This year, Model UN club is offered to students of all grades, with advisor Mrs. Torre-Reily and President Talia Bauer. When asked the question, why did you start a model UN chapter at OSHS, president Talia Bauer responded saying, “I brought Model UN to OSHS after being inspired to do so by an experience I had over the summer. I was extremely fortunate to be selected by the school to attend the World Affairs Seminar in Wisconsin for 6 days. At this seminar, high school students from around the world discussed global democracy and governance and how it’s evolving.” She shared that one of the activities she participated in at this seminar was a diplomacy simulation, similar to the structure and purpose of Model UN. Bauer then said, ¨During the spring, prior to this trip, Mrs. Torre had approached me about starting a Model UN club, but I was hesitant as I did not know much about it. However, after returning home from this trip, I immediately emailed Mrs. Torre and we soon began the process of starting a new club at OSHS.¨
From the beginning of the school year to the conference in the first weekend of December, students are researching subtopics of this year’s overarching topic, the welfare of all life on earth. Each school picks countries, (the number varies on school size) and OSHS students choose the United Arab Emirates and Fiji. 12-24 students represent each country and 2-4 students research one of the 11 subtopics listed for each country. Bauer shared, ¨I’m really excited about it and I’m looking forward to working with fellow students in the club and across the state. I want to provide students with the opportunity I was given to interact, learn from, and engage with peers over global issues. Experiences like these are beneficial for gaining research, collaboration, debate, and problem solving skills. Model UN is an opportunity for students across Connecticut to learn from each other and to practice creating peace on a smaller scale. It’s inspiring to see how ready our generation is to change the world.”
Each subtopic corresponds to a potent world issue, and Model UN members think from the eyes of their country how to solve these issues. The following information is from the Model UN of CT Delegate guide. Issues include disarmament and international security, economic and financial policies, social interactions, humanitarianism, culture migration, safety, the environment, chemical weaponry, affordable and clean energy, free and fair elections, and more.
After picking their country and subtopic, it is the students’ jobs to meet together and research independently, with the occasional check in of the supervisor. Model UN is an educational opportunity that we hope to continue in future years. According to the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, “Through participating in Model UN, students emerge as leaders, having been exposed to critical global issues and international perspectives and incorporating their own creative and innovative ways of looking at the world. They develop skills in communication, problem-solving, and leadership, while learning to cooperatively discuss and resolve broad issues.”
