Richmond's Model UN Club, A Summary of Success

23/02/2010

The purpose of the Model United Nations club is to organise trips to MUN conference locations, provide training for MUN members, give feedback on each delegate’s research, and to organise trips to locations meaningful to the Interational Relations field of study.

What does this mean? More importantly, what does the Richmond Model United Nations team do during the course of the academic year?
-Our schedule consists of several conferences in the United Kingdom, and we hope in the future we will attend conferences in continental Europe and abroad.
These conferences are structured simulations of United Nations committees
addressing contemporary issues within International Relations and we, the delegates of the member states, must form resolutions addressing said issues.

There is a set format for all MUN conferences that entails speaking, voting, and ratifying procedure which team members will get a brief overview of before their first conference and soon get the hang of during their first committee session.

TOP 6 REASONS TO JOIN MUN!
-Members get to travel for weekend conferences to the UK’s top universities including Oxford, Cambridge, and Sussex.
-Broadens one’s social and political international and national perspectives.
-To meet people from ALL OVER THE WORLD at conferences.
-Improves one’s public speaking and debate skills.
-Greatly improves one’s knowledge of the U.N. and International Relations in general - not to mention a good plus for your C.V.!
-Being a member of a club is a great social and educational university experience.

Comments from Club Members...

“Model United Nations conferences are simulations of the actual UN conferences, fallowing the exact formal rules and procedures used during the UN sessions. By participating you develop public speaking skills, diplomatic language and you enhance your social skills. It also allows you to practice the arts of negotiation, persuasion and strategic thinking by forging alliances, planning invasions and negotiating your way out of a crisis.

After committee sessions delegates have the opportunity to further practice and improve their social skills during committee dinners. These are formal events suitable for exchanging experience and network building.

Personally, I see participation in Model UN as the practical side of our theoretical studies. You get to apply and test theories, ideas and see how it plays out.”

-Teodora Boarta, President

“I have learned more about the United Nations and the dynamics of international politics in general from Model UN than I have from any lecture or textbook. The knowledge and confidence I have gained is invaluable. What we do in Model UN is so important; the conferences we collectively establish are not mere simulations of the UN, they are challenges to every person on this earth who wants to change the world either through official or active means to put in half of the courage, half the dedication, and half the passion we do.”

-Taylor Riley, Vice-President

“Model United Nations (MUN) is a fantastic student organization that participates in simulated committee conferences on relevant political topics. We travel to other universities for conferences attended by people from all over the world, making it ideal for Politics and International Relations majors. As a delegate you engage in discussions on interesting, challenging issues while representing the views of a particular state or NGO.

I personally have been to three MUN conferences over the past year: USMUN at the University of Sussex as Switzerland on the Human Rights Council, OxiMUN at Oxford University as Greece on the Space Council, and CUMUN at Cambridge University as Syria on a Special Political committee. At each conference I met wonderful people who challenged me during committee meetings. MUN is a great excuse to travel, and to meet politically minded intelligent people. As an International Relations student this was supremely awesome.”

-Morgan Potts, Secretary

“MUN conferences are great fun. The debates never turn out the way you expect them to. Just when you think you're ready to pass a resolution, another delegate comes up with another road block to the peace process! It really helps you appreciate how many times more difficult it must be for the real UN to pass anything at all...”

-Claire Helfrich

CONFERENCES ATTENDED THIS YEAR

Name of Conference, Location, Date

LIMUN 2010 London International Model UN Conference 19th - 21st Feb
CUIMUN 2010 Cambridge University International MUN 29th -31st Jan
USMUN 2010 University of Sussex MUN, Brighton 22nd - 24th Jan
Notts MUN 2009 Nottingham International MUN 27th -29th Nov
SOFIMUN 2009 Sofia International Model UN, Bulgaria 18th -25th July
LIMUN 2009 London International Model UN Conference 13th -15th Feb
USMUN 2009 University of Sussex MUN, Brighton 23rd -25th Jan
CUIMUN 2008 Cambridge University International MUN 14th -16th Nov
OxiMUN 2008 Oxford International MUN Conference 31st Oct – 2nd Nov

SPRING 2010 CONFERENCES

-WARMUN 2010- University of Warwick MUN Warwick 5th - 7th March
-LSE 2010 – London School of Economics MUN London 20th -21st March

*The registration deadlines for these conferences has now passed.

DELEGATE AWARDS

BEST DELEGATE AWARDS

-Alina Klarner, CUIMUN 2010,Iran on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
-Claire Helfrich,USMUN 2008, Lesotho on the African Union
-Taylor Riley, USMUN 2010, Germany on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
-Teodora Boarta, CUIMUN 2010, Federal Republic of Germany on the Historical Security Council (HSC) AND USMUN 2010, United Kingdom on the Security Council

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

-Claire Helfrich, LIMUN 2010, Switzerland on the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM)
NottsMUN 2009, Transvaal on the Historical Security Council (HGA)
OXIMUN 2008, Kenya on the World Health Organisation (WTO)
-Taylor Riley, NottsMUN 2009, Slovenia on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

 

 

 

 

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