Model students participating in Model UN! 

On Dec. 11, the Model United Nations club went to the Temple University Fox School of Business to attend a conference where selected students discussed and offered solutions to modern global problems based on the environment, the media or technology. 

Prior to the mock conference, participants are assigned positions as delegates to certain countries that are part of the United Nations, then must prepare for it. Model UN president Martine Royds said, “For this particular conference, we have to do an opening statement, which is a two to three minute speech that you give to all the delegates in the room that [includes] what the strengths of your country are, what your priorities are forsolving that issue, and how you would go about it.” 

At the event, delegates were split into four sessions according to which country they represent. Royds said, “Two were meetings of different nations in the same region, like the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Pacific Islands. [Then the delegates] discussed solutions to the issues given. The next one was a session broken up by the committee you were in, being social media and technology, or non-governmental and fact-checking organizations.”

The conferences can provide insight to modern issues beyond the U.S. Royds said, “You learn a lot about how the conferences work, but everyone learns more about global political issues and the countries being affected.”

Aside from being a learning experience for participants, students are able to improve upon important skills and interact with different people. Royds said, “At every conference, I enjoy being able to meet new people from different schools all around, and being able to collaborate and work together. Overall, I think that conferences are a great way to become better educated about current politics and global events, develop speaking skills, quick thinking skills, and your ability to work with other people with different opinions to find one solution.”