Two teams from The College Ystrad Mynach have taken part in a mock United Nations conference, debating the global supply of food.
The conference, held at Barry’s Civic Offices, brought together young people from across South Wales and encouraged them to learn about the role of the United Nations.
The college students, representing South Korea and Canada as delegates of the UN, devised statements of position and ideas for international agreements to discuss with other participants.
The debates considered maximum food prices of basic commodities and limits on food waste.
Initiated by the Council for Education in World Citizenship, the annual mock conference encourages students to play the role of UN members and agree on international resolutions.
Paul Davies, Public Services Lecturer at The College Ystrad Mynach, said that the day was a real eye-opener for participating students.
He said: “The event provided our students with an excellent opportunity to see how international institutions operate and the difficulties that they encounter in making decisions.
“More importantly, the event enabled the students to see how decisions made by such institutions impact them and the UK as a whole.
“The students worked incredibly hard preparing for this event and participated fully in all aspects of the day, they are an absolute credit to the college.”
Student Melissa Lewis, who was on the team representing Canada, added: “The debate taught me a huge amount about the many different countries that comprise the United Nations and I feel I have learnt so much about global issues.”
Josh Dance, who was part of the South Korean mock team, said: “I enjoyed negotiating and resolving issues with other countries. For example, we had a lengthy discussion with North Korea and solved many internationally relevant problems.”
Bryn Davies, Principal at The College Ystrad Mynach said: “I am delighted that our students took part in such an interesting event.
“It is important to The College that our students can try new experiences that contribute towards their learning.
“We always look to provide students with opportunities that will benefit them in the future and this debate certainly fits into that category.”