. In the conference guide it states, "factories are able to produce goods more efficiently than ever before; yet, as mechanized mass production becomes more widespread, unemployment rates have risen across the world. In the ever-expanding field of biotechnology, consider the prospect of genetic modification: a form of technology that allows for the pre-natal elimination of fatal genetic disorders. However, to what extent are these modifications ethical? When are they ethical, and when are they not? How do we ensure that this technology is not abused? The question of ethics in advancement extends beyond the technological sphere as well. How does globalization affect the mindsets of cultural groups across the globe? How do protectionist systems promote conflict? What does a balance between these complex socio-political ideologists look like in practice?"
While PANAMUN had one conference with separate committees for high school and middle school, CHEMUN mixed the younger students with the older ones. I saw a lot of leadership in action as the older students mentored the younger students, helping them find their way. But many of the younger students could hold their own and ran circles around the seniors in well crafted arguments, eg. the delegate of Bangladesh seated at the red computer in the top right photo. In the Human Rights forum he alone was responsible for proposing dozens of amendments to make resolutions stronger and had close to 100 points of information (POIs). It was wonderful to observe this room to see how, during the week, he inspired the introverts to rise and make a point or submit a resolution. I just love seeing that dynamic at a conference.
Several members of the CHEMUN student officer team had double duty during the week of the conference. As founders of the MUN Impact Club at AISC, seniors Sanjana Kumar and Anant Bajaj led a workshop the day before the conference, supporting members of the middle school student council in creating a supply drive to help a local school with fewer resources start a basketball program. The brainstorming session helped narrow down some wonderful strategies to make this a successful drive.
The MUN Impact Club also brilliantly organized an Impact Zone to educate the CHEMUN participants about SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. They created a maze that delegates had to navigate while answering questions about SDG 11 topics along the way. The goal of the Zone "was to bring attention to the many difficult decisions that governments have to make in finding a balance between sustainability and advancement." Specifically, the questions asked were really decisions that a generic government could be deciding between, that would eventually lead to one of a number of endings for that nation, decisions that often leave a country somewhere in the middle between sustainability and advancement. eg. You are at a UNDP conference, discussing the role of global and local industry. Should you focus on creating a local industry or allowing multinational companies to develop infrastructure?
A HUGE shout out to Pepper McFarland (middle with SDG1 sign) for making me feel at home at AISC and for running an exemplary MUN program with impact. Clearly the school embraces the program AND their beloved director who puts her heart and soul into her students. And to Sanjana, Prahalad and their terrific leadership team who let me hang out helping create the Amazing Maze and entertaining all my questions and listening to all my stories. I LOVED talking with you all. You are all on a path to do great things in life.
Encouraged by the student and teachers, I set off on my free time to explore Chennai and an ancient site up the coast. Enjoy the photos..............
Scenes from the Mint Steet Market area in George Town.
Side trip to Mahabalipuram, 60km southwest of Chennai, known for its stone carvings and 7th and 8th century religious temples. Full of Shaivic, Shakti and Vaishna inscriptions.
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