{"id":23214,"date":"2017-04-13T10:34:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-13T14:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/?p=23214"},"modified":"2024-03-04T10:43:20","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T15:43:20","slug":"modeling-u-n-future-two-stetson-law-students-participate-intergenerational-community-building-edward-m-kennedy-institute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/index.php\/2017\/04\/13\/modeling-u-n-future-two-stetson-law-students-participate-intergenerational-community-building-edward-m-kennedy-institute\/","title":{"rendered":"Modeling the U.N. of the future: two Stetson Law students participate in intergenerational community-building at Edward M. Kennedy Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Khai<\/a>
Kai Su and Riya Khan worked together to present during the model U.N. session.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two Stetson University College of Law students participated in a model intergenerational U.N. session on April 8 about global issues related to aging. Stetson students Riya Khan, a student in the LL.M. program, and Kai Su, a first-year J.D. student, joined the session at\u00a0the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston via Skype.<\/p>\n

A group of\u00a0more than 30\u00a0people including senior citizens and high school students partnered to represent three NGOs for human rights, transportation and housing\u00a0and 16 different countries around the world on the issue of aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to get younger people involved early on,\u201d said Khan, who wants to work for the U.N. or a similar organization after graduating from Stetson in May.<\/p>\n

Khan and Su shared ideas on how countries should address\u00a0their aging populations, using the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing<\/a> as a guide. Adopted by the Second World Assembly on Ageing\u00a0in 2002, the Madrid Plan is\u00a0a comprehensive action plan for building an intergenerational society.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did a model U.N. program in high school,\u201d Su shared. \u201cThis was a different approach, matching high school students with older people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Session participants worked together to write resolutions requesting\u00a0healthcare, housing and education for\u00a0seniors and an\u00a0end to gender discrimination and exploitation in third world countries. Khan and Su addressed questions about how to address human rights issues impacting older women in the Middle East, whether governments or NGOs should create or implement human rights policies, and whether all countries should sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.<\/p>\n

The intergenerational U.N. initiative is the brainchild of Kathi Bailey, director of the Yarmouth Senior Center. The seniors involved in the program stay active and have an opportunity to interact with young people to develop solutions to worldwide issues. The town of Yarmouth is an age-friendly community and a\u00a0member of the\u00a0World Health Organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were fortunate to meet Professor Morgan and JR Swanegan at the American Society on Aging Conference in Chicago in March of 2017 and begin our collaborative journey,\u201d said Bailey. Professor Rebecca Morgan co-directs the Center for Excellence in Elder Law with Professor Roberta Flowers. Swanegan is assistant dean for international programs at Stetson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Stetson University student participation allowed us to introduce a Human Rights NGO through Skype technology as a demonstration of intergenerational and international participation in community building for a lifespan as we explored the topic of aging,” said Bailey. “We now have a new mechanism to reach out in communities where the traditional model U.N. did not exist and we have put aging\u00a0on the traditional model U.N. committee map.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch a video of the session below:
\n