United Nations Association of Tampa Bay

The United Nations Association-USA of Tampa Bay is a 100% volunteer-based non-profit organization focused on serving the Tampa Bay area. All of our funding comes from our Tampa Bay community either in the form of direct donations by individuals and companies or from membership dues; the largest portion of our funding comes from direct community support. We need funding to further our causes, which are all local. Our projects include Picture My Life TM, student-focused initiatives at the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of Tampa (UT), a human rights conference and lecture series, and Nothing but Nets. Since we do not receive outside funding, all of our initiatives depend upon fundraising.

Picture My Life offers refugee youth in the Tampa Bay area an opportunity to participate in a photographic mentoring program. The youth receive high-quality cameras and are enrolled in a summer photography course. UNA is supporting two courses this year, one in Hillsborough County and one in Pinellas County during the summer of 2019. The photographs aid the youth in sharing their experiences and the course culminates in an exhibition and silent auction. 

We work with local universities to build UNA chapters and support model United Nations (MUN). Through MUN, students are given opportunities to work together for a mock UN conference where they are grouped into teams and assigned a country. This program supports students as they learn about other cultures, international relations, and foreign policy. Through UNA chapters at the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa, students host biweekly chapter meetings, organize volunteer projects, meet with state and national legislators, and work towards the goal of helping create a better world. 

Our UNA chapter also hosts a human rights conference and a human rights lecture series. Our conference featured presentations on combating human trafficking in Florida, human rights and American policy, and the prosecution of genocide. Our human rights lecture series invites scholars, local politicians, students, and community members to engage in dialogue about women’s rights, mass incarceration, migrants’ rights, children’s rights, global perspectives on LGBTQIA+ issues, and refugees. 

Nothing but Nets is a global, grassroots campaign that seeks to increase awareness and funding to fight malaria. This year, UNA-USA Tampa Bay members met with their state legislators and attended a national conference in Washington D.C. We advocate for awareness in the Tampa Bay area to impact the distribution of mosquito bed nets in order to prevent deaths in high malarial regions globally.

Your donations will support:

 - Cameras for students to participate in Picture My Life

 - Bus transportation for students to attend the Model UN conference 

 - Substitute teachers to allow teachers to attend Model UN conference

 - Human Rights speaking events

 - Support for students and members to attend a national UNA conference such as Nothing But Nets in DC, Leadership Summit in DC, Global Engagement Summit in NYC, Conference on Women in NYC

None of our programs would be possible without countless volunteer hours and donations from our local community. Thank you for your support!