Model United Nations: Join Us!

MUN, short for ‘Model United Nations,’ is a common extracurricular activity offered in most high schools, both public and private. Being a mixture of speech, debate, and public speaking, as well as politics and global issues, MUN allows students to engage with their creativity by assigning them to a country and interact with other delegates their age as they debate about resolutions for global issues. This year, many of the delegates are seniors and, unfortunately, it will be their last year participating in MUN. Since this is the case, they hope for many new delegates who are willing to participate next year to join. Typically, conferences are hosted in international schools in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea, and Vietnam, which allow students to debate in diverse settings.

As a senior myself, I am able to say that MUN has definitely taught me more about current issues, such as the lack of human rights in Zimbabwe. As someone who has a tendency to forget to stay up to date with global news, and as a student who is not a part of MUN, I would have never known this was an issue prior to attending these conferences. I was also able to learn more about public speaking. I realized that fluency and accuracy in language are important in order to persuade another delegate to vote for your resolution. If you are constantly using ‘um’ and have a lot of pauses throughout your speeches, delegates representing other nations will likely not take you seriously.

Many of AISG’s MUN delegates mentioned that they also believe MUN is a good experience. Chavi, a sophomore who is new to MUN at AISG, mentioned that she believes MUN is a good experience because it allows her to “get to meet and interact with different people”. At MUN conferences, you see many people with various backgrounds. Aside from learning more about cultures through debating, lunch and dinner allow people to converse and learn more about each other. Chavi also mentioned that if she was able to be any country, she would rather be one of the P5 nations (i.e. US, China, France, UK, and Russia); however, she doesn’t mind representing a smaller country either. Eddie K, a junior who has participated in MUN for most of his high school career, mentions that “delegates are able to view the world’s problems from an actively involving perspective,” meaning that, as an inclusive event, MUN conferences have the ability to alter one’s global perspective. Eddie’s statement is, in fact, very accurate. When at MUN, you are the are able to see the world’s problems from an insider’s perspective. In an interview with the delegate Stanley W, he mentions that MUN is able to directly assist in expanding the classroom education many students receive. During MUN, if another delegate’s statement is unclear, delegates have the option to ask follow-up questions. Therefore, delegates are answering questions they least expect. In a classroom setting, especially during an IOC (if you are a junior or senior), this is something you will face. You are answering questions you may not know the answer to and aren’t prepared for.

As seen from the interviews, MUN is truly an activity which can develop a wide variety of skills and can be enjoyed in both high school and college. Although not offered in Middle School, Middle School students can still try and practice some of the skills mentioned above, such as public speaking and answering questions as a way to prepare yourselves for MUN in high school. If you are a high school student interested in MUN, be sure to join us next year and come prepared.

As the former teacher Mr. Parker always said “You go to MUN to speak, not to sit in a room and not talk”

To see more responses to interviews conducted, look down below: 

Arete Song (Junior): Why do you think MUN is a good experience?

“I’ve been participating in MUN since 9th grade. I truly missed it when I couldn’t participate last year due to sports. I always enjoyed the preparation process—you get to learn a lot about the global issues and their impacts on the world, and you also get to learn about the country you’re presenting. However, the conference itself is still my favorite part. When you enter the huge conference building with suits on, it really ignites your passion and you actually feel like a very smart individual. You get to meet different people and exchange ideas on these topics that you normally wouldn’t talk about. You can also practice your public speaking skills and especially your improvising skills. And the fact that it is held at the center of Seoul (the ones I’ve been participating in) makes it so fun and exciting”

Jason Wu (Senior): If you could represent any country during MUN, which country would it be? 

“The United States”