Model United Nations (MUN) is one of the clubs that Silicon Valley International School offers, and I am lucky enough to be a part of it!
What is MUN?
MUN is a simulation based club, which aims to recreate United Nations proceedings. As members of MUN, we attend conferences as the representative of a country, organization, or person, and must solve a problem by collaborating with other delegates from around the world. At a conference, you are assigned a specific committee that tackles its own unique issues. For example, Social Cultural and Humanitarian (SOCHUM) focuses on tackling fundamental human rights issues on an international scale. Each delegate is then assigned a country to represent, portraying said country’s stance accurately to the real world. MUN takes you all across the world and even into fictional universes. From Indonesia to Barbieland, all issues past, present, and future are open for exploration.
What has SVINTL MUN done so far this year?
Silicon Valley International’s MUN team has attended two conferences so far this year, and will be attending a third in January. I have personally attended both of these conferences, and have been lucky enough to receive an award at both. Our first conference took place at Menlo Atherton High School over just one day. At this conference, I was part of the Barbieland Constitutional Convention, representing physicist barbie. In this committee we tackled the rewriting of the Barbieland Constitution, after the “Ken takeover”. This committee was full of surprises. From conflicting opinions to random caffeine addiction outbreaks, it definitely kept us on our toes. At this conference, I was awarded for being an “outstanding delegate”. Not only was I very excited about this, as it was my first award, I was extremely proud of myself for demonstrating how much I had improved in the short time since the last school year. It was an honor to be able to win this award, and I remain extremely grateful for the opportunity.
Our second conference took place at Stanford University, where I was a part of what is called a crisis committee. These committees are usually set in a period of contention and outrage. I explored the Majapahit empire through Prime Minister Gaja Mahda’s personal cabinet as a Navy Admiral of dubious loyalty. This committee was unlike any other, as best demonstrated by its fictional body count. At this conference, I was awarded a verbal commendation, which was once again so amazing. I was not expecting to win anything, as other people in my committee seem to have done really well. I suppose that my bold decisions won the committee chairs over. All in all, these were both amazing experiences that I will cherish forever.
What does the future look like for SVINTL MUN?
The January conference will be taking place at the prestigious Yale university. We are very excited to have the opportunity to travel outside of the state and attend such a big and reputable conference. I will be representing James Madison in a committee on the subject of the Napoleonic Wars. I am very excited to see what Yale has in store for me. However, I'm not the only one with an exciting committee assignment, as other members of SVINTL MUN will travel back to ancient Rome and Scotland! Needless to say, there is a lot to look forward to for the Yale MUN conference. The new middle school MUN team is yet another reason for celebration. I am looking forward to working with my MUN peers in making this idea a reality.
Ultimately, I believe that MUN offers an experience like no other, allowing students to connect and be a part of international conversations. I would highly encourage Silicon Valley International students to participate. I'm eager to see what my future in MUN holds, and I sure hope there are more awards down the line!
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