United Nations-Ravi Shankar

Model United Nations is a great way to expose students to the realities of becoming a global citizen.  Early this week I spent two and a half days at the University of Montana in Missoula for the Model United Nations state conference.   

Twenty-eight students from Bozeman attended, representing 8 different countries:

             Armenia                     New Zealand

China                          South Sudan

Belgium                     Uzbekistan                         

Malawi                       Zimbabwe

South Sudan

Belgium

Zimbabwe

New Zealand

Armenia

Malawi

China

Practicing Parliamentary Procedure in the hotel room

Over 350 students from schools across Montana (and one from Idaho) participated in negotiating and passing resolutions, just as they do in the real United Nations.  This provided an in depth opportunity for students to learn how to become engaged global citizens.

 A few highlights:

·      The conference is run by university students in Dr. Karen Adams’ United Nations class at the U of M.  It was great for high school students to see what they could do if they chose to pursue Model UN at the collegiate level.  It was also exciting to be around the college atmosphere since most students will be there themselves in a year.

Enjoying lunch in the dorm cafeteria

A former BHS student, now the Secretary-General

·      Students were divided into committees and each committee focused on two issues of global importance.  Issues ranged from:

o  Refugees

o  Crisis in Syria

o  International cooperation in the arctic region

o  Reforming the Security Council

o  Controlling the drug trade

o  Women in development

o  Dealing with a global pandemic

·      Monday night students participated in a Region Night where they were divided by geographic location and heard from international students from each region.  It provided a great opportunity to learn from people who knew these places first-hand.

How Model UN helps students:

·      In preparing position papers before the conference, students refined their research skills as they sought to understand perspectives of other countries.

 

Writing resolutions in committee

·      In their committees, students were required to collaborate and compromise to develop and pass resolutions.  As often as possible students maintained the integrity of the position of the countries they were representing.

Speaking in front of the full plenary

Speaking in committee

BHS student speaking in favor of her resolution

·      Students used parliamentary procedure to debate resolutions, requiring them to develop impromptu and argumentative speaking skills.

·      During un-moderated caucuses students had to forge alliances with other countries to gain enough votes for their resolutions.  Many students joined forces with students from other schools in order to co-sponsor resolutions, just as countries do in the actual United Nations.

·      Most importantly, students learned how to become global citizens as they engaged in vital world issues and community building during this United Nations simulation.

 

Distinguished winners

A huge thank you to Dr. Karen Adams and her Model UN class for putting on such a wonderful conference.   

 

Dr. Adams speaking to the Security Council

Thanks also to the Hilton Edgewater for being willing to host 28 high schools kids in their rooms.  It’s always fun spending time with students beyond the classroom, and we had some good times, including a stop for ice cream on our way out of town.

BHS students who received recognition