OP Model UN Sees Success in the Horizon
The Oratory Prep Model UN awaits to enter into the battlefield that is international diplomacy.
On February 6th and 7th, Oratory’s Model UN club participated in its final conference for the 2019/2020 academic divider. Filled with moments of jubilation, frustration, and overall dedication, the team spent two action-packed days at the Academy Model United Nations Conference hosted by Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Oratory’s delegation counted with the presence of 19 of some of the school’s best students, and despite some hiccups along the way, the team performed fairly well. Upon completing the application to participate in this conference before the end of 2019, Oratory received various country assignments that provided students with the opportunity to represent countries on diverse topics ranging from vaccination of newborn infants to fighting for the end to drug trafficking. With assignments in General Assemblies (larger assemblies that can include every member-state), such as SOCHUM (Social, Cultural, and Humanitarian Committee) and SPECPOL (Special Political and Decolonization Committee), Specialized Committees, such as ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Affairs) and the African Union, and Crisis Committees, which this year featured as opportunity for students to experience a debate as it would have happened 1521 and 1944, students presented on these topics before groups of their peers. Through this activity, they developed their public speaking skills and learned to negotiate and compromise in order to achieve their objectives in the committee.
Personally, my experience was extremely positive; during the two days, I represented Michele Antonio de Vasto, the Marquis of Saluzzo, in the debate that emerged in light of the Italian Wars of 1521. Although my committee differed slightly from the others because it was a Crisis Committee, I had to employ many of the same skills I had used in conferences prior. The defining characteristic of a Crisis Committee is the general flexibility in terms of what can happen; delegates in this committee are allowed to request, publically or privately, nearly anything plausible from the committee chairs. This allows students to explore a number of scheming plans to accomplish whatever their committee’s goals may be.
Other students also enjoyed themselves at the conference. Senior delegate Jack Hart, who has participated in Model UN for two years now, claims that AMUN, “was a very well organized conference with great chairs and competitive delegates. It made topics like worldwide immunization fun and intriguing and added a lot of depth to my own knowledge on the subjects.”
The delegation brought home two awards, including a verbal commendation for Sebastian Gould and an Outstanding Delegate award for Richard Williams. When asked to comment on the event, Williams claimed he enjoyed the conference, yet he felt that he, “should have won [Best Delegate].” The OP Model UN club is very proud of Richard’s accomplishment, recognizing his second award at a Model UN conference and his contributions to the club’s growth and development.
In the end, the conference was an exciting experience for all who attended, broadening their horizons on international affairs and developing skills that can become of the utmost importance in a future career.