Students' International Union

During the Fifth Assembly of the League of Nations, the Students' International Union (SIU) was officially established with a four-fold objective:  (1) to serve as a central office for all international student organizations; (2) to act as a "club house" where international students could meet and get to know each other; (3) to function as an institute to enhance the further understanding of  international problems as well as promote a service ethic among the youth of various nationalities; and (4) to form a common bond among students regardless of race, nationality, or creed.  The SIU was to become a union of youth and a new power for peace which would provide a sense of direction as well as a moral and spiritual framework for youth movements around the world.

SIU's beginnings were modest.  Initially, eighteen men and women from six different countries met in a hotel in Geneva for weekly discussions of world problems.  In 1924, an office in New York was opened where Mrs. Andrew Carnegie served as honorary president.  Annual meetings were held at Mrs. Carnegie's home, featuring contemporary speakers on international affairs.  SIU membership eventually encompassed students from every nation, philosophy, culture, religion and station in life.  Once membership increased to 200, the Union established a year-round facility at 10 rue St. Leger, a first-floor apartment which overlooked the University of Geneva.  The new headquarters, which officially opened in January 1925, consisted of a library, club room, and an information office.  As time went on, hundreds of students visited the center on a daily basis.  The Students' International Union was frequently used as a resource library and meeting place for lively discussions on international issues. 

As part of its programming, the Students' International Union conducted an annual Round Table Seminar in which students from around the world came together to discuss issues of international concern.  Early seminar topics included collective security, minorities, disarmament, and trade, topics that are still current.  In addition to attending lectures, students took part in receptions, visited inter-governmental agencies, toured Geneva, and forged friendships during social events.  The seminars awakened interest in problems confronting the international community.  According to Antonio Morozzo Della Rocca, a 1934 participant:

"...the Union teaches us to think.  However ideal it may seem, nevertheless, the fact that owing to the seminars, round tables, discussions, and its exchange of ideas following every lecture or conference, its individual chats, and talks with men and women from the countries and people of other nationalities who hold other views, we learn to analyze our own point of view and our own sentiments in order that we may better analyze, judge, and understand the ideas of our foreign colleagues.  In fact, the International Students' Union teaches us to think, to discuss, and to collaborate- in a word, it teaches us to live."