This past fall, Best Delegate launched the Virtual Model United Nations Conference (VMUNC) initiative. With training conferences and advanced invitationals scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year, VMUNC is a way for students to continue participating in Model UN conferences virtually during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that has rendered in-person conferences impossible this year.
On November 14th, Best Delegate hosted more than 300 middle school and high school students at the November Training Conference – the perfect venue for newer Model UN delegates to hone their skills and get more confident about their public speaking skills. And on November 21st, Best Delegate hosted more than 140 students at the East Coast MUN Invitational (ECMUNI), a conference for intermediate to advanced delegates primarily on the East Coast of the United States. Read on to learn more about students’ experiences at these conferences!
November Training Conference
With 10 committees ranging from Model UN staples like UNESCO and DISEC, to a crisis committee like the Disney Board of Directors, the VMUNC November Training Conference was a great arena for beginner MUN delegates to hone their public speaking and leadership skills. In many committees, up to 95% of delegates were experiencing a Model UN simulation for the first time – and they all did a fantastic job for their first conference! To encourage beginner students in a less intimidating environment, some larger committees like DISEC and UNDP were split into smaller committees.
More than 300 students attended the Training Conference, from schools all over the United States and the world, including the countries of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Honduras, and Egypt. Middle school and high school delegates discussed numerous topics, including Reducing Poverty, Achieving Gender Equality, Small Arms Trafficking, and Malutrition.
We are so proud of the students that participated in the November Training Conference! Hear about their experiences in their own words:
“My favorite part of the conference was the fact that it was a learning experience, and that it helped with my public speaking. I do not like speaking in public, but this really helped me overcome that fear more. This was such a great experience and really helped me understand how to do Model UN. This was only my second conference, and my first one I really didn’t know what I was doing, so the fact that I was able to get a better sense of how this works is fantastic.”
– Sonia, Colorado
“I had a really great experience today. I learned so much and I got to meet so many new people with so many great ideas. It was enlightening to see everything unfold the way it did. My favorite part of the conference were the unmoderated conferences where I could talk to people freely and hear many great things being exchanged.”
– Ibrahim, Indiana
East Coast Model UN Invitational (ECMUNI)
VMUNC’s first invitational conference of the year was held on November 21st, and was focused primarily on intermediate to advanced middle school and high school delegates from the East Coast of the United States, although students from any geographic area were welcome to join as well! Featuring more advanced committees including the United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and United Nations Security Council (UNSC), ECMUNI was a great opportunity for more advanced delegates to further hone their Model UN skills and level up their strategic thinking.
ECMUNI featured six committees, and students discussed issues that are critical to today’s world, including Terrorist Recruitment Online, Misinformation and Fake News, and the Situation in North Korea. Overall, the performance from the delegates participating in ECMUNI was incredible, and students were well-prepared and ready to debate in every committee. Jasmine, the chair of the UNSC committee discussing the Situation in North Korea, even added in some impromptu crisis twists because her delegates were so strong – and they rose to the challenge by preventing nations from getting nuclear weapons.
The delegates at ECMUNI were enthusiastic and extremely engaged in the conference, with multiple blocs working through their lunch break on Zoom to get their resolutions finished! We are so impressed with our ECMUNI delegates, and hope to see them back at another invitational conference soon. Here are a few student highlights:
“Our chair, Stephen, did an excellent job. We had good debate, I liked his more laid-back style of moderating that allowed us to really be independent, self-directed, and have interesting debate. Overall it was a really fun conference, and I would definitely recommend it to a friend. My favorite part of the conference was giving speeches and engaging in debate. I cannot think of anything that can be improved upon in the future.”
ECMUNI Awards List
UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Best Delegate: China
Outstanding Delegates: France, Iran, Argentina, Mexico
Honorable Mentions: Venezuela, India, UK, Egypt
UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
Best Delegate: Ethiopia
Outstanding Delegates: Greece, Bangladesh
Honorable Mentions: Mexico, Yemen, Kenya
World Food Programme (WFP)
Best Delegate: Yemen
Outstanding Delegates: India, Russia, Venezuela
Honorable Mentions: Germany, Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Korea
UN Security Council (UNSC)
Best Delegate: Indonesia
Outstanding Delegate: Dominican Republic, Tunisia, South Africa
Honorable Mentions: France, Estonia, Belgium
UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Best Delegate: China
Outstanding Delegates: Ukraine, UK
Honorable Mentions: Germany, Brazil, Italy
UN Women
Best Delegate: Nepal
Outstanding Delegate: China, Nigeria
Honourable Mentions: Japan, Thailand, UK
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