The Model UN club has been preparing and composing as our conference is rapidly approaching. Recently, to gather more information and really enrich our club with the policies and cultures of other countries, we took a trip to the South African Embassy and United Nations Headquarters in NY. We met the ambassador and representative for South Africa in the UN, Ms. Mathu Joyini, and she was able to answer any questions we had as well as walk us through the steps they take everyday in order to maintain international peace and security.
A substantial benefit of this trip was that it will better prepare us for our conference at UHart in December. “The club benefited from the trip because we were able to get our questions regarding our topic answered, and therefore we will be able to better represent our countries in the conference,” said Elizabeth D’Agostino 27’, the secretary for Model UN. During this conference, delegates will represent certain countries, our school this year will be representing France and South Africa. According to their committee, they will come together to pass and sign on certain resolutions. This essentially works as a simulation of what delegates do in the United Nations. The Ambassador for South Africa was able to provide us with so much background information and insight into the real issues they are solving in the UN Headquarters. This will help us to not only better understand our resolutions but, more importantly, really care for South Africa, as if we are actually solving these issues and improving people’s lives.
Model UN is a way for students to gain insight into foreign affairs, policies, and politics. It’s a way for students to express their ideas and solutions even as young adults. Our voices can be heard, and we can feel like we are really working towards a goal and finding ways to improve people’s lives. This club allows you to learn so much about certain countries, seeing as your goal would be to know these countries as well as their ambassador would. “I chose to do Model UN because I think it is a great opportunity to learn more about different countries, and it looks very impressive on college applications,” said D’Agostino. This club is a way for us to be prepared for so many different topics we may study in college and we continue into our careers.
Each year we are working on ways to improve this club to be more beneficial to our members. As students improve on their public speaking and research skills, we are trying to make this club as comprehensible as possible. These trips are a way for us to give members a real-world understanding of their committees. It’s a way for students to learn without it just being a research or writing base; it’s another way for them to absorb information. “Model UN expands your knowledge on what is happening in the world and teaches you different skills like responsibility and the ability to problem solve. Having that already developed as you go through college and later in life is really helpful,” said D’Agostino. We would like to encourage students to join if they are interested in learning about any of these subjects. Seeing as many of our members are juniors and seniors, we hope to gain more members in the coming years.
