Faith Academy students join Korea MUN
ELEVEN students from Faith Academy in Cainta, Rizal, represented the Philippines at the Global Education City Model United Nations (Gecmun X), a growing Model United Nations (MUN) conference, held in Jeju Island, South Korea, on March 1 and 2, 2024.
MUN is an extracurricular activity that simulates the United Nations.
Students Joy Saw, Grace Saw, Anna Lee, Bryant Khu, Chanel Chan, Bianca Khu, HaYoung Kim, MinJeong Kim, YunHo Jung, Tashi Van Ommen and the writer took up the roles of delegates representing different countries and individuals to imitate the proceedings of actual UN committees.
MUN trains students to understand international relations and global issues and develops their skills in diplomacy, public speaking and research.
Gecmun X was founded by Nickolas Harris, a MUN advisor at Korea International School.
Harris said one of their main goals in establishing Gecmun was to “eliminate, or at the very least discourage, the hierarchical system” in which many important roles in an extracurricular activity were occupied by seniors and never the younger people.
He believes that allowing freshmen to experience being a leader earlier trains them for the life that will come after school.
“You will have bosses older than you or younger than you. You also employ people who are older than you and younger than you,”Harris said.
The MUN advisor underscored the importance of discouraging the mindset that limits students based on age, emphasizing that training them to believe in their capabilities rather than dismissing possibilities due to their youth is crucial for fostering their potential growth.
Fourteen-year-old Chinese Filipino Joy Saw, a participant in the United Nations Human Rights (UNHR) committee, said the event was both “nerve-wracking” and “a lot of fun.”
Joy said it accurately mirrored real-life committees due to its high level of professionalism, adding that MUN conferences are not solely about “being a good delegate/chairman”but also about“gaining experience and knowledge by traveling with your club members.”
Grace Saw, a 16-year-old Filipino Indonesian, said the conference was“very aggressive”from her perspective.
Grace said that the committee she was in was not an accurate reenactment of real-life committees since “diplomacy and tact were a bit lacking during the conference.” However, it was realistic that every delegate “only looked out for the interests of their own country,” which they did “very transparently.”
Unlike the previous delegates’responses, 17-year-old Korean Lee said the conference was “very straightforward” and full of problem-solving rather than debating.
Lee said that by joining global MUN conferences like Gemun X, students can meet other young people who are experienced and well-versed in the art of debate, as well as be provided with a transformative space where participants are inspired to continually grow and contribute to the collaborative spirit of the MUN community.
All three delegates expressed their enjoyment of the annual conference and shared insights from their rich experiences for the youth interested in participating in MUN just like them.
Both Saws recommended future delegates spend lots of time researching their topic and writing their position paper, but delegates should not “spend all their time worrying and writing speeches they probably won’t even say.”
“Do not be afraid to speak up as well [spark the change of direction within the committee],”Joy said.
As the three delegates showed, extracurricular activities like MUN can cultivate a positive mindset of diplomacy, thorough research and effective public speaking.