A group of Greenspring Montessori’s Upper Elementary students are excitedly preparing for the Montessori Model United Nations summit in February. It has been several years since we have been able to send a delegation, so we couldn’t be more excited to be planning to return to New York City in February to participate in this event with Montessori students from around the world. This year’s MMUN conference will take place February 15th though the 18th.
What is MMUN?
MMUN is a program designed to inspire global citizens of all ages. All of the programs focus on solution-building. At conferences, students discuss global crises and negotiate possible solutions with other students from around the world, gaining valuable insights into the intricacies of international collaboration.
How do students prepare for MMUN?
First, a coordinator must be trained from every participating school. Mr. Mike attended his MMUN Certification Training in October and is taking the lead on preparing our students for the conference in February.
First, students study the scope, mandates, and history of the UN, including what it can and cannot do. Next, students at each school are assigned a country to represent, based on the size of the group participating. This year, we have eight students participating and our group has been assigned Vatican City, the smallest country in the world! Students research their representative country and prepare country display materials to share during the conference.
Students are also assigned a committee, so they prepare by investigating the committee objectives and assigned topics, including past positions and proposed solutions, regional alliances, and more. They develop a profile of the country they will represent and identify their country’s perspective concerning its policies.
How are the committees and committee topics chosen?
The topics for debate at each conference are aligned with the United Nations Agenda for the year. MMUN selects relevant topics for each committee. Topics are also associated with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015 with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
MMUN Committees:
DISEC – Disarmament & International Security
ECOFIN – Economic and Financial Affairs Council
HRC – Human Rights Council
SOCHUM – Social, Humanitarian and Cultural
UN WOMEN – UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
What actually happens during the conference?
At the MMUN conference in New York City, students from around the world participate in formal multi-day committee sessions as ambassadors of their countries where they work together to draft resolutions which will be shared with the Secretary-General of the UN.
Opening Ceremony
This formal ceremony opens the simulation where students publicly represent their country delegations. The Opening Ceremony begins with a Celebration of Nations, where each country delegation’s flag is represented. School groups also prepare Country Presentations so that all delegations can learn more about the other nations represented.
Committee Sessions
Students participate in a “working session” committee experience with other student ambassadors to learn and practice Rules of Procedure, improve their public speaking and negotiation skills, and make new friends. Taking on an ambassadorial role, students develop a position on each committee topic which will address their country’s needs, and then write position papers.
Social Events
Delegates share world cultures by performing musical numbers, sharing traditional recipes, providing a language demonstration related to either their home country or the country they are representing during the conference.
Closing & Celebration
At the end of the conference, elected Closing Bureaus from all committees present summaries of their work and hear from inspiring speakers. The conference closes with students celebrating together with good music and fun activities!
Stay Tuned!
We will post updates as our students continue their preparation. And of course, we will send photos and news from the conference itself in February!
