Think. Discuss. Collaborate. Resolve.
The Shiv Nadar School Model United Nations Conference is back! And we are all excited about it. Over the course of the next 6 working days, students from Shiv Nadar School, Noida and Gurgaon will engage in debates, discussions and deliberations to resolve issues which the foremost leaders of the world are trying to arrive at solutions for at major global forums. In their second experience at MUNing, they will have the opportunity to think, behave and shoulder responsibility for saving our world, and making it a place worth living in.
If you do not know what an MUN is, we’ll take a moment to explain. MUN, or Model United Nations, is a simulation of the United Nations set up, which aims at exposing students in a young age to concepts and issues of global importance. It aims to build into students sensitivity towards problems of the world and the sensibility to find viable solutions for them. Alongside, the concept seeks to instil many real life skills in students, which include public speaking, negotiations, lobbying, spontaneous speech making, writing etc.
In Shiv Nadar School, MUNs are conducted in a unique format, where, other than fulfilling the said objectives, they are used as an opportunity for learning about issues tied to social science curriculum. For this, we partner with the Alma College, Michigan, which has arguably, the best MUN team in the world. Interns from Alma College come down to our school to spend over a month teaching students of grade 7th to 11th the basics of MUN procedure, as well as run them through many interesting simulations.
Why Alma College? Well, that is because Alma College’s nationally recognised Model United Nations program has won top honors at the National Model United Nations conference in New York City for 20 consecutive years (1997–2016) — the longest active winning streak of any college or university in the nation. Alma College’s all-time 34 “outstanding delegation” awards are the most of any college or university in the 92-year history of the conference.
The interns from Alma College – Madison Swope, Madison Amlotte, Beau, Tylor, Nathaniel, Morgan, Connor and Bridget – have been at our school for over a month now. Having had vast experience in MUNs, they have become mentors for our students as they polish several of their skills, both, as delegates, and members of a simulated International Media body. The great thing about MUNs is that whatever your area of interest, there is something in it for you. If you like reading up on things, become an expert researcher. If you like writing, you’ll be a great help in drafting resolutions, writing position papers and also drafting reports for the newsletters each day. If you like public speaking, well, the world literally is out there to be conquered. In addition, talented photographers and caricaturists also surface through this mega-event, as do student leaders and empathetic citizen who will be responsible for leading the world into a tomorrow of light and hope.
The theme for the conference this year is ‘Human Rights’, pertinent given the times we are living in. Exploitation of rights, whether due to war, state failures, radicalization and conflicted ideologies is rampant. In five different UN committees, students will take up the responsibility of debating on different aspects of these rights,while representing different global foreign policies and perspectives.
We’re looking forward to a great conference, and to sum this article up, here is what Colonel Gopal Karunakaran, CEO, Shiv Nadar School, and an officer who has also served on UN Peacekeeping Mission, has to say about the upcoming conference –
Aug 1, 2017 by Shiv Nadar School“Large countries tend to look at the world simply through their prism. MUN gives students an insight into the world outside. 20th century living doesn’t revolve around a single country, and in such a scenario, having a global perspective on issues becomes imperative. Whilst exposing students to many agendas of importance, MUN also builds in skills of effective and spontaneous public speaking, and being a completely student led initiative, will also help evolve leadership skills. There is a lot to take back home from a conference like this and I am glad our students are taking such interest in it.”