In Model United Nations, it’s easy to overlook the great experience that can be had from networking. At a typical three or four day conference, it’s likely you’ll refer to the people you meet as their country or character, without ever getting to know their real name. You’ll remember their fantastic speech on nuclear proliferation, but may never know what school they go to or what their favorite hobby is (besides MUN of course). In some of the committees I’ve been in, delegates have passed around a piece of paper on the last day, with our real names and social media information included so we can all follow each other. Typically, that’s the extent of the friendship: meet, build a rapport during debate, say hello at the delegate dance and congratulate each other after closing ceremonies. I love MUN, but at least in my experience, it’s been hard to build real, lasting friendships during a debate-packed, sleep-deprived weekend.
At the Model UN Institute (MUNI), however, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. With plenty of time to talk to your fellow campers, it’s easy to find friends and build lasting bonds in the Model UN community. After all, Model UN is a bit of an unusual activity, so it’s great to have some friends outside of your team who actually know what Model UN is. At MUNI, lots of time is devoted to learning and fine-tuning MUN skills, but there’s plenty of time to get to know classmates: at mealtimes, after class, in the dorms, or simply in the classroom!
I met some amazing people during my time at the MUNI Crisis Program at Harvard University, in 2017; they truly pushed me to grow as a delegate and a person. I keep in touch with some of them to this day, and have even run into a few MUNI friends on the high school Model UN circuit. The nerves and stress that comes with the first night of committee at a conference can be crippling, but seeing a familiar face can have all the difference in the world! Last year, I found myself in the same committee as a friend from MUNI, and we had an awesome time in committee together. Not only were we able to work together and use the techniques we learned at MUNI to succeed in committee, but the prior knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses allowed us to really challenge one another. Since then, we’ve bumped into each other at multiple conferences in the New England area, and we’ve each gotten to see the other progress tremendously. There’s nothing like being able to cheer on a friend at closing when you know how hard he or she has worked!
Not only did I meet friends on the circuit near me, but I was able to meet friends who live all around the world. Every now and then we’ll reach out to catch up, see what conferences the others are preparing for, and trade tips we’ve learned along the way. In particular, some of my MUNI friends and I made a group chat after the camp was over, and we continually cheer each other on for succeeding at conferences or getting accepted into colleges.
If MUNI gave me nothing else, it gave me some close friends on the circuit that I never would have met and gotten to know otherwise. Outside of my MUN team, these friends have been my biggest cheerleaders, and it’s been incredible to cheer them on when we meet at conferences or when we reach large milestones. The crisis program I attended in the summer of 2017 gave me invaluable learning experiences and supplied me with excellent MUN training, but perhaps most importantly, MUNI provided me with some incredible friends in a global community of young leaders.
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