As students and teachers go back to school, I believe Model UN matters more than ever.
Many students are feeling disengaged from their learning and isolated from their friends. Their parents are worried about what their children are learning — whether they’re learning — and how learning will work as we go back to school.
And I know many teachers who are concerned about going back to school in person. They’re dedicated educators who are passionate about their students’ learning, but they don’t want to get sick, and they’re concerned about their students’ health and safety, too.
I know this is a tense situation that many students, parents, teachers, and educators are facing. But instead of focusing on what might not work, I’d like to pose a different question.
What would a successful learning experience look like this school year?
I’d like to paint a picture of what a successful learning experience looks like to me.
In a successful learning experience, students feel fully engaged. They’re as engaged in their learning as if they were playing any video game or scrolling any social network. They feel creative and empowered. They feel like they’re building something that’s going to be great. They’re building knowledge — they’re building skills — and in the process, they’re building self-confidence.
In a successful learning experience, students feel like they’re on a journey — a sort of “hero’s journey” — where they’re called to action, they face big challenges, and they look for that sword or spell that will help them win. They eventually solve the challenge with the help of “Yoda” — a teacher, an educator, a mentor — who gives them guidance and feedback on the secret to winning — not by finding a sword or spell — but by discovering that the strength and leadership needed to win was within them all along.
And in a successful learning experience, students feel like they belong, like they’re part of a warm and welcoming community. They feel like they’re able to participate in a safe space, to speak their mind, to find their voice. They feel supported and motivated by their peers. And as they participate more and more, they feel like leaders within this community, and they become mentors to other students who are just starting their own journeys. They feel like they’re giving back to something greater than themselves.
At the end of a successful learning experience, students feel just a bit more confident — they feel like they’re creating their own community — they feel inspired to make a difference, to make a change — they feel like they’ve brought out the best in themselves, and each other.
This is my vision of a successful learning experience. I believe that this experience is possible and achievable for students, parents, and teachers in the upcoming school year. And I believe that Model United Nations can be the key to unlocking this experience.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with and observe hundreds of students and teachers doing online learning and virtual Model United Nations since the beginning of the covid pandemic. And the consistent feedback I’ve received is that MUN is among the most engaging learning experiences that students participated in all year.
“We’re now into our fourth week of online/virtual camps, and the MUN camp was the only one in which he was enthusiastically engaged from the first moment of Day 1.
It was great for him to meet kids from all over the country with like interests in diplomacy, geography, and government. He also learned new speaking and research skills, as well as about how the UN works.
Already a confident, competent speaker, he received useful feedback to improve his presentation and content. Long after the 3-hour time wrapped up each day, he was still engaged in the content by talking about it and researching on his own time.”
– Amy G.
Model UN is an engaging and authentic learning experience, whether it’s in person or online. It’s a wonderful activity for helping students understand the world we live in and the challenges we face, providing a space where they can explore these issues, and learn to debate, negotiate, and collaborate with other people coming from different backgrounds and perspectives than their own. And Model UN is more than an activity — it’s a community — a community of student leaders and global citizens who want to make a difference, make a change, and make the world a better place.
And that’s why I’m proud to announce the launch of the year-round Virtual Model United Nations Institute.
We’ve designed the Virtual MUN Institute in a way that integrates three key Model UN experiences:
- Model UN Courses: These are semester-long courses, taking place once a week, which focus on building research, public speaking, debating, negotiation, and leadership skills, under the guidance and feedback of our MUN Mentors.
- Model UN Conferences: These are monthly MUN conferences that challenge students to apply their skills and work with other top students to solve world issues.
- Model UN Community: A private online community with ongoing activities throughout the semester where students can make new friends and take on student leadership roles within the MUN Community.
At the Virtual MUN Institute, we’re on a mission to empower students and create student leaders through building confidence, creating community, and inspiring change.
We’re on a mission to help students, parents, and teachers create successful learning experiences through Model United Nations.
And we hope to see you this school year!
Ryan Villanueva, Co-Founder & Chief Education Officer
