sydney

melbourne

The 2010 High Resolves Melbourne Summit took place on Monday 30 August. Held on the same site as the United Nations NGO Conference: “Advance Global Health, Achieve the Millennium Development Goals”, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Summit attracted over 150 students from schools across Melbourne, and one school from Sydney, for a day filled with energising activities, model NGO simulations, a panel of speakers from representative NGOs, and some surprise guests.

Due to the close proximity to the UN NGO Conference, the High Resolves Summit incorporated the Millennium Development Goals as its central theme. As groups, they dealt with the problem of malaria in Mozambique and sought to reach agreement on ways to combat the issues of maternal health in Nepal.

The importance of working together was also a key element of the flash mob that students performed in the foyer at the Convention Centre. The High Resolves students collectively fashioned their flash mob to represent three different time periods of the Millennium Development Goals: pre 2000, 2000-2010, and 2010-2015. The dance moves reflected the progress of the Millennium Development Goals during each specific time period, moving from somewhat disconnected dancing (pre MDGS), to more strategically aligned and coordinated dancing (from 2010-2015). The flash mob grabbed the attention of media, UN delegates, as well as two surprise guests, footballer Harry O’Brien and Fuzzy from Video Hits.

Students also heard from special guest Mr. Kiyotaka Akasaka, the UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, who addressed the High Resolves students and acknowledged their fantastic efforts of coming up with a solution for the simulation activity. Following Mr. Akasaka’s talk, students then heard from a panel of NGO delegates and were able to ask them questions on what it was like to work at an NGO.

The High Resolves Summit in Melbourne allowed the students to experience a day in the life of a United Nations NGO delegate. Ending with a chant of the High Resolves slogan “Our World, Our Choice”, they left with a wealth of knowledge and an understanding of the importance of global citizenship as future leaders.