Dear Faculty Advisors and Head Delegates,

It is my distinct privilege to welcome you to the 32nd edition of the Secondary Schools’ United Nations Symposium (SSUNS). My name is Frances Parish and I have the immense pleasure of serving as your Chargée d’Affaires for SSUNS 2024.

SSUNS is hosted in the multicultural metropolitan city of Montreal. This historic and beautiful city is a perfect place to host this engaging, and educational conference. Held at Le Centre Sheraton, with preparatory work accomplished at McGill University, it is imperative to acknowledge the unceded land on which McGill University is located and SSUNS operates, that has long served as a place of gathering and exchange amongst Indigenous Peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. SSUNS honours, recognizes, and respects these nations as stewards of the lands and waters on which we meet. The city called Montreal is known as Tiohti:áke to the Kanien'kehá:ka Nation, a founding nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. It is important to understand the rich history of Indigenous communities and their connection to this land for millennia to the present day. To move beyond a land acknowledgement, we must actively work to dismantle settler-colonial legacies that persist to this day. We can take the first step by educating ourselves.

Since SSUNS began in 1992, our goal has been to bring the diplomatic experience to both high school and CEGEP students through running simulations of UN bodies, specialized agencies, and crisis committees! This goal has been successful year after year, making SSUNS the premier Canadian conference welcoming 1300 delegates from across the globe. Here at SSUNS, we pride ourselves on being able to offer this insightful experience through honest dialogue, organized debate, and empowering youth leaders. Being a delegate at SSUNS means you will develop and improve skills such as public speaking, negotiation, confidence, and communication. To foster such an educational and inspiring environment we provide 24 different committees with the highest delegate to staff ratio of 2.5:1. Similarly, we also provide workshops and panels on international affairs, social events, organized tours of Montreal and McGill, and so much more!

The SSUNS experience does not just stop with the delegates. We highly appreciate the commitment of Faculty Advisors towards ensuring that their delegates benefit from everything this conference has to offer. Faculty Advisors have the chance to observe their delegates in action, as well as enjoy time in the Faculty Advisor Lounge and at social events, allowing them the opportunity to meet teachers from across the world!

Whether you are a familiar face at SSUNS or this will be your first time, we look forward to greeting everyone at the Sheraton this November for a fulfilling and memorable conference! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions regarding the conference.

Cheers,

Frances Parish

Chargée d’Affaires, SSUNS 2024

schools@ssuns.org