Worldview of 180 Students to Be Tested at UC Event on Saturday

In an age of expanding globalization – and the complex issues that come as a result – a group of Cincinnati high school and university students will have a unique chance to put themselves in position of those from the other side of the world on Saturday, Feb. 25.

That’s when the University of Cincinnati will play host to Model APEC 2006, a simulation of a meeting of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries. More than 180 students – 50 from UC and 130 from 10 different Cincinnati high schools from all across Greater Cincinnati – are being challenged to take on the identities of leaders of countries from around the Pacific rim, and deal with some very hard issues – terrorism, the bird flu, piracy and nuclear proliferation among them.

"This kind of experience is a kind of learning we can’t match any other way, either at the university or high school level," said Dinshaw Mistry, director of UC’s Asian Studies program. "Students really get involved in trying to represent their own country, and they learn the realities of international politics and dealing with other countries. They become real experts on their own country and get a feel for this that they’ll never get from a textbook."

Each high school team of 10 students has been assigned a country to represent, and first-year UC students have also been divided up into teams. A group of 20 upperclass and graduate-level UC students will help mediate the conference.

This is the third year for UC to host the Model APEC event, and will mark the largest number of participants yet.

High schools from Cincinnati that are participating include: Academy of Greater Cincinnati, Anderson, Felicity-Franklin, Moeller, Mount Notre Dame, Notre Dame Academy, Princeton, St. Ursula, Villa Madonna and Walnut Hills.

Along with UC, the event is co-sponsored by the Global Center of Greater Cincinnati and supported by National City Corporation.

Each student represents one minister – such as defense minister, economics minister, or science and technology advisor – of the country they represent. For the last three weeks, discussions have been taking place online via e-mails and in chat rooms, setting up face-to-face negotiations during breakout sessions during the morning and then afternoon on Saturday, followed by a closing ceremony featuring all the participants.

The primary location for Model APEC 2006 will be Room 525 in UC’s Old Chem building. The event begins at 9 a.m.

"This is really an excellent opportunity to build a true awareness of the nature of global relations for our students," said Mistry. "This is considered extracurricular, but it really is a vital extracurricular part of our overall educational efforts."