Model UN Activities beyond the Model UN Conference
To help develop their programs, model United Nations faculty moderators and advisers can engage in a number of activities locally that can provide their students with an opportunity to learn more about international relations. The list of activities below is just a start, and we welcome any additional suggestions! It is highly recommended that you contact the United Nations Association of Greater Boston for additional ideas. They support Model UN programs everywhere, and they have contacts that could help you with a wide range of the suggestions that are listed below. Go to https://www.unagb.org/ for more information, and contact Caitlin Moore, their Education Director for more ideas at caitlin.moore@unagb.org.
1. Visit the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Library. One of the best ways to introduce students to international relations, as well as United Nations, is to have organize a visit to the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library. The museum has a number of exhibits that link the Kenedy Administration with developments in both United Nations and in American foreign policy as both expanded to meet the demands of a changing world. The JFK Library and Museum also offers programs on important topics that students can attend, and they can also arrange for students to meet speakers on particular subjects. Start at the JFK Museum website at https://www.jfklibrary.org/ to see the range of activities that are available.
2. Visit the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. The Edward Kennedy Institute offers a variety of programs and exhibits that will expand a student's knowledge of both domestic politics and international relations. Booking the Senate chamber as a venue for staging a debate on important topic, these are either as a Senate simulation or as a's United Nations simulation, is an opportunity that is not to be missed. See for https://www.emkinstitute.org/ more information.
3. Arrange for a speaker from a consulate in Boston, or a tour of the consulate they represent. Many nations have consulates in Boston which serve as an extension of their embassies in Washington DC. Contact any one of these students interested to see if they could arrange for a tour or a meeting with the students to discuss consular activities and the policies are there nation in certain important aspects of world affairs the students like to learn about. All nations like outreach with the public, and if the consuls can provided a direct you to the Embassy in Washington that will certainly find a way to reach out to you and your group.
4. Arrange for a meeting with the United States Department of State Diplomat in Residence. The State Department has a number of "ambassadors in residence" around the country or State Department officials who are between posts overseas. One of their goals as public outreach, and any opportunity to engage students at a level has traditionally been one of their jobs. The current diplomat in residence for New England it is Jon Danilowicz and he is currently based at Tufts University. See https://careers.state.gov/connect/dir/ for more information about his career and experience. See his Facebook page for contact information at https://www.facebook.com/DIRNewEngland/.
5. Community Outreach. There are probably any number of people locally who have been involved in foreign relations, international business, and the military. Have the students research these people and then reach out to them about the possibility of coming to speak to their students about their experiences it may also be entertaining to involve these people in a debate on important topic.
6. Access the resources of the Commonwealth Museum. The Commonwealth Museum, across the street from the John F. Kennedy Museum, has, at its core, the Massachusetts Archives. Accessing the traveling exhibits or other resources, students will find an enormous amount of materials, as well as the presentation of topics that can be used as the basis for debate. It is surprising just how many of these topics relate to international relations, either past or present. Having students develop debate topics and materials from these resources will help them develop their model United Nations delegate skills. A visit to the Commonwealth Museum which served as a starting point for this process. See http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mus/exhibits/permanent/our-common-wealth/our-common-wealth.html for more information.
7. Host a movie night. There are so many films that relate to international relations that students may have heard of but never seen. A great activity is to host a movie night that culminates in a discussion of how the film relates to international relations.
8. Set up an exhibit in school represents how international relations and the model and the United Nations affects the lives of students. This would be a great way to introduce the school community to your program as well as how world affects them on a daily basis. As part of this, you could stage a model United Nations debate that students are invited to see some time during the school day.