MUHS Model UN

What is Model United Nations?

In Model UN, students play the roles of delegates representing different countries. They debate world problems, each delegate speaking and voting for the country they represent. In a good debate, the delegates hear and consider many different viewpoints before deciding the best solutions.

This year, we are operating Model United Nations entirely online. It will be different, but the opportunities to interact with other teenagers on a range of urgent topics, will be the same as always. Each year has its unique mix of people and topics.

Our weekly meetings this year will be each Wednesday from 2:00-3:00 pm, hosted by Ms. Slater on Zoom. We are also planning and hosting our own conference, for students from other schools as well as MUHS, to be held online Saturday October 24^th. The largest area conference, at Dartmouth College, will be held in April, either online or in person. You are welcome to participate in Model United Nations at whatever level you choose – the more you do, the more experience you get, the more fun and rewarding it can be.

Specific Model UN Q and A

How do I learn the debate procedures?

Model United Nations follows the rules of Parliamentary Procedure, which are similar in spirit to those used in Town Meeting – respecting the rule of law, and ensuring that unpopular as well as popular viewpoints have the chance to be heard. This year we will be using a simplified version of the rules, to work within the online format. But the basic principles and goals are always the same: to ensure fair and respectful discussions, and decisions that are intended to have a good impact on the rest of the world.

I don’t know much about the world news, can I still join?

Absolutely! You learn as you go, and follow the issues that you and your fellow Model UN members get the most interested in.

Can I choose what country I want to represent?

Generally, yes. You decide among yourselves, each week, usually the first person who arrives at the meeting gets the first choice of country, etc. You can represent a different country each week, if you want, or stick with the same one for a while. It is useful to try out different countries – some whose positions or culture you feel in basic agreement with, others whose position or culture are harder for you to understand. Regardless, you represent whatever country you have, to the best of your ability.

What is the goal of a debate, other than to have interesting discussions?

The final product of a debate is ideally a written resolution, giving the committee’s suggestions for solving a particular international problem. Delegates representing different countries meet in small groups to draft resolutions. During the discussion, the resolution will usually be amended to reflect new points brought out in the process. When the debate is finished, delegates vote to pass or fail the resolution. (ie. 5-3-1, the resolution passes; 3-6-0 the resolution fails.) If a resolution fails, this indicates that the committee, despite its efforts at compromise, could not come to agreement. That in itself is important information.

What have students said about what Model UN means to them?

Wren Colwell Model UN Keynote Speech November 2019

“When, two years ago, I sat in this auditorium at my first Model UN conference, I would have never thought I would be standing up here today. When I first arrived at Middlebury Union High School, I was just trying to survive. The stark contrast from my previous small school terrified me, and I spent my first couple weeks walking through the halls with my head down, only focused on making it through the day without making a fool of myself. Then, my friend and I decided to join Model UN. The only things I knew about the club came from mentions in YA books and an episode of Parks and Recreation, but I somehow decided to walk into the unfamiliar classroom and sign my name next to the lowest-profile country I could think of.

“Over the course of the next two years I learned the usefulness of invoking national sovereignty, the limits of my own wardrobe for creating formal outfits, and the strangeness of learning someone’s real name after referring to them for days as ‘Italy.’ But more than that, I learned how to speak up. As I began to talk more on committee, I likewise spoke in classes and the hallway. I became more confident, more free.

“So everyone, I know that being a delegate isn’t easy. I for one have never walked into a committee without being scared. But I encourage all of you to push yourselves to make that terrifying first statement, and that slightly less terrifying second one.

“Because if you can own your power as China, or Portugal, or Gandhi, you can own your power as yourself.”