NIST Celebrates Diversity as a Tool for Change on UN Day

As a foundation school launched with the support of the United Nations (UN), NIST has traditionally recognized UN Day every year. The 51 nationalities represented by the parents, students and staff again gathered on 17 October of this year to celebrate their diverse community. Highlighted by a parade of community members in national dress and the sampling of foods from every corner of the globe, the event was a chance for everyone to celebrate their national and cultural identities.

Yet a deeper meaning was brought this year to UN Day with a week-long focus on the UN's Millennium Development Goals. Reflecting on national and global issues, NIST students discussed solutions and sought to raise awareness about the need for social change.

When members of the UN first banded together with parents to create a new international school in 1992, they imagined a learning community independent of any one nation or creed. This belief made the International Baccalaureate programmes a natural fit, and NIST went on to become the first full IB school in Thailand. The UN and IB philosophies both promote diversity and education as transformative forces that can lead to a better world.

Twenty-two years later, NIST still affirms its own commitment to that mission through its UN Day celebration. However, education as a whole has shifted over the past two decades, recognizing the importance of inquiry, service and social entrepreneurism in the learning process. Though the celebration this year again included a parade and a variety of foods from around the world, NIST students took it upon themselves to add a deeper meaning.

Over 20 student-run service organizations exist at NIST, each dedicated to a social cause based on one of the four branches of service: nature, economy, society and well-being. Leading up to UN Day, and using diversity as a platform for discussion, students identified significant issues that affect people worldwide and called on their peers to reflect on them. Through this process they affirmed not only the ideals of the UN, but also their own capacity to make a positive difference.

To learn more about NIST's service programmes, visit http://www.nist.ac.th/extra-curricular-activities/service-activities.