Model United Nations, often referred to as Model U.N. or MUN, is an academic extracurricular activity here at Mentor High. With around 30 students, they participate in both local and international conferences from Chicago to New York to Cleveland to hosting our own conference right here in Mentor.
Additionally, the respective middle schools in the district also have their own Model U.N. team. Mentor graduate and Mentor MUN President emeritus Joy Mason initiated their creation as part of her senior project. On November 20th, 36 middle school students came to Paradigm to learn about diplomacy and prepare for their January conference at John Carroll University.
Middle school delegates tackled the heavy topic of “AI and Global Security: The Ethics of Weaponized Intelligence,” representing sparring nations from the U.S and China to Norway and the Philippines that enjoyed lively debates about our global future. These Jr. delegates were able to write, debate, and vote on two resolutions at a conference run and chaired by Mentor MHS Co-Presidents Ayesha Faruki and Juliana Nichols.
Shore’s MUN team is advised by Mrs. Diane Compton, and Memorial’s team is advised by Mr. Nick Markijohn, respectively. Cardinal Nation reached out to 7th-grade student Nico Richard and 8th-grade student Mariana Junqueira for their input at the mock conference.
Cardinal Nation: Why do you participate in Model U.N.?
Junqueira: As someone really interested in government and global affairs, hearing about Model U.N. in my 7th grade year was really exciting…The people who are involved in Model U.N. are the ones who make this experience so unique. Model U.N. wasn’t really a place of just United Nations and debate for me, but a place where so many new connections can be built.
Richard: Personally, I hoped to find myself in a political position, whether it comes to a civil servant all the way to a member of the U.N. I knew about the U.N. before I heard of the club, so when I did, I was very enthusiastic [to join].
Cardinal Nation: How does Mentor’s practice day help you prepare for the CCWA (Cleveland Conference on World Affairs) conference?
Junqueira: Mentor’s practice helped me prepare for the CCWA conference by reminding me of parliamentary procedure, as there are so many different inquiries and points of motion that you have to learn, and I think this experience really helps [me] to prepare briefly but productively. Moreover, it helped me practice writing ideas for speeches in replacement of writing entire speeches.
Richard: It helps me better improve my speech and comfort levels. It reassures me of working with people I don’t know. All in all, it improves my U.N. experience.
Cardinal Nation: What is the most important lesson you learned during this mock conference?
Junqueira: The most important lesson I learned from the conference [is] how to connect and listen to other people during moderated debate. I feel [like] during the actual CCWA Jr. Model U.N. conferences, some delegates don’t really pay attention to moderated debate and only share ideas and insights during unmoderated discussions. This practice really opened my eyes how much participation affects your performance and how people see you. The more you appear, the more they recognize how powerful of a contributor you could be to the outcome of the debate.
Richard: The most important lesson I took away is to be active with your peers and really showing yourself and how you can make a difference.
Cardinal Nation: What did you find least helpful about the mock-conference?
Junqueira: …The least helpful thing about the mock conference is how they talked about what chairs look for, because although it’s subjective, I think there are many things chairs they specifically search for that wasn’t really discussed during this mock conference…I hope to see more elaboration for the students.
Richards The least helpful takeaway would most likely be the mindset of the people around you; you can’t really dictate those people to stay on task.
Cardinal Nation: Would you recommend Model U.N. to a peer?
Junqueira: If I could persuade everyone I know to join Model U.N., I would. I am the person I am today due to Model U.N. Not only does it help with public speaking, but it really helps to learn how to take insight from others and build something out of that. Model U.N. is an outstanding tool for a more worldly understanding and for confidence. It teaches you to be educated before you speak, to always prepare before you begin motioning, and to be unprepared for some questions that you need to find answers to yourself. I think everyone should give Model U.N. at least one chance and analyze the person they are after that, because it will change you even if you least expect it.
Richard: I would so recommend it to a peer. It’s not only fun, but you make friends along the way and improve yourself regarding speech and personal presentation.
From all delegates here at Mentor High School, we wish our middle school counterparts much success in their upcoming CCWA conference!
