Why should young people do Model UN?

Aina, Pakistan

Model UN is a gateway for opportunities: a cultural platform where a medley of delegations come together and pool their ideals and brainpower to work towards a common goal – a successful resolution addressing various solutions towards the world’s problems. As this world’s inhabitants we owe it to ourselves to address its issues and Model UN provides a plethora of ways to do so. After all, if we won’t do it, then who will?

Braving wind and snow, 10 talented writers took a break from the negotiations at Harvard’s Model UN Conferences to visit UNAGB’s office two weeks ago. While warming up and learning about what our office does, these international students were kind enough to share insights about the skills they have developed through Model UN as well as ideas for teaching the next generation of global citizens. Here’s what they had to say when asked, why should young people do Model UN?

HMUN Students 

Myles, Jamaica

Being a part of MUN encourages us young people to realize how the world interacts, its issues, and to take a bigger role in solving these issues. To participate in MUN helps us understand how powerful we really are.

Robert, USA

Model UN is an opportunity to understand and engage in fascinating aspects of global diplomatic, international affairs, and political strategy. In a dynamic, globally-connected 21st century world, students need to have complex understanding of policy internationally in order to succeed.

Deniz, Turkey

Model UN for me is a way to connect young people globally in order to solve the issues of the world while considering and bringing each and every creative idea together through brainstorming and lobbying.

Keanna, USA

Young people should do Model UN because it’s an ideal place to meet people who are smart, open-minded and creative. Each time I go to a conference we come together with our individual experiences to tackle problems. And each conference is unique because their creative minds think of a solution I haven’t even thought about.

Zoe, USA

Young people should participate in Model UN in order to better understand the world around. Model UN fosters communication and partnership between groups in order to better the world around them. The skills developed in Model UN are necessary for cooperating with one another in order to achieve a main goal.

Ijeoma, Nigeria

Model UN enables students from diverse backgrounds with a diversity of ideas to finally collaborate in order to develop innovative ideas for development. It allows students to have a broader spectrum of the international community and work towards a common goal – to pass a resolution that benefits everyone. It is a great experience and allows for self-development.

Karishma, Canada

Model UN is not just one opportunity but a gateway to a whole new realm of discovery. It is an experience where you are not only inspired to construct solutions to problems, but execute this in a collaborative and diplomatic way. One certainly leaves the conference as a more cultured, informed and competent global citizen.

Aviva, USA

Model UN not only teaches about one of the most important institutions in the world, but also allows students to understand the intricacies of the world and form educated opinions about complicated issues. From these opinions, future leaders and participating members of society have the proper basis to start to fix the problems in the world.

Walquíria, Brazil

Young people know their community, they know their city and they know their people. Model UN opens the global community to the youth. It is about integrating local to the global world. It is about presenting the reality of other places to someone who might never have had the opportunity and involving them in the conflicts and needs of the world.