Meet the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018
Muqaddasa Wahid
After almost 9 months of hard work, the Executive Committee of SLMUN 2018 are getting ready towards the final leg of the preparation for the SLMUN conference. An Executive Committee that is 52 people strong wouldn’t have functioned smoothly if not for a bunch of people guiding them and pushing them to do their best, this bunch of people is none other than the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018. Let’s see what the Secretariat has to say in an exclusive interview with them.
Venuri KalingaSecretary General
With her vibrant red hair, she is easily noticeable.
Venuri Kalinga is an inspirational individual who balances her life around family, SLMUN, law and women’s rights campaigning. She is a past pupil of
Royal Institute, Nugegoda and recently graduated with her LLB.
1. A bit about your MUN journey.
I started as a delegate back in 2012 in a GA3 committee and then went on to become a delegate in a Futuristic Security Council committee, UNEP committee, GA1 committee and GA2 committee. My first Executive Committee experience was in 2016, when I joined the COMUN ExCo and chaired the Security Council. That same year, I chaired GA3 in SLMUN. In 2017, I was asked to join as the USG of PR and News and Media. The Secretariat of 2017 and Mr. Rohan Ellawala, our Charge D’Affaires wanted me to be the Secretary General of SLMUN 2018 and here I am now.
2. What is it like being a part of the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018?
I think it’s the best. To be very honest, I think I’m very blessed to work with a group of individuals who make me a better Secretary- General. My Secretariat helps to share the burden. It’s always such a good feeling to look around and see individuals who are willing to have your back no matter what.
3. How do you feel as the Secretary General of SLMUN 2018?
I feel very blessed. It was never in my dreams and I never planned to ever become Secretary General but now that I am Secretary General, I feel very humbled. Very grateful for the opportunity I have got.
4. How do you feel about the Executive Committee of SLMUN 2018?
I have 52 very passionate, very hardworking individuals by my side. They are always so driven, I think the reason I am so driven that I can work long hours with little to no rest or sleep is because of my Executive Committee- because I see them doing the same.
5. What do you expect from the delegates at SLMUN 2018?
I want the delegates to learn something. To make a difference, to change something in themselves because change always starts with oneself and also have fun. MUN is not just all about serious things, it is also about enjoying what you do.
6. Advice to future Executive Committee members of SLMUN.
This is one of the great opportunities you will receive, don’t waste it. Make friends because the crowd of people you will end up working with- they’ll end up as family. You’re going to spend a lot of long nights with them, you’ll sort out lot of issues with them. There will be disagreements at times, but the bond will never go. In the ExCo, you’re there not just to work but also to have fun and make friends. Don’t forget the good things in life and to have a good time while rushing after work.
7. Why should the youth participate in SLMUN? How is it different from other MUN conferences?
Just because I am the Secretary General here, I do not think that any other MUN conference is bad. I think we all cater to the same crowd and we all want to do the same thing. It’s great that a lot of new conferences are coming up, it’s good for the MUNers to gain lots of different experiences. Back in the day, we only had 2 main MUN conferences annually. In terms of MUN wise, we weren’t really getting much experience. SLMUN is different because it’s one of the biggest MUN conferences and one of the most well known MUN conferences in Sri Lanka and abroad. I feel like we cater to a diverse and bigger crowd, where youth from all corners of Sri Lanka can interact with one another and also with the youth who come from countries like Jordan, India, Pakistan etc.
Dimuth FernandoUnder Secretary General of Administration
With his gentle, kind nature and huge smile,
Dimuth
Fernando is one of the most wellknown Executive
Committee members of SLMUN amongst the
ExCo, delegates and faculty advisors. He is currently a third year law student at APIIT and is an avid book worm.
1. A bit about your MUN journey.
I started doing MUN in 2015 because few of my friends were doing MUN and I was interested to see what the hype was about. I coerced half of my school’s ( Vidura College) debating team to take part and it was a fun experience. I was a delegate in GA1. In 2017, I joined the Executive Committee of SLMUN 2017 because Dinal Karunaratne, the USG of Logistics wanted me to come help out with the logistics team. I became the Director of PR and Conference Management last year and then this year, I was chosen as the USG of Administration.
2. What is it like being a part of the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018?
It’s a great experience. It’s fun but very hectic. Being a part of the Secretariat, you get to see a side of an MUN conference that neither a delegate nor an Executive Committee member gets to see. The Sec are great people to work with, each very dedicated towards their own departments and very friendly and understanding.
3. What changes will the delegates see at SLMUN 2018?
This year, there will be many new committees simulated at SLMUN, some which have never ever been simulated in SLMUN before. Some of them are very technical committees and they are catered to give a challenge to every delegate, whether novice or experienced.
4. How has preparation for SLMUN 2018 been?
Hectic. Full of sleepless nights, working long hours day and night but with a team of hardworking and passionate people around, this workload seems fun to do. Also, through all these long days and nights, I’ve come to get another family- the Executive Committee of SLMUN 2018. Yes, we’ve turned from mere strangers to family, thanks to all the hectic prep going on currently. Also getting appreciated by our Charge D’Affaires, Mr. Rohan Ellawala makes everything worth it because gaining his appreciation isn’t that easy and receiving that is a great thing which makes us all push very hard to do our best.
5.Advice to future Executive Committee members of SLMUN.
Just be someone ready to work hard and be dedicated. Being an Executive Committee member is a privilege that one is very fortunate to receive. But with it comes great responsibility and one has to work very hard balancing education, life and MUN together because preparation for conference is just very HECTIC!
6.Why should the youth participate in SLMUN? How is it different from other MUN conferences?
Every year, SLMUN becomes bigger and better, it is constantly improving, evolving and changing in accordance with the global issues and what we think the youth of Sri Lanka needs. SLMUN is not only one of Sri Lanka’s biggest and oldest conferences, but also one of the biggest international MUN conferences in South Asia. SLMUN is a conference that caters to everyone, from the novice delegates to the most experienced delegate. Also, SLMUN has a personal touch where chairs strive to give individual feedback to every delegate. In SLMUN, the ExCo, the delegates and the admins build up a good rapport with each other. SLMUN conference is also the only MUN conference in Sri Lanka to simulate the International Press Corps ( IPC), a journalistic committee providing the MUN experience not only to the youth who are good at public speaking but also to those who are
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passionate about writing. SLMUN is a unique MUN experience, one that you wouldn’t want to miss. Something you’ll find out when you join SLMUN, I assure you won’t regret it.
Ashen LoweUnder Secretary General of Finance
At first glance, he seems like one of those silent people who get work done in no time. Well, that silence is merely a disguise. Ashen is one of the loudest people in the Secretariat. He is multi-talented (a highly talented singer, an amazing musician, a fantastic graphics designer- the list goes on.) A past product of St. Joseph’ College, Ashen is currently pursuing higher education while working in the fields of Graphic Designing, Marketing and Event Planning.
1.A bit about your MUN journey.
I joined SLMUN in 2016 as an admin, just because a very good friend of mine, Dinal Karunaratne (USG of Logistics in 2017) was the Head of Admins in 2016. Thereafter, I was outsourced to design stuff. Later on, I joined the ExCo as a designer in 2017 with my friend Navodith Fernando who got me to join and became the Head of Design. I was asked to join the 2018 ExCo as the Head of Technical Affairs, after that the position changed into Head of Finance, Director of Finance and finally I ended up being the USG of Finance.
2. What is it like being a part of the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018?
Well, the first thing is that it is a lot of stress because you need to take care of everything what’s happening. Because of the stress, SLMUN takes control of your whole system. You can’t go to sleep without sorting anything out and making sure everything is perfect. That aside, the Sec experience is actually fun. It’s really cool to have a bunch of people to be there for you, to have people who understand what you’re going through because they are going through almost the same thing!
3. How has it been preparing for SLMUN 2018?
First of all, it’s very exciting, very stressful, tough but still a lot of fun. We’re all nervous of what the end product would be, we are all working hard to make SLMUN 2018 a better conference- we are all investing our time, energy and efforts towards it. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, yet it’s quite exciting.
4.How will SLMUN 2018 be different from other SLMUN conferences?
This year, MUN-wise, we have a lot of new chairs. We’ve taken an initiative to take in fresh chairs and train them from the scratch. At the beginning we thought it was a bad decision because the progress didn’t satisfy us as much as we expected but when we saw our chairs in action at Hill Country Model United Nations (HCMUN) 2018, we realized that we’ve taken one of the best decisions we’ve ever taken regarding conference this year. After so many training sessions, I can safely say that our chairs are now exceptional. This year, we are hoping to give a different experience to our delegates. We are hoping to give them a real MUN experience. Logistical wise, even when it comes to the smallest thing, like registrations- we wanted to focus on things like the differences between Priority Registrations, Normal Registrations and Late Registrations. Also, we have a bunch of new committees that haven’t been seen in the SLMUN arena for long.
5. Advice to future Executive Committee members of SLMUN.
Start off very soon and make sure you know your people. First thing, is to know your crowd. You’ll have to adapt to different people around you, but it’ll be worth it. Make strong bonds with the other members of the ExCo, after all you’ll be working alongside them for a long time and will eventually call them your family. Also, you need to dream big. Dream towards a huge conference, plan for it, gather people to work for it and you work towards it with dedication and determination.
6. Why should the youth participate in SLMUN? How is it different from Other MUN conferences?
The difference in SLMUN is that it is a national conference. We generally cater to the school crowd but everyone is from different parts of Sri Lankawhich is what makes it Sri Lanka Model United Nations. We in SLMUN thrive to give a great MUN experience to the youth in all corners of Sri Lanka and show them what diplomacy really is and build up their personalities.
Alanna GunasekeraUnder Secretary General of Conference Protocol and Committee Affairs
She’s a very familiar face if you’re in the debating and/or
MUN sphere.
An amazing debater, a great
MUNer, a talented musician, a melodious singer and a fabulous artist- Alanna is multi-talented and highly intellectual. A past student of St. Bridget’s Convent and Stafford International School, Alanna is currently a law student at CfPS Law School. She’s a literature enthusiast and an animal lover who has a special spot in her heart for corgis.
1.A bit about your MUN journey.
My MUN journey had a very amusing start, I was signed up for COMUN by two of my seniors and was told about it just 2 days before the Practice Debate! I was told that I have to go because the school had already paid for us so I couldn’t back out. Much to my surprise, I ended up enjoying it. I loved the topics discussed and loved the format as well because I’ve always been interested in the UN, NGOs and international organizations- I just liked to keep a track of the current global issues. I started off as a delegate in the UNHRC, Human Rights is something I was very passionate about and still am to this day/. I learnt a lot about myself, I learnt to have confidence in myself and developed as a public speaker. I became a really good researcher which I find useful now since I am studying law. More than anything else, I made friends from every conference that I was a part of. Those friends, I know I’ll be friends with them for a very long time to come. I became a part of the Executive Committee in SLMUN 2016 and chaired the GA6 committee and was the Commissioner to the Office of the Human Rights in SLMUN 2017
2. What is it like being a part of the Secretariat of SLMUN 2018?
Being part of the Secretariat, I got to know many people much more than I ever thought I would. I ended up being friends with many people I barely knew until now and I found that I have much in common with people that I never though I would. Being a part of the Secretariat is stressful for sure! But, it’s interesting to see how conference comes together from the other side of the spectrum. I’ve never been a part of the logistics team or the news and media team, I’ve always been either a delegate or a chair, so this time- from the point of Conference Protocol, it is kind of interesting to me. This position is also a kind of homage to my mentor in MUN, Thilina Panduwawala who was the USG of Conference Protocol in 2015. It was under him that I learnt to be a chair and he was one of the best chairs, I ever had the privilege of being a delegate under. It’s interesting and I consider it to be a privilege to be on this side of the spectrum.
3.What changes will the delegates see at SLMUN 2018?
SLMUN 2018 will be simulating committee that haven’t been simulated in a while. This will give more of a specific approach to certain topics and a more specialized forum for them. When it comes to protocol, there’s not much of a difference. It is mostly the simulation of committee which have never been done before, which will give the delegates a change in their MUN experience, a newer forum to discuss the topics in.
4. What do you expect from the delegates at SLMUN 2018?
Diplomacy, enthusiasm more than anything else and an interest in issues that affect the world at large. I want to see delegates improve. I want to see them improved from the very first practise debate to conference. I want to see them gain confidence and I want to see them be really passionate about issues that they are interested in. More importantly, I want to see them grow as diplomats.
5.Advice to future Executive Committee members of SLMUN.
More than anything else, be passionate about it. Whether you’re a chair or a part of the logistics team or a part of the news and media team or even Secretariat, be passionate about it. Enjoy what you do and know what it is to be a MUNer. Always work hard and have fun.
6.Why should the youth participate in SLMUN? How is it different from other MUN conferences?
Why I would encourage one to participate in SLMUN is because SLMUN is the starting MUN conference for many delegates. Whether you’re aged 12 or aged 19, it doesn’t matter- there’s a place, a committee for everyone to grow and learn and there’s always a committee that will address an issue that you are passionate about, an issue that you feel that you can actually really make an impact about or at least, learn something from. That aside, SLMUN is one of the oldest and largest MUN conferences in Sri Lanka- we have a history, a history that we’d like to take forward but more than anything else, it is the air of family that we have in SLMUN even as a committee, even as an ExCo. Even as a committee, from my experience as a delegate- you really form a strong bond and learn so much about diplomacy. You learn so much about yourself and learn to improve yourself. It’s a place to come out of your shell, I know because I did.