Summer. A time to relax and be carefree from all of the stress of school and deadlines. A time to bask in sunlight and hang out with friends. A time for yourself. While the summertime has time for all of that, it is also the best time to engage in something worthwhile. As I’ve grown up, summer have become so much more than just me sitting on the couch and watching TV, rarely getting out of the house like I did in the summers of my Junior High years. In the summer between Junior High and Grade 10, I began volunteering with Youth Central and racked up over 100 hours in the course of the summer months. The volunteer projects I did gave me a sense of motivation, structure, and drive that prevented me from being that person who wakes up in the afternoon. In the summer between Grade 10 and 11, I worked a summer job as a clerical in an office downtown, where I was able to make money to support the brunch trips with friends and learned some valuable technical skills. Last summer? I went to SUNIA, and what I gained from that experience was above and beyond what I could’ve imagined from a week-long summer camp.
If you know me, you probably have heard me rave about SUNIA (Seminar on the United Nations and International Affairs). Essentially, it is a summer camp where you can learn about international affairs, gain perspective on global issues in fun and engaging ways, develop your Model United Nations and speaking skills, all the while enjoying all of the recreational activities that is the hallmark of a fun summer. In the course of the week, students get the chance to go on two separate hikes: one to the basin of Crescent Falls; a two-tiered waterfall, and the other to the peak of Mount Baldy; the highest in the area.
The camp itself takes place at the Goldeye Centre in Nordegg, Alberta, which is in the beautiful rocky mountain range. When I first signed up for SUNIA after hearing about it at HSMUN (also my first MUN conference ever!), I was fully prepared to be using outhouses and dirty showers all week. However, as soon as I arrived to the Goldeye Centre, I was greeted with clean, heated cabins, spacious bathrooms with plenty of shower space, might I stress the clean part here as well. I was also intimidated by the fact that I had barely had any MUN experience. I had no idea what a Security Council even entailed, and even less how to actually participate in a mock one. However, I was reassured by the fact that SUNIA is designed to accommodate for people of all different levels of knowledge, and in the week that I was there, I learned so much about government and politics that I felt completely prepared to debate on behalf of my country in the Security Council on the last day.
SUNIA also understands that you probably want to take a break from researching over the summer, and all of the learning is designed to be done out at the camp with unconventional teaching methods that will grab your attention. They also supplement the students’ learning experience by inviting two guests who work at the United Nations in New York City to come in and spend the week alongside us. I was able to have a ton of eye-opening conversations with the UN guests over dinner, on hikes, and at the floating dock by the lake.
What I took away from SUNIA was so much more than just fun times and new knowledge on international affairs. I ended up learning so much about myself from the experience, which you can read about here. I loved the experience so much, that I joined the group of 14 staff members who make the magic happen this year and I am looking forward to providing students with the same positive experience I had when I went to SUNIA.
Registration for the camp is now open at sunia.ca, where you can also learn more about the program itself and the rich, 60-year history behind it. There are tons of scholarship and bursary opportunities that you can apply for to assist you in attending the camp, and our non-profit organization aims to make sure all who want to attend get the opportunity to. There are two different weeks you can choose between to attend to better accommodate your summer plans. What will you make of your summer? Hope to see you at SUNIA!