This guest post has been provided by Dr. Eugene Geis and Anthony White, advisors of the John P. Stevens High School Model United Nations program.
J.P. Stevens delegates are taught how to be socially intelligent through Model UN
When I was in my twenties, I realized that I needed to be more confident with and aware of the people I interacted with on a daily basis. I was tired of the feeling of being unsure about myself. I could never tell whether I was respected and liked, especially by the opposite sex either. When I moved home after graduate school, I made a very serious decision to transform these fears into traits of confidence.
I made a conscious effort to make new friends wherever I went. I started conversations with random strangers and learned to have meaningful communication with anyone, anytime. I changed some aspects of my body language and my speaking style, and I discovered that everyone else responded to me more. I could tell that the small, subtle changes I made to my methods of communication had a profound impact on the respect and admiration that people were suddenly showing me.
When I arrived at JP Stevens high school, a fellow alumnus from my own high school had invited me to advise the Model UN program with him. When I chaperoned my first trip to VAMUN, I had an epiphany while witnessing my first committee. Every skill that I learned in my personal transformation was being exercised (most of the time, very poorly) by the students parrying for position within the committee. I started giving advice very quickly because very small changes can make an enormous difference in a delegate’s game.
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The NGO Forum was one of many unique features of the YMCA MUN Summit. Students created their own NGOs and displayed them to the entire conference during an "NGO Expo" (think Model UN meets Science Fair).
Over 650 middle school students 6-8th grade attended the YMCA MUN Summit in Irvine, California, hosted by the California YMCA Youth & Government this past weekend.
While every MUN conference is different, the YMCA MUN Summit departs significantly from your typical conference. Its focus is not to create a completely accurate simulation of the UN, but to use Model UN as a vehicle to teach students about democracy and develop empathy for international issues.
YMCA MUN does many things differently from other MUN conferences, like having student elections and letting students create their own NGOs — and as a result, it’s one of the most innovative MUN conferences I’ve ever attended.
Click here to learn what makes YMCA MUN different
Click here to check out North America Online Model United Nations Debate on “Establishing and Sustaining Democracy in the Middle East” on Sunday, May 13 at 9am PT / 12pm ET.
Not familiar with O-MUN? Click here to read a guest post by O-MUN on the first online platform to do Model United Nations anywhere in the world.
This just in: Harvard WorldMUN 2013 will be held in Melbourne, Australia! Here’s the letter sent to Head Delegates:
Dear Delegates, Faculty Advisors, and friends of WorldMUN,
It has been little over a month since we left Vancouver, after yet another tremendously successful WorldMUN conference. After five days of thrilling committee debate and unforgettable social events, we’ve made new friends, reconnected with old friends, and celebrated the WorldMUN Spirit with 2,000 fellow delegates and advisors. In the time since, a new team has been selected here at Harvard, and planning for the next conference is underway. In the past weeks, the Harvard team has been deliberating over the bids received for the upcoming year’s conference and we are incredibly excited to announce that World Model United Nations 2013 will be held in Melbourne, Australia!
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