From Nov 19-23, the BWYA Model United Nations Club participated in the 14^th Annual Session of THIMUN (The Hague International Model United Nations) Singapore held at the Hwa Chong Institution. The participants, who come from Grades 9 to DP1, took part in the full range of committees, holding various occupations from delegate to president to journalist. The students all left the conference with increased confidence and loads of great memories.

BWYA students at THIMUN Singapore 2018

The THIMUN Singapore conference, established in 2004 as a sister conference of The Hague International Model United Nations, is the most prestigious MUN conference in Asia. Every year, globally-aware students gather in Singapore to hold extensive debates over the most controversial topics, many of which the UN has no solutions for, and draft comprehensive resolutions that may be delivered to the UN.

MUN is just a simulation of the UN and all discussions are kept subjective, given that delegates are merely students virtually representing a country’s stand. Having participated in MUN conferences as a delegate, I used to wonder whether my effort was spent in the right place, knowing that what I said might not ever have an effect in the real world. Furthermore, many of the skills MUN builds, such as leadership, confidence, and public speaking experience, can all be achieved through other debate style events. However, this year, after being a member of MUNITY East, THIMUN Singapore’s official Press team, I have come to a different conclusion: MUN is an effective transition into a globalized society and helps students to achieve the BWYA school motto: “Locally Grounded, Globally Aware.”

MUNITY East press team 2018

“Why is it necessary for one to bear knowledge regarding global politics?” you might ask. The answer is that everyone, no matter what their occupation or field of study, is part of human society. During the conference, the Press team had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Seref Isler, a BBC journalist who actually took part in many THIMUN Hague conferences during high school. His unique MUN experiences helped him to kick off his journalism career. During one workshop, he told us, “Each member of society must learn its essential principles in order to make the right decision and speak justly for the greater good.” From this perspective, thanks to its politically-based attributes, MUN nurtures a student’s fundamental responsibility as a global citizen.

One of the most effective ways to learn knowledge is through reinforcement. However, a student may find it easy to memorize a list of historical events but may not necessarily be aware of why they have taken place and what impact they have brought to the contemporary world. MUN helps students to become aware of the factors influencing global politics through the implementation of knowledge in debates and speeches. Their knowledge thusly reinforced, students become more globally aware and are able to make better decisions.

Being globally aware does not just mean “diligently studying your world history” (although your history teacher will certainly be happy if you do); it also means being able to put oneself in others’ shoes and coming up with comprehensive solutions to problems that benefit the maximum number of parties. Unlike other debates, MUN requires a student to develop interpersonal skills such as communication and negotiation. Tolerance for different voices is another crucial characteristic that MUN helps to develop. After asking my fellow students what they thought was the most important thing about the conference, almost all of them responded “tolerance”, because “different opinions actually enable students to work collaboratively to find a comprehensive resolution.” “In a debate or many other events,” they responded, “there is only one side that wins. But at MUN, everyone is allowed to have a unique statement on the resolution.”

MUN not only builds public-speaking skills, confidence, and leadership, it is also a wonderful platform through which students can become globally aware of political policies and relationships. It may only be a simulation and hardly any of the resolutions have any significance on the real-world situation but students are nevertheless trained to become more responsible for their stance, influencing them to become global leaders in the future.

This post is provided by BWYA
Photos courtesy of BWYA

Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) sent twelve student delegates to Singapore to participate in the annual The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) on November 19-25. This conference brought together more than 1,500 students from major international schools across Asia.

The delegates from the school’s Model United Nations (MUN) Club represented France and India and joined in separate committees as members of the General Assemblies (GAs), the Human Right Council (HRC), and the Security Council at Hwa Chong Institution.

BWYA delegates representing France and India

Seven of the delegates were newcomers, while the returning students performed well in different activities such as drafting resolutions for specific issues or topics and making points of information (POIs) and speeches for or against any resolution whenever possible.

THIMUN 2017 was the first international conference in which Grade 10 students Spring Xia and Amanda Zhang double-entered at the Security Council. “Delegates in the Security Council are more aggressive than those in some of the general assemblies. It was tough,” Zhang said. “Their questions are trickier to answer; they will slam your draft resolution directly if your word choice in your speech is inaccurate. Also, the veto power is powerful yet detrimental.” Nevertheless, the delegates stood firmly to their resolutions and debated over the aspects that could have made their positions less dominant. Eventually, the clauses that they wrote all passed and the two delegates rejoiced over their “victory.”

BWYA delegates Spring Xia (standing, center) and Amanda Zhang (right) debating in Security Council with double delegation of France

BWYA delegates Esther Yang and Wendy Fan as double delegates of India at the Economic and Social Committee

At the second General Assembly (Economic and Financial Committee), which included 150 delegates, Penelope Zhang’s resolution was among the submissions that were thoroughly discussed. Although her resolution was not passed, Zhang said she looked forward to other prospects. “I was honored to see my draft resolution being debated for four hours in total over the course of two days. It tells me that my efforts had been recognized. I am sure that a little discouragement will become my force to become better next time,” she said.

Another BWYA delegate, Selina Zhao, said that the conference helped her improve her English communication skills. Prior to it, she used to sit quietly at her desk whenever debating a sample resolution during club sessions. “My English isn’t  perfect, but after THIMUN, I’m not afraid to speak and let my thoughts be heard. I was able to make POIs to other more experienced delegates and spoke more actively in club sessions.”

BWYA’s MUN directors Sophie Lauratet and Cosmina Lacsu and accompanying teacher Julia Zhu supported and encouraged the students over the week’s stay in Singapore.

Photos: Courtesy of Sophie Lauratet. Featured photo shows BWYA Delegates Brian Han and Tina Han.

This article is written by Cherry Yan and Penelope Zhang from Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA).

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