ELS Educational Services, Inc. is pleased to announce our sponsorship, in conjunction with the United Nations and partnered with Adelphi University, of the “Many Languages, One World” Student Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum for 2015. The contest will qualify contestants for a trip to New York to participate in the United Nations Global Youth Forum and ELS Preparatory Conference. The goal of the Many Languages, One World Student Essay Contest and Global Youth Forum is to support multilingualism, to reflect on the United Nations sustainability goals and to recognize the continued impact of the United Nations’ six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. As such, students are being asked to write their essays in their second or third language.
2015 will mark the second edition of Many Languages, One World. In 2014, over 4,000 people participated in some aspect of the competition. Close to 1,500 essays were submitted, with contestants from 128 different countries. The 60 winners represented 26 different countries and continents. College freshmen through doctoral candidates participated in the event. Winners were attending a diverse group of universities around the world, including such esteemed institutions as The University of Basel
(Switzerland), Princeton University (USA), and Cornell University (USA), and their areas of study included engineering, political science, language, philosophy, economics, and computer science. “Globalization has brought benefits and opportunities for many people in many parts of the world. United Nations has been ensuring that these benefits of globalization are expanded and spread more broadly to all developing nations. Many languages one world is one among these unique programs that support globalization to a greater sense. ELS is proud to support this noble cause and to extend this opportunity to our Indian students enabling them to present their perspectives at UN” Says Mr. Malik Sundaram , Director, India, ELS Education Services Inc
For this year’s contest, ten winners will be selected from each language group, with an additional ten chosen on merit from the remaining entries in all languages for a total of 70 winners in honor of the 70th year of the United Nations. ELS Educational Services, Inc. will award each winner with an all-expense paid trip to New York during the week of July 20-26, 2015. Students will attend a Global Youth Forum at Adelphi University to prepare to present their views in the General Assembly of the United Nations Headquarters. At the Global Youth Forum, the students will discuss their plans of action addressing selected topics from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These international delegates will also have the opportunity to interact with invited international scholars and tour New York City.The deadline for essay submissions is 10:29 p.m. IST Thursday April 16th, 2015.
Eligibility and Qualifications:
Students 18 years of age and older who are currently enrolled in a full-time program of study at university are eligible to compete to win a place as a delegate to the Preparatory Conference and Global Youth Forum. Students must be attested by a University Faculty Member or an authorized University Representative in order to participate.
The essay should relate to the post-2015 global development agenda, in the context of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, and the definition of new goals reflecting the imperative of global sustainable development that recognizes, and is enriched by, cultural and linguistic diversity.
Essay submissions are not to exceed 2,000 words. Entries should be in an official language of the United Nations that is not the first language of the Entrant or the principal language of instruction in his or her primary or secondary education. The official languages of the United Nations are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
