WMIDMUNXXIII was really fun. WMIDMUN is an acronym for William & Mary Middle School Model United Nations. This was an event where participants traveled to William & Mary University in Williamsburg, VA, where they held three days of debates. Conferences can be awesome if you take chances, and the 23rd William and Mary trip was no different. I was placed in the Jason & the Argonauts conference, a crisis committee, as Hylas, a weapons-holder for Hercules (Based upon my experiences, if you want an easier time at conferences, try to pick countries, not people to represent). Crisis committees are where the story is developed over time, not only discussing one topic, and are much smaller than your general assembly, which is a very large committee. We discussed how to deal with certain monsters, such as Scylla and Charybdis, and also deal with certain problems, such as who gets the glory. Those going to William and Mary left 7th period Friday, spent the night, and stayed at the campus all day Saturday. At around noon on Sunday, we left to go back home.
Some important things to know about MUN
- There are things called Moderated and Unmoderated Caucuses.
- Moderated Caucuses (Mods) are when you formally debate your opinions on the current topic.
- Unmoderated Caucuses (Unmods) are when you don’t have to be as formal and can talk to those who think like you.
- You ask for things to happen using Points and Motions.
- You ask for a 5-minute unmod or a 6:45 mod, which means that the whole Mod lasts 6 minutes, but each person only gets 45 seconds to speak.
- Points:
- Point of Inquiry is when you need to clarify something.
- Point of Order is when you believe the chair might have done something wrong procedure-wise.
- Point of Personal Privilege is when you need to use the bathroom or water, etc.
- You ask for these motions and points by raising your placard and waiting to be called on. Raising your placard conveys that you have something to say.
- When the chair (or the leader of the committee) says ‘Decorum’, it means to be quiet and hear what the chair has to say.
- When at an actual conference, you need to wear Western Business Attire, which is basically blazers, ties, dress shoes, etc.
- At most conferences, you need to write a position paper to say what side you are going to be on for the debates. WMIDMUN was a learning conference, so there was no position paper needed, as well as there were no awards other than a certificate that said you attended.
In conclusion, MUN is great. You learn diplomacy, how to see something from another person’s perspective, and get to have fun in the process. Maybe this will inspire you to join the LJMS MUN club or start your own.
RELATED STORIES:
https://www.wmidmun.org/– this isn’t an article, but rather the site for the W&M conference.
https://munuc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Printable-Parli-Pro-Infographic.pdf
https://www.tru.ca/arts/news/model-un/information.html
https://www.wmidmun.org/committees
https://www.wmidmun.org/schedule
TAKE ACTION:
Join your local Model UN club. There’s one at LJMS. There may be one at your local school. If not, you could start one up.
