São Paulo – The United Nations Academic Impact initiative (UNAI) has launched the contest “Many Languages, One World,” targeting university students who speak more than one language. Participants are required to write an essay on how multilingual ability advances global citizenship and understanding.
The text must not exceed 2,000 words and needs to be written in one of the six official languages of the UN: Arabic, Spanish, English, French, Russian or Chinese. The language chosen by the applicants, however, can be neither their mother tongue nor the official language of the university or college they attend. The winners will travel to New York, United States, from June 25 to 29, 2014 to attend several events.
These events will include a youth forum on global citizenship and the nine other principles of UNAI at UN Headquarters on 27 June 2014, ahead of the 70th anniversary of the UN Charter. The forum will be preceded by a preparatory students’ conference at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York.
The events will include the UN Academic Impact International Youth Forum. The winners will also present their work in a conference at the UN headquarters on June 27. ELS Educational Services, a partner of the UNAI’s in organizing the event, will pay for the students’ transportation, lodging and food costs. The contest will have 60 winners – ten in each language.
The applicant’s university will be required to issue a certificate stating that the essay is not written in the institution’s main language. It will also need to attest that the work is original, and was created by the student without third-party aid. All winners will receive a certificate from the ELS.
The essays must reflect the entrant’s national, academic and cultural backgrounds. To submit an entry, go to www.manylanguagesoneworld.els.edu; the deadline for submissions is February 21, 2014.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
