Dana Hall Model United Nations (MUN) is gearing up for the 2014-15 season with new features for the team and MUN club. The team will be traveling to Rutgers University, Columbia University and Dartmouth College this year to compete against schools from around the world. The team will not be selecting new members for the upcoming year but will be hosting try-out simulations as well as other required events for students interested in competing with the Model U.N. team next fall.
“This year, there will be an increased emphasis on the club,” says Sofia Vegas ’15, tri-head of the Model U.N. team. The tri-heads are working to organize activities that will engage students in discussions and debates on current events. Several of the new opportunities will have include Girl Up events, Mini MUNs, and an on-campus simulation each trimester.
Girl Up is a new club, headed by Spencer Babcock ’17, which will host Girl Up meetings to discuss books, current events and fundraising opportunities related to helping girls around the world have access to education and other basic necessities.The club is associated with the U.N. Foundation’s Girl Up campaign, which focuses on raising awareness and funds for girls who do not have access to education, doctor visits, or other essentials. The Model U.N. team is working with the Girl Up club to help provide the girls across the globe with resources.
The first Mini MUN was held on September 17, and the topic of discussion was ISIS and the crisis in Iraq in Syria. The purpose of the Mini MUN is for girls to talk over lunch about current events with MUN team members, faculty and other students, who have a wide range of perspectives and opinions, in order to learn more about what is happening in the world around us. Crawford was standing-room-only with students eager to share their ideas about how ISIS became so powerful, why people were inclined to join the terrorist organization and how the U.S. should respond. Mini MUNs will follow Morning Meeting current events presentations throughout the year, and some will be required for those interested in joining the team next year.
The on-campus simulations will be held in the lecture hall each trimester and will focus on a particular issue, either current or historical. These simulations will be run in the traditional Model U.N. parliamentary procedure format and will be similar to the experience of a real Model U.N. conference. Participants will be able to research a country, argue from that country’s perspective, and then write a comprehensive resolution to combat the issue at hand. In past years, topics have ranged from labor rights in Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory to current world issues such as Women’s rights in the DRC. Attending the simulations will be necessary for those wishing to join the team next year and are also an opportunity for students curious about what a competitive MUN is like and to learn more about the process.
The team is also excited to announce that there will be the first on-campus Dana Hall Model U.N. conference in the spring, and several schools in the Boston area will be invited to attend. Team members have started writing background papers and researching the topics for the committees each team member will help chair. Secretary Generals Paige Taylor ’15 and Becky Ohman ’15 as well as the rest of the team will have much to prepare in the next few months.
Photo: Dana Hall’s Model UN team at Boston College High School in spring 2014. Photo credit: Heather Panahi.
