Narimane Salhi is a prominent Ambassador Coordinator for the International Careers Festival (ICF), an annual conference based in Rome that hosts four projects meant to introduce youth to the worlds of diplomacy, business, and journalism. In this guest article, Narimane shares her experience RomeMUN, the ICF’s flagship Model United Nations conference.
Delegates huddling in an unmoderated caucus to discuss possible solutions
My journey with the ICF began as a promoter and delegate for RomeMUN 2017. I spearheaded a social media campaign for the conference and created promotional materials to present to potential delegates. Although it was difficult to balance the roles RomeMUN promoter and delegate, I survived long enough to get on a plane to Rome and arrive at the ICF with my delegation. Enjoying every minute of the conference, I decided to return next year, but as an Ambassador Coordinator and one of the many Co-Chairs at the conference.
As an Ambassador Coordinator for RomeMUN 2018, it was my responsibility to work with representatives from the Middle East and North Africa region. This meant that I not only managed promoters stationed in these areas but also had the opportunity to share my experience with the conference on a larger platform. However, this pre-conference outreach was only half of the job I had at RomeMUN. In addition to Ambassador Coordinator, I was the Co-Chair for the largest committee in the entire conference: UNESCO.
In order to better prepare delegates for the committee, I created a Facebook group as a platform to answer questions, share advice, and break the ice for nervous delegates. Seeing as RomeMUN 2018 would be many delegates’ first experience with Model UN, I wanted to make the activity as inclusive as possible and make sure that first-timers understood the fundamentals of a Model UN committee, such as the nooks and crannies of parliamentary procedure. This all led up to the first committee session, where I was able to see my delegates in action.
Although many were shy as they entered the committee room, delegates grew more comfortable around each other as hours passed on the first day. By the second session, I saw more involvement from delegates, moving debate to a whole new level. Honestly, the degree of development I saw in many delegates’ speaking and adherence to country position made it difficult to award Best Delegate in the committee.
Throughout the conference, I felt like we had created our own community. Delegates from different backgrounds, countries, and cultures were united by the ICF and their passion for international relations. As debate moved from subtopic to subtopic, we all became more knowledgeable of the issues on our agenda and shared many memorable moments. While I missed the delegates I worked with at the end of the conference, I was reassured by the fact that RomeMUN 2019 would recreate these bonds with future delegates.
If you want to learn more about any of the other projects at the International Careers Festival, check out their website!
