SacC MUN Bulletin #8: Down to the Wire!

Our remaining meetings are April 2, April 9, and April 16. We will not meet on April 23. Our April 16 meeting will be our mandatory Pre-Conference meeting. We have a LOT of prep work to do so these next two weeks will be the busiest of the program year - but we know our Ambassadors are up to the challenge! Ambassadors and Parents should carefully read this week's bulletin so they know exactly what needs to be done - and when - before Summit!

New Business: 

1.) Volunteer Event, Saturday, April 13: 

Thank you to Joan Mock for suggesting the above volunteer event for Saturday, April 13 at Burberry Park in the Natomas Area. Please reply to this email to RSVP by April 2 to let us know if you will attend rather than completing the sign-up form on your own. We will fill out the form and let them know that we are all attending as a Delegation. Parents will need to sign this waiver for Ambassadors to participate. Advisors will be in attendance but parents are welcome to attend as well! Wear your delegation sweatshirt! (Tie it around your waist if it's worm). We will vote on where to have lunch after the service event at the next meeting. 







2.) Mozambique Banner Assignments Due April 2: 

Please bring 1-2 research points and supporting materials to the next meeting as assigned below:
Jessica: Religion
Autumn: Art, Architecture, and Style
John: Politics
Cooper: Language and Customs
Kennedy: Economy 
Dylan: Society and Geography
3.) Summit Preparation: 

You can find Summit prep handouts and Topic Preparation Guides on this Airtable chart (looks best on a desktop/laptop rather than on your phone). Here is what each Ambassador needs to accomplish. Drafts are due April 9 at our Meeting!

• ECOSOC (Dylan): Position papers about how Mozambique would view your committee's topics (2 papers total). (See the "How to Write a Position Paper" Document) TOPIC: Universal Primary Education: Subtopic A-Primary education of girls in the Middle East, Subtopic B-Access to education in rural counties.
• ICJ (Kennedy): Summit Case Worksheet (pages 14-15 of the MUN Training ICJ Packet). Available on the Airtable. 
• IPC (Autumn): News article and video about Mozambique. Details available on the Airtable. Final is due via email April 19. 
• NGO: Summit Preparation Guide document (page 5-6 of NGO Packet - See the Airtable). NGO Ambassadors must prepare their ideas from the point of view of the assigned NGO Country (note: this is a DIFFERENT country from our assigned Delegation Country.)
• Jessica: Topic - Access to Clean Water. Country  - CHAD
• Cooper: Topic - Access to Clean Water. Country - AFGHANISTAN
• John: Topic - Deforestation. Country - MEXICO

The Airtable chart has a LOT of information including the CIA Factbook summary for our Delegation Country and your Program Area countries (if applicable). MAKE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT! Do you have questions about what you need to prepare? ASK! We are happy to help! One more reminder: all handouts from the Training conference and topic preparation guides are available to download from the Airtable. 

Reminders:

Summit Survey: Ambassadors, make sure you complete the Training Conference Survey. Your feedback helps improve the program for next year. Your opinion matters! 

READING TEST - Ambassadors: are you reading the bulletin? If so, complete this reading test and earn a prize at tomorrow night's meeting! If you completed this already, you don't need to do it again.

Parent Corner: 
-  Mixed Bags Orders Are Here! Mixed Bags orders have arrived and will be available for pick up at the next meeting. If you need yours sooner, call Christiana to set up a pick up time this weekend.

-  Preparation - Parents, please take some time to review the Summit Preparation information with your Ambassador. Ask them to explain to you their task and their topics. This will help them better understand the information and help them identify questions to ask advisors or program staff. 

- Summit Arrival Time - Please help us plan our Thursday Summit logistics by completing this survey form. This form also surveys you for Ambassador shirt size preference for our Summit polo shirts. Each Ambassador will be provided with a polo shirt (included in your program fees). During the Summit, everyone must wear Business Casual attire and the polo shirt is one option to meet dress code. More on dress code at an upcoming meeting! We still need info for Dylan and John. 

- Last Payment Due April 12 - Final payments are due April 12. Each family received an updated balance reminder based on our lowered fees for this year. If you didn't receive that email, let us know! 

Thank you!

-Amanda Levy & Christiana Dominguez

Co-Lead Advisors, Sacramento Central MUN Delegation

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Looking for forms or handouts?

Sample Excused Absence Letter

Program Brochure

Mark your calendars:

Join the Sacramento Central YMCA Annual Campaign! (Give online or return this form)

April 2: Regular Meeting

April 9: Regular Meeting

April 12: Payment #2 Due. (Pay online or bring check payable to Sacramento YMCA)

April 16: Pre-Conference Meeting - Required for Ambassadors and A Parent

April 23: No Meeting

April 25-28, 2019: 18th MUN Summit, Los Angeles

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G MLC and MUN are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program. Please talk to us if your financial circumstances change during the program year. We're here to help. 

SacC MUN Bulletin #7: Five Meetings To Go (or Fewer)!

What a wonderful Training Conference! We hope your Ambassador had a great weekend at Camp Jones Gulch. We caught a lucky break with the weather on Saturday and it seemed like everyone had a good time. Please make sure Ambassadors complete this Training Survey while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Their feedback helps improve the program for next year! 

We have one month to go until the 18th Model United Nations! There are 5 Tuesdays between now and then. It's very important that all Ambassadors attend all meetings. If you have spring break travel plans or other Tuesdays on which you know you will be absent, please let us know ASAP!

News of Note: Mozambique is still experiencing a terrible natural disaster. Make sure you keep up on current events by reading the news each day. Here is a recent article on what Mozambique is dealing with. 

Summit Survey: Ambassadors, make sure you complete the Training Conference Survey. Your feedback helps improve the program for next year. Your opinion matters! 

Summit Preparation: 
This past weekend, you learned all about your program areas. Each Ambassador has a task to accomplish between now and April 25 (if not before). You received handouts and information this weekend. You can find those handouts and Topic Preparation Guides on this Airtable chart (looks best on a desktop/laptop rather than on your phone). The information here is specific to each Ambassador. The last column describes your task to complete before Summit. We will discuss these tasks during our meetings as well. If you have questions - ASK! (Note: the IPC prep guide is coming soon!)

READING TEST - Ambassadors: are you reading the bulletin? If so, complete this reading test and earn a prize at tomorrow night's meeting! 

Meeting Calendar:
At tomorrow night's meeting, you'll receive a detailed outline of our meeting topics for our remaining meetings this year. Make sure to look for it! 

Parent Corner: 

-  Preparation - Parents, please take some time to review the Summit Preparation information with your Ambassador. Ask them to explain to you their task and their topics. This will help them better understand the information and help them identify questions to ask advisors or program staff. 

- Meeting Schedule - As mentioned above, we have 5 Tuesdays left until we leave for Summit. We have a lot to cover to make sure our Ambassadors are prepared and get the most out of their Summit experience during our remaining meeting time. If you know you will be out of town for Spring Break or have any other conflicts on any of these dates, please let us know ASAP so we can plan our meetings accordingly:

• March 26
• April 2
• April 9
• April 16 (SCUSD and NUSD Spring Break)
• April 23 (Tuesday right before Summit, SFE Spring Break)

- Summit Arrival Time - Please help us plan our Thursday Summit logistics by completing this survey form. 

• This form also surveys you for Ambassador shirt size preference for our Summit polo shirts. Each Ambassador will be provided with a polo shirt (included in your program fees). During the Summit, everyone must wear Business Casual attire and the polo shirt is one option to meet dress code. More on dress code at an upcoming meeting! 

- Excused Absence Letter - Participation in Youth & Government Programs (MUN and MLC) is an excused absence under the California Education Code.  Here is a sample excused absence letter you can download to use with your Ambassador's school. Consider including a copy of our program brochure to help spread the word about this great program for next year! 

- Parent Day RSVP - Coming Soon! CalYMCA will be releasing a Parent Day RSVP form soon. Parent Day occurs on Sunday, April 28 and offers parents the opportunity to attend a special MUN Presentation and the closing Joint Session. Only 200 spots are available and they fill up withing 24 hours of the form's release. We will send out the link to RSVP via Remind as soon as we get it. Make sure to fill it out QUICK if you wish to attend! 

- Last Payment Due April 12 - Final payments are due April 12. Last week, each family received an updated balance reminder based on our lowered fees for this year. If you didn't receive that email, let us know! 

Thank you!

-Amanda Levy & Christiana Dominguez

Co-Lead Advisors, Sacramento Central MUN Delegation

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?
Need to make a payment?
Looking for forms or handouts?

Mark your calendars:

Join the Sacramento Central YMCA Annual Campaign! (Give online or return this form)

April 12: Payment #2 Due. (Pay online or bring check payable to Sacramento YMCA)

April 25-28, 2019: 18th MUN Summit, Los Angeles

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G MLC and MUN are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program. Please talk to us if your financial circumstances change during the program year. We're here to help. 

SacC MUN Bulletin #6: Let's Go To Camp!

REMINDER: We need this waiver from all Ambassadors. Please either complete and email to Christiana or bring it to the Y on Friday! 

Parents - please review this information with your Ambassadors: 

News of Note: This week, our country of Mozambique is dealing with the aftermath of a destructive storm. Make sure to read this article. We will need to know about this issue and take it into consideration at the Summit in April! 

We Depart This Friday at 2:30pm from the YMCA: 

We will depart for the conference on Friday, March 22 at 2:30pm from the Sacramento Central YMCA (2021 W Street). Please note that this is NOT our usual meeting location! At the meeting next week, we will allow time for driving and carpooling families to discuss return trip details and whether they will meet at the YMCA or drop-off Ambassadors directly at home on Saturday night. We expect to be back in Sacramento between 9:30 and 10pm on Saturday, March 23. 

Carpools:
-Riding With Susan Lawrence: Dylan, Cooper, and John
-Riding with Nancy Ogihara: Autumn, Kennedy

Remember to bring some spending money for a quick dinner stop on Friday evening. We suggest stopping for dinner on the Peninsula (ie: get through the bulk of the Bay Area and across the Bay before you stop). 

Getting to Camp Jones Gulch:

We've been told by camp veterans that Google maps directions are accurate to get to camp (11000 Pescadero Creek Rd, La Honda, CA 94020). However, since cell reception can be spotty, it has been recommended that you activate your GPS mapping before you get off the freeway for the more rural roads or print the directions to have on hand. We'll check the traffic forecast before we leave the Y to identify the best route at the time. 

Weather: 

Still looking pretty rainy! This is a RUSTIC camp - meaning there's dirt and wet dirt becomes mud. Don't bring fancy clothes or brand new shoes. Rain boots and extra socks are encouraged, as are hats, and umbrellas. We also suggesting bringing an extra plastic bag or two to pack up wet clothes, etc. 

Food:

Remember: no food is allowed in our cabins! Please don't pack food. Here is the camp menu for the weekend: 

Friday Night Snack: Cookies and Hot Chocolate

Saturday Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon, country style potatoes, biscuits
Saturday Lunch: Choice of burrito or taco bar, beans, rice, chips and house made salsas, guacamole, cheese and sour cream
Saturday Dinner: Spaghetti, marinara & meat sauce (or meatballs), steamed broccoli, garlic bread 

Cabin Life:

A reminder that EVERYONE is responsible for helping keep our cabins clean. We need to leave it as good as - or better! - than we will find it on arrival. It will be EVERYONE'S job to help sweep and pick up trash in the cabin before we check out on Saturday evening. 

Flashlights:

Please make sure to bring a flashlight and extra batteries. There is not much lighting in the camp and it will be very dark at night!

More info: 

1.) Here is the Pre-Conference Information Packet. This packet contains details about the trip, a packing list (pack LIGHT!), a map of Camp Jones Gulch, the Conference Schedule, and the Code of Conduct. Please also note this updated map with the camp boundary clearly marked. (There's not much time for anyone to wander beyond the boundaries, but Ambassadors should be aware of them!)

2.) If are a driver and you have not yet returned the Parent Driver Packet please make sure to scan and email it to Christiana ASAP.

3.) Here is the slideshow from Tuesday night if you would like to review it again.

Thank you!

-Amanda Levy & Christiana Dominguez

Co-Lead Advisors, Sacramento Central MUN Delegation

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Looking for forms or handouts?

Mark your calendars:

Join the Sacramento Central YMCA Annual Campaign! (Give online or return this form)

March 22-23, 2019: MUN Training Conference, Camp Jones Gulch

April 12: Payment #2 Due. (Pay online or bring check payable to Sacramento YMCA)
April 25-28, 2019: 18th MUN Summit, Los Angeles

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G MLC and MUN are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program. Please talk to us if your financial circumstances change during the program year. We're here to help. 

SacC MUN Bulletin #5: Get Ready for the Training Conference!

It is nearly time for our first conference! Here is some information to review in advance of next week's meeting. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! First, some breaking news: we've been offered a fun volunteer opportunity this Sunday, March 17, at the Shamrockin' Half Marathon. The race needs people in the Cheer Zone to keep the runners motivated. This counts as volunteer hours for our delegation AND will get us a donation from the race organizers if we have enough people there. If you haven't attended a major race before, it's a lot of fun! We need 20 volunteers to sign up to make a go of it. Please sign up by 5pm on Friday 3/15. https://airtable.com/shroWriDcoDb5uVXX

Conference Stuff: 

As a reminder: next week's meeting is mandatory for all Ambassadors and a parent. (We will also still be doing regular meeting business so even those Ambassadors not attending the conference should be there.) 

We will depart for the conference on Friday, March 22 at 2:30pm from the Sacramento Central YMCA (2021 W Street). Please note that this is NOT our usual meeting location! At the meeting next week, we will allow time for driving and carpooling families to discuss return trip details and whether they will meet at the YMCA or drop-off Ambassadors directly at home on Saturday night. We expect to be back in Sacramento between 9:30 and 10pm on Saturday, March 23. 

Attached to this email you will find:

1.) Our Pre-Conference Information Packet. This packet contains details about the trip, a packing list, a map of Camp Jones Gulch, the Conference Schedule, and the Code of Conduct. 

2.) The Parent Driver Packet for parents who are driving delegates other than their own at any point this program year. Please return your completed packet and proof of fingerprinting at next week's meeting. 

At the meeting, we will review the conference information and go over some additional trip details. 

Thank you!

-Amanda Levy & Christiana Dominguez

Co-Lead Advisors, Sacramento Central MUN Delegation

Helpful Links:

Missed a bulletin?

Need to make a payment?

Looking for forms or handouts?

Mark your calendars:

Join the Sacramento Central YMCA Annual Campaign! (Give online or return this form)

March 8: Payment #2 Due. (Pay online or bring check payable to Sacramento YMCA)

March 22-23, 2019: MUN Training Conference, Camp Jones Gulch

April 25-28, 2019: 18th MUN Summit, Los Angeles

We are committed to equal program access for all and are dedicated to ensuring the benefits of Y&G MLC and MUN are available to every student in our community without regard to financial need. No delegate should ever drop out or refrain from joining because of financial concerns. If you want to do this program, we want you to do this program. Please talk to us if your financial circumstances change during the program year. We're here to help.