Students from high schools and universities throughout mainland China visited New York between the 11th to the 15th of February to learn about the work of the United Nations, study the Sustainable Development Goals, and learn 21st century skills, during our latest edition of YTP: China.

Before arriving to New York, each student wrote project proposals that addressed local issues related to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Upon arrival, students continued to work on their individual papers, receiving individual coaching from WFUNA facilitators. Students looked into the topics of gender inequality, sustainable cities and transportation, or education.

During the week, the students heard from speakers with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, UN Environment, UN Women, UNIDO, and UN Habitat.

For the first day, students received an introduction to the work and the decision-making processes at the United Nations. Participants were also provided with a tour of the UN, and were given opportunities to walk through the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, and Trusteeship chambers. The day ended with a introduction to Peacekeeping and Peacebuiding with Mr. Aditya Mehta from DPKO.

On Tuesday, students visited the New York offices of UN Environment, and received a briefing from Communications Officer Ms. Satwant Kaur on how the UN addresses issues such as climate change. Afterwards, the students went to the offices of UN Women. A number of officers talked about different initiatives on gender equality at the United Nations, including work supporting women entrepreneurs and the HeforShe campaign.

On Wednesday, our program visited the Avenues School in Chelsea to participate in a Design Challenge, where students learned the design thinking process. Avenues students organized and facilitated the session, which posed the following problem: How can the students address rural education inequalities using technology. The activity was well received by both groups of students.

Thursday and Friday were packed with visits to the Permanent Missions of Switzerland and Iran, as well as a briefing from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. Students learned about how they can work at the UN through two sessions. One session involved the Human Resources Department at the UN. Ms. Eva Marie Jansen was very generous with her time and advice on how students can become better candidates for employment at the UN. Afterwards, students met with UN interns in a roundtable lunch format. Additionally, students were given time to work on their presentations and papers.

On the last half of Friday, the students presented their work on the sustainable development goals to the WFUNA program facilitators. Along with presenting the results of their research, each group created a short video about their week in New York. Check out each group’s Vlog below!