On Nov. 22-24, the BC Model UN will be taking part in the Northwest Model United Nations 2013 conference in Seattle. The Lewis & Clark College Model UN, University of Washington Model UN and Western Washington University International Affairs Association host the event. This year will be the seventh NW Model UN conference and it is the largest collegiate simulation of the United Nations in the Northwestern United States.
“The BC MUN is a way to prepare students for local, national and international MUN conferences,” said Tim Jones, BC Model UN adviser.
“At these conferences, student delegates come together to simulate UN committee proceedings as representatives of a country other than their own. Delegates write position papers, draft resolutions, negotiate with supporters and adversaries, speak publicly about their proposals and navigate the UN’s rules of procedure in an attempt to mobilize international cooperation to resolve real international problems,” said Jones.
As for students who have yet to experience MUN, Jones encourages anybody who’s interested to give it a try.
“BC MUN helps students to examine issues of global importance … to develop informed opinions about those issues, and to care enough about them to begin to redress them,” said Jones.
Outside of the conferences, Jones said that, “I like getting to spend a year getting to know students from different backgrounds, mentoring them and seeing them grow personally and academically.”
In the near future, BC MUN has a few other conferences on their calendar. The two closest conferences are in Portland from Feb. 14-16 and in New York from March 30 to April 3. In addition to this, Jones stated that he hopes to bring at least one or two speakers to campus this year, but that all depends on funding and student interest.