HARTFORD, Conn. — About 650 high schoolers from 25 different schools gathered at Dunkin Donuts Park in Hartford on Saturday for the 2021 Model United Nations conference.
It's a two-day event where students debate a wide range of issues including the weaponization of artificial intelligence and preparing for the next pandemic.
The World Affairs Council of Connecticut has been bringing students together to debate bipartisan global issues for more than 60 years.
"It's just so exciting being able to go up in front of a crowd of people and speak about issues that you've researched," said Ria Saxena, President of the CTWAC U.N. Conference.
The students were grateful to be back in person after the pandemic forced them to host the event online last year. Now, COVID-19 is one of the main topics they're focusing on.
"We've experienced our own crisis with COVID-19. And so now going back and talking about other crises, it's just all the more relevant," Saxena said.
"It is important for them to understand how to navigate the global landscape and have the skills to look at the world in a different way," said Megan Torrey, CEO of the World Affairs Council of Connecticut.
It's what brings people like Saxena back every year.
"I genuinely do think that it like, fosters a sense of kind of responsibility for understanding the world around you and being aware of other nations," Saxena said.
The event was only open to fully vaccinated students, who needed to show proof of vaccination before attending.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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