By Adele Burke
May 1 marked the first Friday Forum — a project launched by NCC’s Model United Nations club. Friday Forum is open to all NCC students, encouraging cross-cultural connections and conversations. It is an opportunity to foster school-wide civil discourse on relevant and pressing social, political, and global issues. The Forum seeks an interdisciplinary approach to examining and understanding current events.
At the first Forum, participants discussed COVID-19 impacts around the globe and shared their knowledge of nations’ responses to the pandemic. Sweden’s coronavirus response strategy was central to the discussion. Also, a student presenter, a member of the MUN club, shared his knowledge on Crimea and Ukrainian-Russian relations, which prompted a short dialogue on Eastern European affairs.
The second Friday Forum is scheduled for May 8th at 5:00 PM. On the docket are two student-led presentations and subsequent discussion. The topics are the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the impacts of the U.S. signaling blame for COVID-19 on China. Participants need not be familiar with the conflicts of the DRC before the discussion, as the presentation will introduce the topic and provide a background. The Friday Forum encourages students and professors from all disciplines to join the dialogue.
Friday Forum is hosted online, allowing participants microphone, video, and screen sharing access. The Forum will continue throughout the summer semester. With most in-person activities canceled for the summer, the Forum will provide a meeting place for students to discuss current events.
Students interested in participating should message @friday.forum on Instagram or via email @fridayforumsncc@gmail.com.