Article written and provided by FLOMUN organizers.
Led by Secretary-General Zander Moricz and founders Melanie Mahmoodi and Melanie Ulloa, FLOMUN (Florida Model United Nations) has become the largest independent MUN conference in the state of Florida after only its first iteration. With modest beginnings that consisted of caffeine-driven zoom calls and a three-person board, FLOMUN exploded into the foundation it is today with a board of Ivy League students and top competitors from around the country.
With a strong reception from delegates within the United States, to those who signed in internationally, FLOMUN’s virtual conference was a tremendous success and an exciting experience. Floored by the emphatic response, the board immediately began preparing for FLOMUN II, a conference they hoped to host in person. The board set to work and began the necessary logistical preparation, including reaching out to delegates to gain insight on their experience with FLOMUN. It was in this process that the founding trio had a revelation.
In another late-night zoom call as both of the Mels and Zander were planning for the year to come, they made an observation. It is no surprise to anyone on the circuit that the Model UN climate is one that lacks much diversity. Whether it be economic or social influences that tilt the scales for and against certain groups, the results are evident. After going through dozens of responses from delegates across the country, an upsetting pattern occurred. Despite reaching out to virtually every Model UN institute, club, and organization they could find, there were very few black and Latino delegates that attended FLOMUN.
The issue wasn’t poor communication or a lack of effort; the issue was that inclusive institutes did not even exist to reach out to. Unfortunately, in economically disadvantaged environments, academic resources are limited and opportunities are far scarcer than those of their affluent counterparts. The discrepancies between wealthy American high schools and poorer public ones are monumental, and the MUN community had done little to enact change.
While the issue has been addressed on a surface level, there has been no real action passed acknowledging the problem. The next morning the FLOMUN board was contacted and a decision was made. This year, there will not be a FLOMUN II. Instead, using the momentum, resources, and connections of the conference, the team would put their focus on a new goal: inclusivity and equality within Model UN.
By the time you will have read this article, FLOMUN’s new path towards educational equity will already be underway. With an extensive outreach program designed to create Model UN clubs in underprivileged high schools across Florida, a diverse Floridian MUN circuit is a possibility. As the team continues to assist the creation of MUN clubs and organizations across the state, they will need your help.
For those who want to assist in making Florida Model UN the best that it can be, head to this website, flomun.org, for updates, positions, and postings. For those who just want to follow along, FLOMUN can be found on Instagram by simply typing the name. No matter how you choose to get involved, Team FLOMUN sends their appreciation and gratitude for your dedication to making the MUN space a better one.
