A Little Context If You Care To Listen ( Yes I took it from that song)
Hi Y’all! Hope Y’all are surviving (at least) whatever studies you guys are doing! whether it’s A -Levels or IB or IGCSE, I hope you guys remember to have time to rest and do whatever makes you happy! I’m Marcello Keith Wijaya, and I’m a 17-year-old student studying at Bina Tunas Bangsa School!
Starting off with a disclaimer that my experiences in Model United Nations are not to be generalized as the one and only experience you’ll get when you join one of these events and this is just to serve as a testimony of why you should (or should not, it is entirely up to you (unless someone peer pressured or forced you into this) ) to partake in these events.
My Expectations VS Reality:
When I first dived into the world of Model United Nations ( Or MUN), I really thought we would act as real diplomats, a bunch of high schoolers in suits and ties and all. discussing and debating real political conflicts and issues as well as attempting to solve them.
Turns out it isn’t too far from the truth! I was truly in awe to see that it was usually a bunch of university people (And yes they were all in suits and ties) with an international degree major using the opportunity to fill up their portfolio and experience to even some young entrepreneurs hoping to gain more experience in the art of diplomacy and negotiation.
Not only that, but I also discovered that I had to create a plethora of different essays and resolutions with amendments to our given topic.
I also thought that MUN was more of a competition and everyone would try to go over each other in order to win a certificate, I couldn’t be more wrong! Instead, Model United Nations was really more or less a roleplay conference and the people you’ll encounter turns out to be a really helpful and supportive bunch!
Most of the time if you’ve done a lot of Model United Nations conferences, you’ll most likely come across the same people again!
It really is a wholesome community where everyone takes care of one another cause at the end of every Model United Nations Conference, you’ll have to collaborate together and create one big resolution on how you will solve said world issue.
What To Pick Up Off This? And Some Model United Nations Tips
If debating and being a team player are your strong points, you’ll certainly find a home in this tight-knit community.
If you like writing then Model United Nations is also the place for you as you’ll need some sort of writing skill in order to make a lot of documents varying from your position paper (what your country thinks about the issue) leading up to the draft resolution (usually the nail-biting part cause you need to vote which is better) of said world issue.
If these aren’t your strong points, don’t fret cause you’ll have more experienced people having your back and slowly guiding you through the maze of Model United Nations.
Of all my years participating in Model United Nations, I’m confident in giving these words of advice as I’m sure many others will say the same.
- Do Your Research: Understand the topic fully, Understand the country you are representing and what they stand about the topic.
- Prepare a really solid opening statement/ speech
- Don’t let your emotions cloud you and the choices of words you use
- Always listen carefully to what everyone else says
- Take notes of what everyone else says in their opening statement
- If you need to, use your opponent’s words against them while still maintaining diplomacy
- Always back your words up with cold, hard facts and data
- Find a universal principle everyone agrees on
- Be Polite and Courteous to your opponents as well as to your teammates (you might win extra points from that)
- Have Fun! There’s no use in participating in MUN if you don’t have fun!
A site I wholeheartedly recommend if you’re planning to join MUN conferences is https://bestdelegate.com. they provide tips and tricks as well as resources in order for you to have a firm understanding of what you’re getting into during the conference itself, don’t hesitate to ask your teachers for help in preparing for Model United Nations conferences as they might have experience in how to give you an edge in preparedness for the event itself!
Another site would be The Prodat Blog, Which can be found here: https://prodatblog.org/ib-dp-101-diving-into-the-world-of-ib/. It’s home to blogs of students currently taking IB, IGCSE, and A Levels. We provide insights and tips for improving your marks, work style and habits, and success in IB, IGCSE, and A Levels.
We also provide tips and insights to events like Model United Nations and World Scholars Cup. It is a fantastic resource, and we’re adding more content daily. Be sure to subscribe and check us out!
That’s it from me! I wish Y’all the best of luck in your MUN journey and I hope this helps to serve as something Y’all can consider whether MUN is right for you or not I hope you guys can stick around Prodat Blog as we will upload tips and tricks to tackle events like MUN or even exams like IGCSE or A levels!
See Y’all in the next blog!
English