A message of hope

Last week, Portland State students brought Portlanders face to face with the desperate reality that hundreds of thousands people around the world are forced to experience in their daily lives.

The Portland State Model United Nations student group set up refugee tents throughout the South Park Blocks to raise awareness for the plight of refugees, particularly those affected by the genocide in Darfur, a region in the African country of Sudan.

“Genocide awareness month is in April and in his campaign Obama pledged to stop the genocide in Darfur,” said Tasia Tanginoa, Portland State MUN coordinator.

Tanginoa was recently nominated to serve a yearlong appointment on the Oregon Model United Nations Executive Board of Directors.

“[Obama] hasn’t lived up to his promise and people are dying by the thousands. We decide to do our part,” she said.

The installation consisted of several tents. Within each, onlookers could see pictures and read information regarding various genocides that have taken place throughout history and the world.

The tents, roughly the size of those in which many refugees must live, were scrawled with messages of hope so that they can eventually be taken to Darfur and be shown to the displaced people, Tanginoa said.

“Model U.N. helps connect students to global issues and gives a different point of view on everyday news. It helps people feel like global citizens and not just [citizens] of Oregon or the United States,” she said.

The day-long event was co-sponsored by Stop Genocide Now, a grassroots organization that works to educate people about genocide, as well as advocate for policy changes that would aid suffering populations.

“Our organization is different from other Model U.N.’s, not only by being student-run and underfunded, but also [by] being very politically active,” Tanginoa said. “Most Model U.N.s only focus on the conferences, but our group is dedicated to teaching global awareness and what the United Nations can do.”

Though the award-winning student group has only been active for two years, it has become dedicated to contributing not only to its own community, but also to the world, Tanginoa explained.

The group launched a chapter of the Mercy Corps—a Portland-based non-profit—program called “Why Not?” which connects students across the globe, particularly in areas in political turmoil.

Through the program, MUN is in contact with students in places like the Gaza Strip and Iraq. The group also filmed a documentary this past year that received attention from both the international community and Mercy Corps.

Their recent documentary featured Portland State students expressing their opinions about the Israeli-Gaza conflict during early January 2009. The film set out to connect university students in the Gaza Strip with American students here in Portland.

The video can be found on YouTube titled “Why Not? Part 1“, note that Vanguard employees are featured in the film and their opinions do not reflect the opinions of the Vanguard.

Jim Mignano, a Portland State political economy graduate student founded the growing Portland State M.U.N. The group now has 12 active members and Mignano has continued his work as the student advisor.

“Most Model U.N.s get school support, whether through a department or through actual faculty,” Tanginoa said. “Their programs are usually founded and taught by faculty, not by students as ours is. [Mignano] has been our driving force.”

The group also partnered this year with the Peace and Justice Studies Association, Bread for the World, and the Portland chapter of the Global AIDS Coalition for various campaigns.

The Student Fee Committee does not directly fund the group because it falls under the jurisdiction of the Student Organization Council. To raise additional funds, the group partners with Holden’s Bistro on Northwest 14th Avenue in Portland to hold a party on the last Saturday of every month.

The next party will be Friday, May 30, at 9 p.m. Those age 21 and older are welcome for a $5 fee at the door. To join M.U.N, or for more information, e-mail [email protected].