United Nations Information Centres

UN Clubs

Introduction

A number of Information Centres have established UN Clubs to engage educational institutions and to enhance students' awareness of the work of the United Nations. UNIC Lima, for example, oversees a network of over 100 "Friends of the United Nations" clubs, located in all areas of Peru. These clubs are open to students between 12 and 18 years of age, who are interested in learning about the work of the United Nations and international issues such as environment, poverty eradication, culture of peace, human rights, eradication of diseases, drug control, and cultural patrimony. UNIC Dar es Salaam, in partnership with Youth of United Nations (YUNA), has also established UN Clubs throughout Tanzania to increase knowledge about the work of the UN system as a whole.


In coordination with the United Nations Information Centre, a teacher plans and directs the club's activities, which may include educational workshops, roundtables, video screenings, exhibits, or competitions (essay writing, painting and drawing, photography, etc.). The Information Centre provides guidance and distributes educational material and background information on the issues being addressed. In addition, club members benefit from the collections and audiovisual services of the Information Centre's library.


The clubs aim to:

  1. Disseminate information about the activities of the United Nations.
  2. Enhance education through the teaching of interconnected global and national issues.
  3. Encourage students to think about their role in an interdependent world.
  4. Promote and strengthen a new youth conscience, based on mutual respect and shared responsibility.
  5. Encourage students' participation in extra-curricular educational activities.