Students Show Leadership, Diplomacy at Model UN
Model United Nations gives students a real-world look at the difficult problems facing the countries of the world today—among them global warming, sustainable development, conflict between nations, the eradication of poverty and hunger. Participating students must put aside their own views and represent the views of a country or organization whose opinions and actions might be totally opposite to their own. Even if students personally hold values similar to the country they are to represent, they need to find ways to communicate with those whose opinions are radically different. Welcome to the world of diplomacy!
Our first program this year was the Duke University Model UN program. Organized and run totally by college students, the Duke program serves as a training ground for younger students. In November, 28 Grade 9 and 10 students, along with six juniors and Mr. Rollins and Mrs. Ferko, spent the weekend discussing issues of world importance. Many thanks go to the juniors who, for the first time, were called upon to help train the big group of younger students new to Model UN. In meetings after school, students learned to research issues and see things from another perspective. They also learned parliamentary procedure and language appropriate to diplomacy.
Before the group had even left for Duke, plans were underway for our sixteenth trip to The Hague International Model United Nations (thimun). Attendance at thimun is by invitation only. Past groups have performed well enough to assure us of our place at thimun, but the pressure is on the students to maintain the level of commitment, leadership, and involvement demonstrated in the past.
In preparation for thimun, students research their issues and then, following detailed specifications, write resolutions which propose solutions to the world's problems. During the time of writing, they use the thimun website to work with delegates from other countries whose views might be similar to their own. When they arrive at the CongresCentre/World Forum in Den Haag, they begin the lobbying process with 3,500 students from all over the world. Two days of lobbying are followed by meetings in which resolutions are presented, discussed, amended, and passed—or voted down. As in the real world, there are political differences; coming together to work out solutions becomes a difficult assignment.
Our goal for the students is to perform at a higher level each time they participate. And they did—at Duke, several were recognized for their strong performance. Our involvement in thimun was stellar once again, due to the leadership of Benji Schuttler, Rapporteur of GA1, the first General Assembly committee, which covered disarmament and international security. Equal credit goes to delegation ambassadors Maggie Thomas (Saudi Arabia) and Ethan Lyle (Kyrgyzstan), as well as to the spirit of the AIS delegates.
We're happy to say that interest is high, and that we will be participating in a third Model UN program this year at Northwestern University in April.