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United Nations

The school participates in different events run by the United Nations Youth Association of Australia (WA Division) or UNYA. These are the State Conference and the Hammarskjöld Trophy Competition. These aim to provide a unique experience for students to improve their debating skills, further their knowledge of international security issues, hone their interpersonal skills through lobbying and negotiating and earn recognition for their achievements as individuals and representatives of their schools. From time to time Year 10 students attend an annual Forum where they are introduced to the international world of the UN. This provides interaction with like-minded students to current issues through guest speakers and group workshops.

The State Conference is held over a 3 day weekend as a camp. Any Year 10, 11 or 12 student can enter, representing themselves in particular, rather than their school. The conference comprises exciting opportunities to meet with other students, participate in workshops and mock General Assemblies. Based on the performance of each student representing a given country in the area of debating and negotiation.

The Hammarskjöld Trophy Competition (HTC) is widely recognised as a prestigious debating competition for secondary school students in Australia. It is a model United Nations Security Council (UNSC) competition for students in Years 10, 11 and 12 and aims to take the ideals and current world issues to the youth of Western Australia. In teams of two, students represent a country on the Security Council and debate issues ranging from post-war Iraq to measures to combat international terrorism to the international drug trade.

The HTC is the only national schools debating competition in Australia, with the top two WA teams travelling to a state capital to compete for the national title- the Evatt Trophy. The Year 10 Forum is held to provide students with an entrée into the world of international affairs. Students are provided with a background to a theme of international concern with two opposing viewpoints from experts in the field. The students then break up into small groups led by an UNYA (WA) representative who facilitates a workshop on the theme to provided greater discussion and interaction of ideas from the students. The day rounds off with a plenary session where workshop ideas are presented by the students with final clarifications from the invited experts. The day is an excellent starting point for students interested in participating in both the State Conference and the HTC.

Further Information
For more information on United Nations contact the Teacher in Charge: Matthew Weston on matthew.weston@ggs.wa.edu.au.