Creating World Citizens with Model

United Nations (MUN)

John RemmellSanta Margarita Catholic HSRancho Santa Margarita, CA

www.smhs.org/mun

What is MUN?

Model United Nations

Resources ► SMCHS MUN Handbook► What is MUN student PP► The UN System PP► This PP► Resolution Writing PP► Position Paper Rubric► Conference Self Evaluation

Form► Awards Template► Placard Template► Name Tag Template► Conference Flow Chart PP► Sample Conference Program

What is MUN?

►You are “modeling” or “simulating” the real United Nations

What is MUN?

►Started as a college level simulation of the League of Nations

► Intended to instruct students about how this new international organization worked

► It spread from the college level down to high schools

Types of MUN programs

►MUN can either be a club or a co-curricular program

►The number of participants can be from just a few students up to hundreds

►Conferences come in two basic types: Novice and Advanced

Novice MUN

►Novice level conferences are one day only

►They are designed for beginning MUN students

►Committee size is usually small, mostly no more than 40 people per committee

Topics – What do the students discuss in

committee?► HIV/AIDS► Deforestation► Nuclear Proliferation► Jammu and Kashmir► Israel/Palestine► Terrorism► Child Labor► Women’s Issues► Climate Change► Sovereign Debt Crisis► Drug Trafficking► Combating Malaria► Human Trafficking► Syria► Sustainable Development

Skills

►Research►Debate►Compromise► Interpersonal skills►Speaking skills►Social skills►Confidence

What do you DO at a conference

► Give formal speeches► Haggle about points of

procedure► Meet students from other

schools► Discuss your topic

informally in groups► Write “resolutions” and

think of ways to solve whatever problem your committee is facing

► Vote on those resolutions► Win awards!

MUN is a student run organization

Why do MUN?(Ways to sell it to students)

Advantages► Looks good on college

transcripts - Chance to win awards

► Develop skills that will help in college, life

► Meet new people, make life long friends

Challenges► Must attend

conferences on weekends

► Being good at MUN takes time (research, paper writing, etc.)

How to Start

►Get a group►Get to a conference► Learn to swim!

Find a Novice Conference

►Cerritos usually first or second weekend of October

►Tustin usually weekend before Thanksgiving

►Mira Costa usually first or second weekend of December

►Mission Viejo MLK weekend in January

►Edison Novice January

► Laguna Hills usually in February

►El Toro March►Huntington Beach

Novice late April

Find a Conference

Northern California edition►Stanford (late October)►Contra Costa County (November)►RHSMUN San Francisco (December)►UC Santa Barbara (February

President’s Day weekend)►UC Berkeley (March)►UC Davis (May)

How to Start

► Find a local conference

►Have your own in class or after school!

►Registration Process

How to Start

►Country and Committee Assignments

How to Start►Acronyms – don’t

worry about it

Research Process

►Building a House Country Topic Solution

►The Topic Synopsis

How to Teach – The Position Paper

Committee NameCommittee TopicCountry Name

(A) BRIEF BACKGROUND OF THE TOPIC► Historical background and causes of the problem.► What nations are directly involved with or affected by the issue?► What effect does this problem have on the international community? (B) UNITED NATIONS INVOLVEMENT► How is the UN involved, how did it originally become involved and what actions has the

UN taken on this issue (i.e. resolutions, conferences, aid contributed, etc.)► Organs, NGOs and other UN affiliated groups which are involved in the situation. (C) COUNTRY POLICY AND INVOLVEMENT► Your nation’s involvement (if any) with the topic.► Your nation’s position and policy on the topic and opinion on the UN’s actions regarding

the topic.► Your nation’s past actions regarding the topic (i.e. voting records, resolutions sponsored,

conferences attended and conventions signed.)► Possible solutions you country plans to propose.

At the Conference

►What to Wear?►Registration

Program Placards Name Tags Lunch tickets

►Opening Ceremonies

At the Conference

►Speaker’s List►General Debate►Substantive Debate►Comments►Caucusing►Resolutions►Voting Bloc

At the Conference

Awards• Individual• Commendation• Outstanding• Best Delegate/Gavel

• School• Large school/small

school• Club program

What does it cost?

►Start small►Conferences usually

$20/day per student►Usually some kind

of registration or school fee of $20-40

► Fundraising ►Once you get the

students to “buy in” the parents will be willing to as well

Debriefing

The complaints you will hear

MUN as a Class

►9th Cultural Geography/MUN

►10th World Civilizations/MUN

►11th US History/MUN►12th US

Government/MUN and Economics/MUN

Online Resources

►www.bestdelegate.com

►www.unausa.org ►CIA World Factbook►BBC Country Profile►US State Departmen

t Country Information

►www.un.org ►www.unfoundation.o

rg

►Permanent Missions to the UN – www.un.int

MUN is FUN!

Brandenburg Gate – Berlin 2003

Ireland

Harvard – Boston 2003

New York

Royal Russell School – London 2002

U.C. Santa Barbara

U.C. Berkeley

China

D.C./Duke

Paris

Brown