I’m an Italian student in my final year of BCU, studying BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion. I decided to focus my dissertation on the study of Gen Z and how its cohort differs from the previous ones, being activists and aiming for change within our society.
Claudia Ferraretto
BA (Hons) Fashion Business and Promotion
I first came across the Change the World Model United Nations (CWMUN) conference when researching opportunities for young activism. After looking into it, I decided to apply; partly as research for my dissertation, partly just for my personal development.
The annual conference sees over 3,000 students from different countries come together to debate major international political agenda issues. We work together to present solutions to the matters under discussion, just like if we were in a real world forum, studying and discussing key geopolitical issues.
Who can apply?
It was completely free to apply and it was open to university, college and high school students from all over the world. They weren’t asking for a particular field of studies so there were students with a lot of different backgrounds and interests. In order to get onto the programme, I had an interview in English with Associazione Diplomatici about my studies and interests, explaining the reasons why I wanted to be part of the CWMUN project.
Studying Fashion Business and Promotion
The course I’m studying has definitely helped prepare me for events such as this one. Opportunities I’ve had, such as the summer programme abroad where I went to Sichuan University has really helped me to develop good communication skills and the ability to communicate with people in a professional environment. I’ve learnt how to prepare myself beforehand, researching and gaining knowledge to put myself in a better position in order to succeed.
Diverse topics of discussion
As there were so many students taking part, we were divided into different functional commissions with diverse topics of discussion. Climate change played a major role in several commissions, where the impacts on our society, environment and health were discussed in depth. We were challenged to identify effective solutions to limit climate change related issues.
The conference was held at the UN headquarters, New York, and ran for three days. During the evenings, guest speakers (mainly politicians) gave talks about current issues that our society is facing, including immigration and refugee problems. There were opportunities to ask questions to the speakers and I personally had the chance to talk with one of the Italian ex-Prime Ministers, Enrico Letta.
A sustainable and ethical solution
The fashion industry is facing a challenging time and competition is growing more and more every day. It’s not about just selling nice clothing, but also offering a more sustainable and ethical solution. Commercial and social awareness are key to understanding what consumers are really looking for in a product/service and knowing how to adapt based on the future.
It’s a really exciting time to be coming into the industry, and I would recommend my course to anyone who is passionate about these issues, and wants to make a difference in the industry in future.
