Samuel Elzinga on the Dome of the Capitol

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to intern for Congresswoman Debbie Lesko (AZ-08). Interning with her was a fabulous experience, and my time out in Washington, D.C. taught me not only how congressional offices functioned in our nation’s capital, but how to remain resilient in times of uncertainty and challenges. I initially left for Washington D.C. in the beginning of June with the anticipation of interning with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. Due to my activities at the United Nations with focus on sustainable mountain development and especially in mountain countries of Central Asia, I was extended a conditional offer to intern with them back in December of 2018, and immediately accepted. Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside my control, I arrived in Washington D.C. without my security clearance fully processed, and because of the opaque and slow-moving bureaucracy of the U.S. State Department’s clearance process, I did not know if I would get my clearance in time to intern.

(L) Samuel in the Library of Congress, (R) Samuel below the Apotheosis of George Washington in the Capitol

I would never receive word on my security clearance. Many factors go into giving someone a security clearance, and internships have a very short window to process them in time. This was, of course, a huge blow to my summer plans, as I had turned down opportunities at Cambridge University and other think tanks this summer and instead moved to Washington, D.C. However, after waiting until June 20^th, 2019, with the guidance of Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, my mentor and a faculty at Utah Valley University, I reached out to some professional contacts, I had in the office of U.S. House Representative John Curtis (UT-03) to see if they could help with the clearance. Initially, they advocated on my behalf to the U.S. Department of State to see if that could expedite the process. When that did not work, Congressman Curtis sought to help me find a different internship in D.C. His staff sent urgent messages to offices of other members of the U.S. House of Representatives and several of them immediately positively responded without asking any security clearances.  I was able then to check first which members had any connections to Central Asian countries through their committee responsibilities: It allowed me to land an internship with Congresswoman Lesko of Arizona, who oversees the partnership of the Arizona National Guard with the military of Kazakhstan, and this twist of fate was one of the biggest blessings I had in my academic career.

It just so happened at the time I began with Congresswoman Lesko, that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. Having interned with Congressman Chris Stewart (UT-02) before and specializing in national security and defense policy, I was familiar with the process of getting the NDAA passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The NDAA was one of the largest bills passed that summer, and one of the most controversial as well. Because of this, a lot of attention was given to ensuring Congresswoman Lesko knew the ins and outs of the bill. For this, I worked very closely with the legislative staff to catalogue each amendment and made sure stakeholders’ interests were documented.

Congresswoman Lesko’s districts hosts a very large population of ethnic Armenians, and there were many amendments to the bill relating to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The staff knew I was knowledgeable in Central Asian security issues and asked me to help provide vote recommendations on these amendments that were critical to our security relations in the Caucasus. Though the Caucasus is not the same as Central Asia, I was still able to provide an extra level of expertise as it pertained to these issues. I was also able to draft correspondence to the Adjutant General of the Arizona National Guard commending his units on a successful completion of joint exercise between the Arizona National Guard and the Kazakh military. This internship, though was not what I expected for the summer, was just as fulfilling as any other internship. I was able to work on pressing issues in the Caucasus and Central Asia, all while making a noticeable impact when providing vote recommendations on national security issues. Despite the summer starting off a little rougher than expected, I will always look back on this internship with nostalgia and pride for the work I did.

Samuel Elzinga, President, Utah International Mountain Forum

Dirk Gum ( L ) brought donated clothes to the Road Home, a shelter for homeless people

In December 2019, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU) held a clothing drive to benefit local men and women in need of professional clothing. All UVU student clubs are required to engage their communities in a service project. There are forms to fill out, dates that must be noted, and club admittaturs that oversee the process. After these requirements are met, you can carry out your service project. This year the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) was honored to collect nice clothes for the homeless in hopes that these clothes could be used for the purpose of interviewing for employment.

            Every club must engage in a local service project each quarter to maintain their status as a club registered with UVU. This is allowing students the opportunity to organize complicated tasks, engage with other students and other members of our local communities, and provide a valuable service to those who may need it. This also allows club members to realize that club organizations are a form of civil society which are valued for their own sake. UIMF’s service projects also contribute to the implementation of United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for sustainable development by empowering students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to address both local and global sustainability issues related to poverty, urbanization, and other areas in a cooperative way with various stakeholders.

            There are forms for nearly every engagement that a club may want to pursue on and off campus. These forms can be found online at or by web searching UVU and clubs. Scroll down and you will see an expansion window titled “Service Project Information” which will take you to the form that will need to be filled out. You MUST fill these requests out two weeks before you wish to conduct the project. It is recommended that you take it upon yourself to go to the club office because there may be certain requirements, such as cash handling, that can only be fulfilled in person. Calling and emails are recommended and are considered a formality in today’s professional environment.

            For this year’s UIMF Project, several members, including Michael Hinatsu, UIMF Vice President  and myself  collected clothing from local student housing apartment complexes. UIMF student members asked their peers for clothes that could be used for the purposes of interviewing. This will allow job seekers the opportunity to compete in the job market. Student peers were extremely responsive; they donated what they could, and many professional clothes were gathered. Some students were extremely charitable. For instance, a couple individuals, including Barbara Christiansen, a writer for the UVU Marketing and Communications Department, donated brand new clothes which will undoubtedly advance the current living conditions of someone in need. These clothes were donated directly to The Road Home 529 9th Ave, Midvale UT.

The Road Home is a shelter for men, families, and anyone who is in need. Unlike thrift stores and chains, The Road Home never sells their donations which means that you can be sure that your donations will go directly to benefit someone, as opposed to a thrift shopper. This is important because thrift stores, which can provide value to those in need, are often targeted by bargain shoppers, and this leaves a lower quality of clothes to those who may be in need. This means that when new clothes are donated, like the clothes donated by Christiansen mentioned above, these clothes will go directly to men, women, and children who have applied for assistance here locally in Utah.

            Though service projects are a requirement to maintain club membership at UVU, UIMF students were allowed the opportunity to be creative in helping address real issues to those in need locally. This required an in-depth engagement process of filling out paperwork, timing, and organizing with the administrations that oversee these projects. It is the express wish of the UIMF and its members to help those who live in mountain regions around the world and here at home in Utah. By providing services to those in need by researching where they are and how we can help them directly, we can make a real and meaningful difference for those in our communities.

Dirk Gum, UIMF member

On November 30, 2019, the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) published as official document E/CN.6/2020/NGO/91 a joint written statement by the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RANS), and Utah China Friendship Improvement Sharing Hands Development and Commerce (Utah China F.I.S.H. D.&C.), NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC. The statement supported efforts of Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University UVU) to advocate for mountain women and girls at the 64^th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW64) in March of 2020.

The statement, titled “Mountain women and girls must be in the focus of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” highlights UIMF’s implementation of UVU’s developed student engaged learning model (SEL), which gives students the primary responsibility of working as a group, with faculty serving as mentors, to solve problems related to advocating for sustainable mountain development, mountain communities and families, nontraditional students, and other sustainability issues.

The statement advocates for the inclusion of mountain communities and families, including women and girls—who are among the world’s most neglected and poorest groups—in the assessment of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is the focus of CSW64.

UIMF is currently preparing for advocacy campaign at CSW64 during March 17-20, 2019, to meet the following goals:

• Raise awareness about mountain communities and families as the most neglected groups at the national and international levels and most vulnerable to modern challenges such as climate change, outmigration, food insecurity, etc.;
• Urge the members of the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries to include language about mountain women and girls in the CSW64 final document, as well as reporte about measures to empower mountain communities and families in national review reports;
• Urge the CSW64 audience to implement three mountain targets, designated by the UN among 17 SDGs as a roadmap for mountain communities to be in the focus of 2030 UN Agenda for sustainable development;
• Host a parallel event titled “Mountain Women Empowerment Through the Inclusive Student-Engaged Learning Model” under co-sponsorship of RANS and UIMF at the Salvation Army Auditorium on March 19, 2020 at 6:15pm;
• Promote Utah as the one of the examples of sustainable mountain development (SMD);
• Demonstrate the effectiveness of the student engaged learning (SEL) model to advocate for mountain communities and Utah as the SMD example;
• Deliver an oral statement and intervention from the floor during CSW64 about the above topics.

UIMF preparations for CSW64 also include building a coalition of students and other stakeholders, affiliated with , a company that works to find global sustainability projects related to food security, agriculture, and the environment and provide services and support for such projects from Brigham Young University, The University of Utah, and Utah State University, in order to augment the youth/student voice to better achieve the above goals.

Michael Hinatsu, UIMF Vice President

***

Written Statement of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Utah China Friendship Improvement Sharing Hands Development & Commerce

***

***

NGO CSW Forum Orientation Series:

***

On December 11^th, 2019, the Utah International Mountain Forum, a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU) was invited for the second time to contribute to the observation of the International Mountain Day (IMD) at the United Nations headquarters and promote sustainable mountain development (SMD) agenda of the United Nations. The event was hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN), Mountain Partnership, and the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries, headed by the Permanent Mission of the Kyrgyz Republic to the UN. The event was attended by diplomats, representing over 20 members of the Group of Friends of Mountainous countries. This year’s theme of IMD was titled “Mountains Matter for Youth,” and UIMF was the only student group invited to the event. This was also the first time when UIMF represented the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), as recently established chapter of that prominent NGO on my campus.  UNA-USA is one of the oldest and prominent NGOs in the United States which promotes values of the UN nationwide.

The event was moderated by Ms. Carla Mucavi, the director of the FAO liaison office in New York, who reminded everyone in attendance of the importance of mountains and those who call them home. Mountains are home to over 1 billion people and provide food, water, and resources to billions more. Despite their importance globally, mountains are often left out of global discussions on climate change. Her Excellency Mrs. Mirgul Moldoisaeva, Permanent Representative (PR) of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United Nations, also reiterated the importance of mountains globally and to her home country while also informing those attending of her country’s initiatives to promote youth engagement in the SMD agenda.

The first part of the event featured a panel of PRs of different mountain nations accredited to the UN as keynote presenters. PR of Norway to the UN Ms. Mona Juul, PR of Canada to the UN Mr. Marc-Andre Blanchard, PR of Andorra to the UN Mrs. Elisenda Vives Balmana, PR of Bhutan to the UN Mrs. Doma Tsering, PR of Nepal to the UN Mr. Amrit Bahadur Rai, PR of Greece to the UN Mrs. Maria Theofili, Deputy PR of Austria to the UN Mr. Hans-Joachim Almoslechner, and Deputy PR of Italy to the UN Mr. Stefano Stefanile spoke on what their country do to  empower youth in mountainous regions. Most notably, Austria is including special dialogues in their youth parliament about sustaining and preserving alpine culture, Canada’s youth board is additionally holding special discussions on supporting unemployed youth within the mountainous regions of Canada, Andorra has integrated the SDGs into their school curriculum, Bhutan has plans to cut youth unemployment by half in their country in 2023, and Greece is in the process of developing a specific and coordinated policy to support youth in rural mountain villages.

During the second part of the event Assistant Secretary General of the UN, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) New York Office, Satya Tripathi spoke on the importance of mountains and the dire need to protect them. He reminded attendees that mountains sustain half of the world’s population through their resources, and unfortunately, are the first indicators of climate change. He remarked that the international community has not acted in 10 years, and we need to scale up the international solutions.

During my presentation, I spoke about successes UIMF has had since its establishment in 2011  in implementing the SMD agenda in the state of Utah and globally through the inclusive student engaged learning (SEL). SEL, an educational philosophy employed by my university, allows students to gain practical skills through real-world experiences as a group when faculty serve them as mentors. 

I spoke how from 2013 to 2015, through this model, students advocated for the adoption of mountain targets at sessions of the UN Open Working Groups on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); the fourth International Women of the Mountains conference on October 7-9, 2015. I reminded the audience that UIMF members have advocated for the implementation of mountain targets at forums of the UN ECOSOC on sustainable development such as the 52nd session of the Commission on Social Development; the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) and CSW63; and the 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. I also highlighted how students were able to include language about mountain communities for the first time in the final document of the 68th UN Civil Society Conference, held in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 26-28, 2019. The Preamble of the Conference’s Outcome Document stated the need to address the specific conditions of mountainous areas and small island developing states. At the conference, UIMF also hosted a workshop and an exhibition about the student engaged learning model to advocate for mountain women and targets at the United Nations.

Our next priority is to advocate for mountain women and girls at the CSW64 this march, which will assess the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Declaration and Platform does not specifically mention mountain women and girls. However, it includes actions critical to empower such vulnerable groups, in particular through education. Our delegation will be comprised of students from UVU, Brigham Young University, and Utah State University. It will also provide them an opportunity to conduct the advocacy campaign jointly with mountainous nations accredited to the United Nations. We hope to both learn and share experiences in mountain targets implementation with the newly created Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries.

I remarked that UIMF has already achieved the following:

1. Through the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Utah China F.I.S.H.D.C, NGOs accredited with ECOSOC and Mountain Partnership members, requested in written statement to include mountain women and girls in the final document of CSW 64.
2. A parallel event scheduled at CSW 64 on March 19, 2020 about mountain women and girls advocacy through the student engaged learning and a similar request about them to be included in the final document of CSW 64.
3. Plans to make an oral statement and intervention from the floor during CSW64.

I also urged the members of the Group of Friends of Mountainous Countries to include:

1. In the draft of the CSW64 final document a language about bringing mountain women and girls in the focus of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development;
2. In national review reports about their actions about empowering mountain families and women.
3. Members of UVU delegation to  their side event, if they are hosting the one during the second week of the CSW64;

After my presentation, Dr. Orlove of Columbia University spoke about his research in compiling data on the effects of climate change in mountainous regions. He reiterated the importance of taking action to protect these unique ecosystems. Overall, it was an important event raising an awareness about challenges experienced by mountain communities worldwide, and I am grateful for the chance to have participated. I would like to also thank the UVU College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the History and Political Science Department, for co-sponsoring this trip on such short notice as well as other initiatives of UIMF to advocate SMD since 2011.

Samuel Elzinga, President, UIMF

***

AGENDA OF THE EVENT

***

UIMF Power Point Presentation at UN

***

Statement Copy

***

MEDIA ABOUT UIMF AT IMD

***

***

In March of 2018 I was the president of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) which a coalition of student led clubs at Utah Valley University. (UVU) We had the opportunity to host both a side event and a parallel event at the 62^nd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. (CSW62).

It is heart warming that nearly two years later our efforts were highlighted in the (P10). This Achievement was the result of a team effort by many students both part of the UIMF and those that are part of other on-campus organizations. Our objective at the CSW62 was to promote mountain sustainability by presenting projects that students had worked on in the field of improving the status of Women. Most of these projects had taken place in Utah which is a mountainous State that has prospered due to efforts to create a sustainable way of life.

The UIMF strives to share ideas from mountainous communities that better the livelihood of Men, Women, children, and the population as a whole.

Matt Rands, UIMF President (2017-2018)

***

***

Excerpt from the 2019 UNSG report on SMD about UIMF

***

STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS

***

Dylan Genes-The great recognition of UN Secretary General of UIMF activities at CSW62

***

Derek Gardield-Our success starts with us

***

The International Mountain Day (IMD) at UVU was observed for the third time under the umbrellas of the United Nations Mountain Partnership and the United Nations Academic Impact and for the first time as part of the United Nations Association of the United States of America

On December 2nd, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of clubs at (UVU), observed for the 10th time the International Mountain Day (IMD).   This event about why mountains matter for youth was hosted by UIMF through the student engaged learning model, which provides students the opportunity to resolve complex problems as a group under faculty mentorship.

IMD 2019 was hosted under the umbrella of both the MP and the UN Academic Impact (UNAI), which is an initiative of the UN Department of Global Communications. UIMF also observed IMD as a chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA-USA) at UVU. UNA-USA, which has promoted UN values in the US since 1943, posted a and officially y its 60,000 members and over 200 chapters nationwide.     

During the event, Dr. Baldomero Lago, UVU Vice Rector for Global Engagement and UNAI representative, congratulated UIMF on contribution in the 68th UN Civil Society Conference (68UNCSC) in Salt Lake City as the only student – led group which hosted a poster session and a workshop and added language in the outcome document about mountain communities;

Dr. Rusty Butler, main representative at the UN of the , an NGO in General Consultative status with ECOSOC and MP member, spoke about joint with UIMF advocacy efforts at the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women and preparations for CSW64 in March 2020. 

Mrs. Wendy Jyang, Founder another NGO in special consultative status with ECOSOC and MP member, discussed joint activities of her NGO with UIMF during CSW63 as well.

Mr. Uday Teki, CEO o introduced his company initiatives to reduce food insecurity in mountain communities worldwide and informed about preparations for students from three major Universities in Utah to join the UIMF delegation at CSW64.

Ms. Lacee Meyer Vice President of UIMF, spoke about challenges experienced by rural and mountain communities and her vision about local economic development.in Utah.

Mr. Michael Hinatsu Vice President of UIMF, informed about UIMF’s advocacy for mountain targets and women during CSW63, 68UNCSC and coming visit to CSW64.

At the end of the event, UIMF leaders presented on behalf of the MP a specially designed certificates to all contributors to the SMD advocacy in Utah and globally.

Samuel Elzinga, President, UIMF

***

TASK LIST

***

***

***

BROCHURE OF THE EVENT

***

MEDIA ABOUT IMD AT UVU

***

***

***

***

***

STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS

Thomas Ulrich ———————– Meg Haroldsen

***

Caleb Stowell ——————– Conner Schenk

***

Bethany Smith ——————– Anthony Jackson

***

Dillon Vanderhooft ——————– Jake Jex

***

Victoria Bindrup ——————– Ashlyn Baker

***

Albeny-Singh ——————- Jeff Hibbard

***

Moesinger Krosbi ——————- Emily Burke

***

Yana-Andersen ——————- Austin Meline

***

Brennan Pearson ——————- Lee Kanyon

***

Carter Morrison ——————– Titus Elanyu

***

Michael Hinatsu ——————– Rachel Godfrey

***

Mark Driggs ——————– Hannah Thayne

***

James Uhl ——————– Abdulrahman Alghanmi

***

Kyle Warren

On November 13th, 2019, the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) established its chapter at Utah Valley University (UVU) through the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs on campus at UVU. UIMF advocates for the United Nations Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) Agenda in the State of Utah and in North America since 2011.

It would provide more opportunities for UIMF to involve our members in the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and sustainable mountain development in Utah as well.

UNA-USA has already supported efforts of UIMF in promoting SMD agenda and highlighted that by posting and adding among the UN event recommended to all its chapters around the United States.    

The chapter was created as a result of the support from the UVU Office of Global Engagement which facilitated a partnership since 2018 between UIMF and UNA-USA youth engagement manager Anna Mahalak. Two sides worked closely during preparations and participation at the 68th United Nations Civil Society.  Conference, co-hosted by UVU with Salt Lake City on August 26-28, 2019, involved youth in all activities and UIMF contributed to it by hosting a workshop and a poster session.

UIMF is looking forward to continuing cooperation with UNA-USA and during the 64th session on the Commission on the Status of Women, which UIMF members are currently making final preparations for.

Samuel Elzinga, President, UIMF.

Brandon Pedler with Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations, Ambassador Kelly Craft,

In the last several weeks, I have had the opportunity to work as an intern for the US State Department at the United States Mission to the United Nations (USUN) in New York City. Situated directly across 1^st Avenue from the United Nations, the twenty-three-story building overlooks the UN General Assembly building and the East River. On the twentieth floor of the building is the Political Section where I have been interning. This section is primarily responsible for issues pertaining to the UN Security Council but also helps with the General Assembly (GA) and its committees where needed.

I arrived at the Political Section at USUN on the 16^th of September 2019, one week before the beginning of high-level week at the UN. High-level week saw the arrival of the heads of state of over one hundred and eighty countries to come speak in front of the General Assembly. During this week I had the opportunity to sit in the GA and listen to some of the heads of state hold their addresses on the world stage. In a small special gathering just for USUN staff and their families I also had the chance to meet the President of the United States. However, the real work began after all the world leaders left New York City.

Brandon Pedler at the podium in the UN General Assembly Hall

The Security Council has had a very busy few months leading up to the holidays, with the renewal of several Peacekeeping Missions around the world coming due in the last few months, and a few more still to come before Christmas. Under the direction of the mission staff, I helped with the renewal of the peacekeeping mission in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and am currently helping with the efforts to renew the mandate of the mission in Abyei, a disputed region on the border of Sudan and South Sudan (UNISFA), and the mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). While my role in all of these efforts have been primarily supporting in nature, I have had the chance to help inform US policy makers on what is happening in these negotiations and back the efforts of the diplomatic staff.

Brandon Pedler behind the US desk in the UN Security Council Chamber

Along with these efforts, I have been involved with the Fourth Committee, which deals with decolonization and special topics. While I have usually been taking notes and back benching for USUN staff, I have had the chance to sit in the chair as the representative of the United States in the committee when the primary was unable to attend the meetings. Many of the responsibilities here again included supporting the US staff and providing summaries of the events during the meetings. Nevertheless, the experience has taught me how the United Nations functions at the highest levels of multilateral diplomacy.

Additionally, I have engaged with other member states of the UN on different topics such as Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), Protection of Civilians (POC), and Disarmament (DDR). In some of these meetings I was sent alone as the representative of the United States when our own primaries were unable to attend due to other commitments. This has given me the chance to make professional connections with representatives of other countries and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) while representing the interest of the United States in these issues. This hands-on learning experience has been invaluable to my professional development and builds upon the skills learned at UVU and UIMF.

Permanent Mission of the United States to the United Nations in New York

As I come upon the end of my internship on the 22^nd of November, I still have a lot of work ahead in the coming days. The process of peace never stops, and I am grateful for what I can do to be part of that progression and representing the United States’ interest in that peace. While the United Nations is not a perfect tool, it has helped prevent the development of large-scale conflict in the last seventy-four years. As the UN celebrates its sesquicentennial next year, I hope and believe that my efforts here have helped to make the world a safer and more peaceful place. I am grateful to all those who have helped me get here and the experience and education I received through the Utah International Mountain Forum and Utah Valley University through engaged student learning.

Brandon Pedler, member, UIMF

On Monday, December 2nd, 2019, Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) – a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU) – will host 10th annual International Mountain Day (IMD) at UVU. The event will take place from 10:00am to 12:00pm at room LA 116 (International Student Office). The main theme of this year’s IMD is “Mountains matter for Youth”.

Main contributors to the IMD 2019 are:

• Dr. Lago, CIO/Vice-Rector at UVU on Global Engagement;
• Dr. Rusty Butler, Main Representative at UN, Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, an NGO in General Consultative Status with ECOSOC;
• Ms. Wendy Jyang, President, Utah China Friendship Improvement Sharing Hands Development and Commerce, an NGO in Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC and
• Mr. Uday Teki, Founder, and CEO, Project Work Groups (PWG).

Student speakers during IMD 2019 will include:

• Mr. Samuel Elzinga, UIMF President,
• Mr. Michael Hinatsu, UIMF Vice President
• Ms. Lacee Meyer UIMF Vice President

Speakers will talk about student advocacy for mountain communities during the 63rd and upcoming 64th sessions of the Commissions on the Status for Women and 68^th UN Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City during August 26-28, 2019.

The event will be hosted by UIMF members through a student engaged learning model, when club members under faculty mentorship are actively involved as a group in the advocacy of mountain communities’ issues and promotion of Sustainable Development Goals in cooperation with private entities and governmental organizations.

Viktoriia Bahrii, Vice President for Logistics, Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF),

***

STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS

Thomas Ulrich -10th Anniversary of the International Mountain Day celebration at UVU

***

Meg Haroldsen International Mountain Day Engaging Rural Utah

***

Caleb Stowell – Celebrating 10 Years of International Mountain Day at Utah Valley University

***

Conner Schenk – I am Confident that Mountains Matter for Youth

***

Bethany Smith – Celebrating Utah Mountain Nature and Life

***

Anthony Jackson-Participation at International Mountain Day Celebration at Utah Valley University

***

Dillon Vanderhooft-International Mountain Day observed by students at UVU

***

Jake Jex – Utah Valley University – Mountain Day Observation

***

Victoria Bindrup-10th Anniversary of the International Mountains Day at UVU

***

Ashlyn Baker-Enlightenment to Rural Utah & mindfulness of the cause

***

Albeny Singh – Celebrating International Mountain Day Through Student Engaged Learning at UVU

***

Jeff Hibbard – Observing International Mountain Day at UVU

***

Moesinger Krosbi – International Mountain Day observation at UVU

***

Emily Burke – Utah’s International Mountain Forum 10 Years of Greatness

***

Yana Andersen – Contributing to International Mountain Day through Student Engaged Learning

***

Austin Meline – On the 10th International Mountain Day Celebration at Utah Valley University

***

Brennan Pearson – International Mountain Day 10th Celebration at Utah Valley University

***

Lee Kanyon – Learning about sustainable mountain development

***

Carter Morrison – Celebrating International Mountain Day at UVU

***

Titus Elanyu – 10th Annual International Mountain Day Observed at UVU

***

IMD Task List 2019 

 

On October 24^th, 2019, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of clubs at Utah Valley University (UVU), participated in the university’s celebration of United Nations (UN) Day. UN Day celebrates the formation of the United Nations, which occurred on October 24^th, 1945 in San Francisco, USA.

Veronica Caballero, UVU Office of Global Engagement coordinates UN Day celebration at UVU

As a part of the UVUN initiative on campus, UIMF participates in UN-focused events like this at the invitation of the Office for Global Engagement. This year was the second time, when UIMF celebrated UN Day under the UVUN umbrella.  Members of the coalition of clubs hosted table alongside the National Security Studies Department, Peace and Justice Studies Department, the UVU Reflection Center, and the UVU Office for Global Engagement. UIMF was the only student club to be represented at UN Day.

(L to R): Veronica Caballero, UVU Office of Global Engagement, Samuel Elzinga, President, UIMF and Amy Barnett, UVU Office of Global Engagement  during the UN Day at UVU. 

At the tabling event, which occurred in the UVU Liberal Arts building  hallway, UIMF members highlighted their advocacy efforts at the 2018 High-Level Political Forum and the 63^rd Commission on the Status of Women. They also shared experiences of contribution to the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference co-hosted by UVU in Salt Lake City during Augist 26-28, 2019.

Passers-by who were interested in the mission of UIMF were able to learn more about the coalition of clubs and its initiatives, all while learning more about student efforts to raise awareness in the State of Utah and globally about great disparities faced by mountain communities, who are among the poorest and most neglected in the world.

Overall, the UN Day Celebration with other members of the UVUN was a success. UIMF was able to advocate more for support to mountain women and communities to be in the focus of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by spreading awareness about the challenges faced by these communities, all while being able to recruit more members and interface with other members of the UVUN initiative to coordinate joint events together. In addition,  hosting tables is one of the ways for UIMF members to raise funds which they need for their advocacy campaigns.

Samuel Elzinga, President, Utah International Mountain Forum