By — Danny Kistner
Model United Nations is perhaps one of our most beloved clubs, and if that isn’t true, it’s the club most loved by those a part of it. Their first meeting was held just last Thursday, a short but sweet introduction to those interested in it, held in Frau Deady’s room.
It was clear as soon as one stepped through the door that this was a place where everyone was welcome; banter and laughter sure signs of some sort of connection everyone had with each other. It was a fun club, and this meeting made sure everyone who entered knew it.
For those that don’t know, Model United Nations (also MUN or Model UN) is a club that focuses on students learning the ways and works of the United Nations through their participation in debates and conferences. It’s student-led, the sponsors more facilitating and helping where they can, coordinating events and similar projects, but its the student that gets to decide, write, and participate; in other words, all the fun stuff.
Conferences are held all over the U.S. and, hopefully, as the club explained to me, they would soon go international. Usually, they were in hotels, the same places where the conferences were held, each person or school representing a country, though this isn’t always the case. MUN also offers a means to represent historical figures as well as characters or organizations from fiction. What if Alexander the Great had to sit down and talk before taking over Persia? What if the Ministry of Magic was forced to hear the opinions of wizards? Though this isn’t to say that current events aren’t a priority.
Most do represent a nation—acting as though a diplomat—their stances needing to be strong and accurate to the beliefs of that country, so much so that it isn’t uncommon for the MUN chairs to wake members up in the middle of the night during these conferences, the student required to come up with solutions to problems on the spot (they are given time to get dressed.) These conferences also allow students to meet people from all over the world, friendships extending past the borders of nations, and into areas of the world like Europe and the Middle East. Several of the students present even recalled people they’ve kept in contact with and who they hope to visit someday.
Opportunities are in abundance in Model United Nations, opportunities for everyone and everything.
