Inaugural OICT "Bring Your Kids to Work Day" held at UN Headquarters

For 54 children, aged between 3 and 19, 28 June was a memorable day as they accompanied their parents to the inaugural “Bring Your Kids to Work Day” event hosted by the Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

The day kicked off with a breakfast of donuts and pastries, followed by the meet-and-greet sessions with Salem Avan, Officer-in-charge and Director of Operations Support Division, OICT, and Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs.

Other activities included arts and crafts and lunch in the picnic area north of the UN Rose Garden.

The demonstration by the Canine Team of the Department for Safety and Security (DSS) was a favorite with the kids. The day concluded with a UN tour.

As a token of remembrance, children were gifted UN pins by Chief Information Technology Officer Bernardo Mariano, Jr.

“Bring Your Kids to Work Day” was not just a big hit with the kids; it garnered equal appreciation from their parents.

“My kids had a great time coming to the UN and learning about my job. They thought I just sat around all day,” said Dan Salinetti from the Broadcasting and Conference Support Section (BCSS). “They have been telling everyone about coming to the UN. It’s sure to be a day they’ll remember for a long time.”

Boris Meyer, from the Regional Service Management Service (RSMS), said: “It was a fun day! Thank you to OICT for the initiative. I will have a lot of good memories seeing all these kids together.”

Syed Ahmed, from the United Nations Office for Project Services, gave a “big shoutout to everyone who worked on putting on such an amazing event”.

“My daughter loved it and even came away with some cool new facts about the UN,” he said. “Can't wait to see this tradition continue!”

Following the event’s success, the nine colleagues who volunteered their time to plan “Bring Your Kids to Work Day” are already brainstorming for future events.

“It was a super fun day for the kids, and it will be a beautiful memory,” said organizing committee member Patricia Pantoja (from the Enterprise Programme Management Section).

“They especially loved the DSS dogs demo, the tour and the donuts, of course!”