Educational non-profit needs modern, fresh WordPress theme to host content and recruit students

ModelUN.com

ModelUN.com is the online home for model United Nations and model Congress diplomacy simulations. These unique educational experiences give secondary school students from all over the world the chance to step into the shoes of global policy leaders to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Our three core goals are: Educate, Empower, Engage.

Our site is a “clearinghouse” for all things model UN: resources for participants, training guides, multimedia and video highlights, classroom curriculum for teachers to incorporate into their lessons, a blog, and info on how to register for the simulations hosted by our parent organization, the Institute for Domestic and International Affairs.

http://www.modelUN.com

The successful design will enable users to access our materials in a clean, intuitive layout with plenty of large, photographic visuals. The design should invoke a modern, international ethos, befitting the fast-paced world of global politics and current events. Think: Al Jazeera meets Princeton University.

Colors: no specific requirements, although we like using the UN's trademark powder blue.

See our logo attached.

The homepage will set the modern, interconnected, global tone for the entire site. Our organization is devoted to producing enriching simulations of the United Nations and US Congress for students to hone their debate and cooperation skills. Our three core goals - Educating, Empowering, and Engaging students - should drive the design. That’s why we’d like the pages linked on the homepage to be organized under these three subheadings. Please refer to the preliminary site map in the attached file below.

The homepage should…
* Be centered on the theme of “Educate, Empower, Engage.”
* Feature a visual rotating “slideshow” style menu on homepage to highlight pages we want to feature
* Have a stream for our Twitter feed
* Have a sidebar with most recent blog posts
* Have big photographs and a visual, engaging feel
* Prominently display social media sharing buttons for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram
*Host our Newsletter sign-ups via the Constant Contact plug-in

The content page template should…
* Have big photographs and a visual, engaging feel
* Include a section for users to comment on pages and Blogposts through Disqus or other 3rd-party network commenting platform
* Prominently display social media sharing buttons for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram

Nothing is off limits, let the creativity flow!

The primary target audience is American and international secondary school students, as well as their teachers and educators: politically-aware young people, activists, academic achievers, early adopters of new technology, global citizens, newshounds and avid consumers of digital multimedia.