<b>Model UN - Lessons in Empathy and Perspective</b>
Eleven Millbrook students attended the 15th annual Seconday Schools' United Nations Symposium in Montreal, Quebec, November 15-18, 2007, accompanied by history teacher and Model UN advisor Ms. Gwyneth Connell. Representing Indonesia, Millbrook's eleven delegates participated in UN committee meetings with more than 1200 other students from around the world.
While polishing speaking skills and expanding their knowledge of global issues, students also made big gains in other ways. Model UN has allowed them to see the world through another culture's eyes, empathize, and understand how difficult it is to balance one country's needs within the bigger world picture.
As the name clearly implies, Model UN replicates the United Nations. Teams take on country identities, and delegates from each country meet in committee to propose, discuss and debate relevant topics. Those issues are then presented to the general assembly as resolutions to be further debated and finally voted upon.
At the fall SSUNS conference, there were nine UN Councils represented in addition to nine special committees. Millbrook represented Indonesia in the General Assembly and Economic and Social Councils (including the Security Council, OPEC, and International Labor Organization), attempting to build concensus with other nations on a variety of issues. Two Millbrook students also participated as delegates in special committee meetings - Sam Silvershein attended the Council of the League of Nations and JJ Katz-Samuels took part in the historical 1971 Pakistani Cabinet meeting.
Traveling to Montreal and meeting students from around the world make joining the Model UN club an attractive choice; however, Model UN participants must prepare well ahead of time in order to be active participants at the conference. First, students research their country, learning about their positions on world topics, and prepare to discuss them at the conference. Additionally, they must write a position paper explaining their country's position on a specific issue, and how they believe it should be addressed.
Plenty of Millbrook students are willing to put in the work in order to take advantage of this great opportunity - close to 30 students are members of the Model UN club this year. It's a challenging, rewarding experience that allows Millbrook students to learn about the culture, religion, and political history of other countries while getting a strong sense of American power and responsibility in the world theater.
In addition to the Montreal conference, Millbrook students will be attending the upcoming spring Model UN conference at Cornell University at the beginning of April. Check back for details on their trip to Ithaca, New York.
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While polishing speaking skills and expanding their knowledge of global issues, students also made big gains in other ways. Model UN has allowed them to see the world through another culture's eyes, empathize, and understand how difficult it is to balance one country's needs within the bigger world picture.
As the name clearly implies, Model UN replicates the United Nations. Teams take on country identities, and delegates from each country meet in committee to propose, discuss and debate relevant topics. Those issues are then presented to the general assembly as resolutions to be further debated and finally voted upon.
At the fall SSUNS conference, there were nine UN Councils represented in addition to nine special committees. Millbrook represented Indonesia in the General Assembly and Economic and Social Councils (including the Security Council, OPEC, and International Labor Organization), attempting to build concensus with other nations on a variety of issues. Two Millbrook students also participated as delegates in special committee meetings - Sam Silvershein attended the Council of the League of Nations and JJ Katz-Samuels took part in the historical 1971 Pakistani Cabinet meeting.
Traveling to Montreal and meeting students from around the world make joining the Model UN club an attractive choice; however, Model UN participants must prepare well ahead of time in order to be active participants at the conference. First, students research their country, learning about their positions on world topics, and prepare to discuss them at the conference. Additionally, they must write a position paper explaining their country's position on a specific issue, and how they believe it should be addressed.
Plenty of Millbrook students are willing to put in the work in order to take advantage of this great opportunity - close to 30 students are members of the Model UN club this year. It's a challenging, rewarding experience that allows Millbrook students to learn about the culture, religion, and political history of other countries while getting a strong sense of American power and responsibility in the world theater.
In addition to the Montreal conference, Millbrook students will be attending the upcoming spring Model UN conference at Cornell University at the beginning of April. Check back for details on their trip to Ithaca, New York.
