21 Sep Practicing diplomacy
Last week Parker Hall was transformed into the UN General Assembly for a mock Model United Nations (MUN) conference. The rehearsal, which was organised by seniors Noah and Egor with faculty support, saw students from across upper years taking part.
Participating in MUN is a powerful way for students to learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations. In immersive simulations, students are assigned roles such as representing states or being placed in committees, and a topic or topics are chosen for delegates to discuss. Students research the topics before the conference, formulating positions which are true to the country or organisation they represent, which they go on to debate with their peers in the committee. Through the process they gain practical experience in areas including public speaking, debating, critical thinking, teamwork and leadership.
At Woodstock, the MUN programme focuses on training students to be effective delegates and chairpersons at MUN conferences. In April, Woodstock will host its own MUN conference, with schools from around the local area invited to participate. Last week’s mock was both an audition and practice run for delegates who will represent countries in April and for the student chairs who will run the conference. The seriousness and gravitas of the mock conference did justice to the international diplomacy it emulates, and reflects well on all the students who participated in it.
Conference organiser Noah was buoyant about the performance of his fellow students at the event, “It was great to see the talent and enthusiasm on display by the delegates. We are confident that the conference in the Spring will be a great success.”
His co-organiser Egor was similarly upbeat following the event, “We are pleased that the conference ran smoothly. It was good to see that MUN has come back to Parker Hall, and having a full conference with other schools in April is an exciting prospect.”
As well as practice for our own conference, we regularly take delegates to external MUN events. The most recent saw 13 students to Doon School MUN in August, and 17 will attend the Ivy League MUN in Delhi in November.
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