Branksome Hall Model UN

Model United Nations (MUN) can be quite daunting. The extremely structured debate requires a large amount of preparation and confidence. Every student who participates becomes a delegate for a particular country. Delegates are expected to understand the policies of the countries they represent and the issues facing those countries, and to create solutions to the most pressing issues facing the world. In order to fully understand the procedures and to grow confidence, practice is incredibly important. To that effect, Branksome Hall invited Greenwood for a mock MUN. 

On Saturday, November 5, Branksome Hall hosted a mock MUN to help prepare students for more official conferences. The majority of participants were from Branksome, but a small but mighty contingent of Greenwood students chose to attend. 

As one of these students, I represented Senegal, where the topics of inequalities for women with disabilities and working conditions in factories were discussed. As a person who has participated in Model UN in the past, I used the Branksome Hall MUN (BHMUN) as a chance to reignite my skills and become familiar, once again, with the procedures. 

However, for the majority of Greenwood participants, this was their first MUN conference and they definitely stepped up to the challenge. Multiple Greenwood students gave speeches, asked for particular motions, and more. It was amazing to see how Greenwood’s crew were so willing and outgoing. 

I remember that at my first conference, I did not know what to expect and as a result, did not prepare correctly. BHMUN gave students the chance to see the procedures of MUN in a more relaxed and understanding setting compared to the more competitive and strict conferences. The dias (the group of people leading the conference) consisted of Grade 11 and 12 students from Branksome. All of them were incredibly kind and helpful. As the conference progressed, they explained each part of the procedure and encouraged all delegates to participate. 

Those who attended BHMUN will come into future conferences with more confidence and experience, hopefully heightening these incredible opportunities.