UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF BOULDER COUNTY
UNA-BC
2023
NEWSLETTER
President's Report
ROBERT MCNOWN
UNA-BC had an eventful year in 2022, marked by a revival of programs that had been on hold due to the pandemic and the emergence of new initiatives. President Robert McNown provides an overview of the highlights of the year. One of the keys to UNA-BC's recent success has been the contributions of our interns, who come from International Affairs and Social Work programs at several universities. Supervision and coordination by Kelly McGinnis, Amy Van Roo, and Amy Bryant have helped manage the large number of hours contributed by interns to UNA-BC's missions. Our interns have assisted with major activities throughout the year, such as our UN Day celebration, as well as individual projects on social policy at the state and local levels, an organization assessment of UNA-BC, and various initiatives towards Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA).
Amy Bryant and Flor Arellano organized events to help underserved communities sign up for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides subsidies for broadband access to the internet. This access is so vital for work, education, and to reach community services. UNA-BC held sign-up events for Afghan refugees and Latinas/Latinos, and plans to extend this outreach to other underserved communities in 2023.
Advocacy
Report
ZUZA BOHLEY
We share advocacy on local and
national campaigns aligned with our chapter’s priorities: women’s rights, gender equality,
environmental justice and sustainability, Native American Rights and Black Lives Matter (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion).
IDEA Report
We have a very active Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA). The mission of this committee is to build a culture that fosters these principles within our organization and to organize
activities that promote IDEA throughout our community. Our Board of Directors is
complemented by a strong contingent of student interns, so that the entire team represents diversity across most of these categories. The interns are full participants in board activities,
and many of them become board members after graduation if they stay in the area. Ages represented
are from 20 to 80 years. We have approximately equal numbers who identify as male or female, and people of non-traditional sexual orientation are welcome and are represented. Ethnic diversity is demonstrated by Blacks, Latina/Latino, and White individuals among our board members and interns.