This last March marks a year since the Coronavirus pandemic began, and we have all learned a lot over these past 12 months. Life has completely changed – from the way we interact socially to a complete alteration in the ways we learn and work. “Zoom” has become a word we have all become too familiar – and formed a complex relationship – with. Digital and virtual learning has become the new normal and has presented organizations like Best Delegate with new challenges which they never had to face before. Best Delegate’s beloved in-person summer programs had to be canceled, and all operations and programs had to go completely virtual. Needless to say, even prior to the pandemic, Best Delegate’s team had been almost entirely virtual. Nevertheless, Best Delegate has been working hard since March to use the opportunity created by the pandemic to adapt, learn and grow as an organization. To get an inside peek into what Best Delegate is doing to make their virtual programs better than ever before, I sat down with Operations Manager Madeleine Northfield.
Q: How have Best Delegates Operations changed for you since the Emergence of COVID-19?
Madeleine Northfield: When I started as a program officer, we were planning for a completely in-person summer. We had plans to expand to even more university campuses and to hire more staff to accommodate the influx in registration. It was going to be our biggest summer yet. When the pandemic hit in early March we realized it would not be possible, so in April we decided as an organization that we needed to pivot. Immediately, program hours were cut and we started to offer our 6-hour MUN debates where we incorporated MUN-related learning, in conjunction with interactive activities like playing games outside, to accommodate for the needs of our students. Our spring programs became incredibly successful although we had never done them before, and this success sparked ideas on how to change our business model. It was decided that rather than have our student’s journey end with us in the summer, we could have this year-long sweep of programs that made it possible for people to have a journey with us all throughout the whole year.
Q: What difficulties did you uncover with providing quality programs in your first summer of teaching fully virtual?
MN: There were three primary difficulties we discovered last summer. One being technology; making sure students knew how to use Zoom while learning ourselves and ensuring that all students were at an equal advantage. Secondly, engagement. This was something completely new to us. When we were in person we didn’t have to worry about this. Friendships and relationships were built so naturally, and those interpersonal connections fueled a sense of community and motivation among our students. Finally, grappling with the uncertainty of the conditions of the world. At first, deciding to move our programs completely online was a gutsy move. We had no clue where our competitors would be at (would they be in person?). It was also hard to visualize our end goal or plan for anything, knowing that it could very well not happen. Through these findings, we decided to take action and alter our future programs to adjust to these needs.
Q: When did you begin planning for your summer 2021 programs? Have you made any amendments to your typical summer programs to engage students better in light of COVID-19?
MN: While planning typically begins later on in the year, we were so excited to put the feedback we were receiving to use, so we began planning right when summer ended. Feedback was always a very important aspect of our business model and this year was no exception. We started diving into these conversations about improving engagement and overcoming these technological obstacles and we were able to develop really good solutions. This summer, every single week will have an associated theme based on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Having our themes align with these goals allows students to understand the true relevance and impact of the issues they are debating, making their engagement in these issues that much more meaningful.
Q: What part of this year’s summer program are you most excited about?
MN: Because of the success of last year’s programs, our target was to nearly double in size in regards to students. I’m excited about the sheer number of students who will be participating in our programs this year. It allows so much room for such diversity of students and more opportunities for students to engage with all different types of people. Further, being one of the first companies to make the pivot to online education and a front leader in our industry, we have all the experience and feedback from this year that has made us experts on online education, giving us the ability to offer students what we feel they need most. Firsthand, we have realized that at this time what students want most is a sense of community fostered by being surrounded by like-minded peers. Knowing this, we have tried to implement this in every aspect of the design of our summer programs.
Q: What would you say to those people who have hesitations about virtual programs not being as engaging as in-person ones?
MN: What people have to understand about virtual programming is that for every negative consequence there is a separate positive outcome. In-person programs made it geographically and economically challenging for people to attend but virtual programs allow us to enroll students from across the world and from all different types of backgrounds. This not only makes for more dynamic environments but allows us to truly mimic the United Nations and what the real world looks like. Additionally, our entire program is designed with an engagement-first mentality. We are with students every day, thus, more than anyone, we understand how difficult it’s been for them. We hear how unmotivated they are feeling and if they’re unengaged and so we have made engagement a top priority.
Q: What is BD’s “magic touch” that you think makes BD the best place to learn and practice MUN?
MN: Best Delegate embodies what MUN is in a company. We have the leading resources for students who do MUN. We consistently hear from students telling us that they learned MUN through our website, blogs, and articles. From being this trusted source for the international MUN community, we have fostered a community that often feels deeply passionate about the mission of our organization. Anyone who interacts with Best Delegate often reflects on how it changed their lives, whether it was for becoming more confident in their abilities to public speak, advocate, or for becoming agents of change in their community. We have created a place that feels like home by fostering an open space for like-minded people to interact with one another. Choosing to become a part of the Best Delegate, you are automatically becoming a part of a community and will be inspired by the passion that everyone in the community shares for a common goal. Ultimately, it’s what makes us incredibly unique as a company.
Q: What would you say to someone considering signing up for our Virtual Programs this summer?
MN: With the lineup of staff and the incredible team behind the project, there is no way anyone involved in our programs this summer will not walk away from it a changed person. Whether it be because you feel more confident, you were challenged in a way you were never before, you learned something new or you met people with who you will feel connected forever.
