The UNIS Mentor Service Learning MUN is a new Service Learning group this year which has been thriving with their projects to support the Elementary School (ES) students. A total sum of 120 students are actively participating in ES/MS MUN activities with students from all school divisions.
UNIS MUN Mentor Service Learning group guides ES students as they investigate global issues in relation to their PYP exhibition. The group will also collaborate with local schools as they look to develop their MUN programmes within their own communities.
The team will enlist experienced students to develop fundamental to Attributes to Learning (ATL) skills like research, communication, self-management, thinking, and social skills to help 5th Grade students explore their PYP Exhibition topics. Working in conjunction with the PYPx coordinator, Ms Kay, our UNIS MUN ES/MS MUN programme is built around helping students develop their leadership, communication, research, critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective collaborative skills.
By taking part into this service group, Grade 5 students are developing into future change-makers. They are actively cultivating solutions for global issues at a beginning stage which is considered an introduction of the UNIS MUN to them. The MUN programme this year has been extended to Middle School (MS) and the UNIS ES/MS MUN service learning group will prepare the fifth graders for their fruitful debates in the upcoming years.
Jaechurl Jeong, a group member and a UNISMUN leader, shared: “Our main objective is to help the G5 students with the PYP exhibition. This is our first step in reaching that goal”.
The MUN Mentor Service Group had started to meet with 5th grade students 2 weeks ago. During the first meeting, everyone was a bit nervous, but they started to work in small groups and everyone got along. The main focus was climate change – the PYP exhibition theme.
The ES students were divided into groups who then studied a nonfiction article about climate change together, and had engaging discussions. They also learned about note taking and research skills for their PYP Exhibition.
After the first meeting, the team had a short debrief with Ms. Emily (Grade 5 teacher) for feedback and how to better plan for future meetings.
Perry Baek, the Head of the MS and ES Department for UNISMUN, added “ We had an introductory session to get to know each other, and time for our G5 buddies to share about specific global topics or issues they feel connected to and why”. MS student leaders used SDGs and ATL skills to plan for the brainstorming session with Grade 5 to understand what they want from this project and how MS students can best support them.
The UNISMUN Mentor Service Learning group meets with 5B every two weeks. Their goal moving forward is to have a more close connection with the 5B mentees, to continue providing support and creating a more engaging environment. It is important for the G5 students to go through the PYP exhibition, which prepares them for larger tasks and their upcoming curriculum of the MYP Programme.