Senior School Students Participate in Model U.N. Simulation
On Monday, April 11, 2016, three members of the Senior School's Model United Nations Club and I participated in Westminster College's Eighth Annual High School Model U.N. Simulation.
As the delegation representing the nation of Venezuela, we worked with other students from around western Pennsylvania who represented other U.N. delegations. The focus of the day's diplomatic efforts was forming working resolutions regarding topics such as the Syrian refugee crisis, nuclear weapon disarmament, sustainable infrastructure in developing areas, providing equal access to education, and drug cartels and international security.
Model U.N. is a valuable experience as it provides students with the opportunity to participate in a discussion on current world events and possible solutions to them. It's empowering to know that your opinions on current international issues are taken seriously. The college students who moderated the Model U.N. simulation committees treated us like adults but were also there to help when we made a misstep, such as when we unwittingly deviated from the complicated Model U.N. rules of procedure.
Another benefit of Model U.N. is that it allows students to meet and interact with people from other schools that you probably haven't met before. A particularly fun part of the committee sessions was that delegations could pass notes to each other in order to informally ask their opinions on different matters. This meant that while one person was addressing the committee as a whole, there were also multiple informal conversations going on through note passing. Another particular part of the session that I enjoyed was the unmoderated caucusing where we could talk in small groups to get a better understanding on the different positions other delegations held and who we should consider joining with in order to write a resolution.
All in all it was a great experience!
