Church Center of the United Nations
777 United Nations Plaza
Manhattan, NY 10017
United States
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This seminar is primarily for undergraduate students at Anabaptist colleges and universities in Canada and the U.S. International students are especially encouraged to participate.
From devastation and injustice in Palestine-Israel, to decades of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to military rule in Myanmar, to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, to 70 years of a divided Korean peninsula, to shifting global power dynamics that threaten UN action, what role does – and can – the UN play for better or worse in fostering peace? Through engagement with UN diplomats, UN peacebuilding staff, and grassroots civil society peacemakers, the seminar will provide students an opportunity to look closely at the UN system – its gifts, challenges, and opportunities for authentic peacebuilding in a rapidly changing world.
MCC is serving now, and has for decades, in all the above places of conflict and high tension. And we are present at the United Nations, engaging diplomats and the UN system about these crises.
In this three-day seminar, students will:
- Engage the theme with presenters from the fields of UN diplomacy, international NGO’s, and MCC experts and partners.
- Learn about the work of the UN, about faith-based advocacy, and about calls to reform the UN.
- Take a tour of the United Nations building and engage with one another within the UN’s dynamic setting in New York City.
- Engage a mix of plenary sessions and small groups offering high interaction with experts.
- Connect with and learn from fellow students.
- Apply learnings to their own context.
Event information
The MCC United Nations office is offering scholarships of $150 and $250 USD to supplement financial support from schools and to help with the cost of travel and lodging. Scholarships will be designated to students who lack sufficient funding from their school to cover the full cost of their travel to and lodging in New York City.
- Applications will be reviewed as they are received and, if approved, scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis. The final application deadline for students to apply for a scholarship is October 3 at 11 pm Eastern Time.
- Students who apply for a scholarship will be asked to indicate the cost of their travel and lodging, the amount they are receiving from their school (or other support), and a requested scholarship amount.
- All students who apply to the seminar, including those who apply for scholarships, once they receive notice of acceptance, will receive a link to register for the seminar and pay the $75 USD seminar fee. Those who were awarded a scholarship will receive their funds after the seminar is over.
- As noted above, there will be a rolling application process for both seminar attendance and scholarship. On October 3 at 11 pm Eastern Time the seminar and scholarship application period will end. If accepted, students must register by October 9 at 11:59pm EST in order to confirm their spot in the seminar.
The earlier you apply for the seminar and a scholarship, and if you have a clear need, it is likely you will receive a scholarship.
Students should contact their school to see if there are any scholarship possibilities. Students also have the option to apply for a scholarship through the MCC UN office.
Priority will be given to students from Anabaptist-related schools in Canada and the U.S. Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be an undergraduate or graduate student in a U.S. or Canadian school
- Have strong interest in issues related to areas such as peacemaking, international relations, Christian nonviolence, the United Nations
- Commit to full participation in the seminar and all its activities
The seminar begins with registration at 4 p.m. on Wednesday November 12, and ends with lunch on Friday November 14.
Note: There will be a 45-minute online session one week before the seminar to provide a brief introduction to the seminar and the UN Office. Those who are unable to attend are required to watch the recording of the session before arriving in New York City.
Application deadline: Rolling until October 3, 2025. Submissions are now open.
Seminar fee: $75 USD from accepted participants.
After applying you will receive a confirmation email. Spots are limited and applications will be accepted on a first-come first-serve basis. If your application is approved, you will receive instructions via email about how to register and pay the $75 USD seminar payment by October 9 at 11:59pm EST.
Participants arrange their own lodging in New York City during the seminar. Please check out this list of affordable options.
Presenters
Ashley Gagné, the seminar facilitator, began serving as Director of the MCC UN Office in March 2025. Originally from Maine, she has more than fifteen years of experience working with universities, NGOs and UN agencies in Africa, Latin America, and Oceania as an advocate, writer, and educator. From 2007 to 2009 she led the Jesuit Refugee Service's communications strategy in West Africa, among other humanitarian and development initiatives around the world. Ashley holds a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College and an MSc in Development Studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
Hailing from South Dakota, Faith Kroeker-Maus is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently serving as an economic advisor at the U.S. Mission to the UN (USUN). Faith served with the State Department in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Montreal, Quebec, and the State Department 24/7 Emergency Operations Center in Washington DC. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Faith worked at the FBI, the Infectious Diseases Institute in Kampala, Uganda, and the Salvation Army in London, UK. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bethel University in Saint Paul, MN and a masters from the University of Denver. Faith speaks French and Haitian Creole.
Born in Kenya, Dr. Roselyn Akombe has worked as a teacher, civil society activist and managed national elections. Dr. Akombe has served in various roles at the UN since 2006, including in Burundi as a Senior Electoral Affairs Officer. In addition to leading various flagship programmes such as the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme for Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention, she was involved in establishing several of the UN missions including in Libya, Somalia, Syria, Great Lakes, West Africa, Central Africa, among others. Dr. Akombe currently serves as the Chief of Peacebuilding Strategy and Partnerships at the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
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