One of the perks of attending an academic summer program is for students to step out of the typical school world and have a special experience. These experiences can be almost a foreshadowing of what college life will be like, including getting to stay at university dorms, or meeting actual college students and getting to see university life firsthand. These experiences can be a huge part of a student’s decision for which university to go to and motivate them to push themselves in their junior and senior year.
Here are 4 Ways The Cultural Experience At Summer Programs Can Prepare Students For College:
1. Being at university campuses and staying in the dorms.
The most obvious way summer programs can be a big indicator of the future is the fact that students often get to go to programs at top college campuses, like Harvard, Georgetown, and UCLA. From attending class in real college classrooms and lecture halls to getting to eat in university dining halls, students get the full picture. And on top of that, students that choose to stay at the actual dorms that university students stay in get a truly valuable experience. One of our MUNI alumni, Elaine Miao, actually chose to go to UCLA after attending our Model UN Institute at UCLA and having that experience.
2. Meeting international students.
Programs that have a large participation of international students can mimic the feeling of going to university and meeting students from around the world. Those international friendships can open up a student’s eyes to the potential of meeting students that are different from them and show them a different side of the world. For some of our students, the international friendships they made can spark in them a love of travel and encourages them to seek out the places their international friends are from for study-abroad opportunities. On a typical year, the MUN Institute has students coming from China, the United Arab Emirates, and 20 other countries.
3. Interacting with college students
Our programs are staffed by actual university students. Those students can offer valuable real-life experience and thoughts on university life. Some of the questions our students ask are around which university to attend, or tips for applying to university and applying for scholarships. They also offer tips on college life like what to expect living in dorms for a full semester, or how to balance school and extracurricular activities like Model UN. One of our Program Directors, Erik Leiden, always shares how he applied for tens of thousands of scholarships to help fund his college tuition.
4. Learning to create lasting relationships from small interaction.
Finally, just like university, summer programs can be great opportunities to gain lifelong friends. The experience can be a short but fun-filled activity, and that leads to students connecting with their peers overshared experiences. Here’s what one of the parents from our Model UN Institute had to say about it. A parent of one of the MUN Institute students, Maria L., stated that, “the MUN Institute has a very diverse staff and participants as well, giving the opportunity for every kid to socialize with very special people and make friendships that’ll last a lifetime.”
Want to learn more about the MUN Institute and all the aspects of our programs that make our students and experiences stand out? Learn more!
GIVING A SPEECH DURING A MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE CAN BE TOUGH, BUT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
The way you sound is key to giving an effective and engaging speech – especially as Model UN conferences! By sounding confident and clear, you can make sure that your audience focuses on the main points of your speech, rather than struggling to hear your ideas. Here are the three ways you can improve your sound when giving speeches:
Volume: are you speaking loud enough so that everyone can hear you? Even if you think you are speaking too loud, you’re probably still not speaking loud enough! Use your core muscles to project your voice and make your ideas known to everyone in the room.
Pace: are you speaking too fast, too slow, or just right? If you’re racing through your speech, nobody will catch any of your ideas. If you’re talking way too slowly, people might tune out. Hit the perfect middle point and pay attention to how fast (or slow) you are speaking.
Tone: are you speaking in a monotone? Play with your tone of voice to keep your audience engaged in your speech. End sentences with an up-tone when asking questions, and end sentences with a down-tone when making serious points.
One of the most important parts of academic summer programs is the curriculum. What students learn in this academic non-school environment can elevate their summer experience. All year-round students learn amazing things from teachers that have dedicated their lives to educating our youth. The academic summer program experience should compliment that effort and give students a different, yet valuable, learning experience.
With that in mind, here are the four ways academic summer program curriculum can be even better than school curriculum:
Students interact with the curriculum more.
Academic summer camps are not bound by the same type of schedule school is, and this encourages camp staff to think outside the box for how to use the time they have. Many academic summer camps will run fun activities to teach students the valuable skills students want to learn. This might include running simulations where students represent a fruit or a vegetable to teach diplomacy. During that activity, students would be encouraged to get out of their seats, speak up, and get in the role of being a fruit or a vegetable.
Summer programs can be focused on a specific set of educational outcomes.
Academic summer programs usually have a specific theme or idea they want to revolve around. For example, if part of the educational outcomes is that students should improve their public speaking skills, then there will be several opportunities for students to practice speaking, throughout the whole day, students will be reminded of that goal, there will be games and activities around that goal, and so on. Click here to watch an example public speaking lesson from the MUN Institute!
Students can learn about topics that they are interested in outside of the classroom.
The theme or focus of a summer programs can mean that staff get the opportunity to nerd out in their subject areas. A camp staffed by International Relations majors can go into the specifics of the China Trade Wars or North Korean Nuclear Weapons. With some of the staff studying these topics at the undergrad and grad level, they can give students an in-depth look at these topics with specific details and examples.
Students can learn lessons specifically about college prep.
Academic summer programs will often hire superstar university students as Counselors (or Mentors, as we call them at the MUN Institute). Those undergraduates offer students a clear, in the moment, look into University life. They can give them valuable shortcuts for how to apply to top universities, which internships are the most valuable and how to apply to them, and doing relevant extracurricular activities in college, like Model UN. These kinds of tips can sometimes be the make-it-or-break-it factor in High School Juniors and Seniors university decisions and ambitions.
At the MUN Institute, we aim to embody the above techniques in our curriculum. Watch the video below to see exactly what students learn at our programs!
Beaver Country Day School is an independent school in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Since 2014, numerous students from Beaver have attended the MUN Institute, where they studied Model UN and brought their new skills back home to share with their MUN team. According to advisors Randall Northrop and Sumaya Ibourk, “The MUN Institute has helped our students and advisors learn about everything MUN-related from writing speeches, writing resolutions, tips on how to give speeches, research tips, and so much more.”
Members of the BCD MUN team after NHSMUN 2019.
This year, the Beaver MUN team had about 30 students, and they attended four conferences: BUSUN (Brown University MUN), BosMUN (Boston University MUN), NHSMUN (National High School MUN), and CAMUN (Concord Academy MUN). They were awarded Best Small Delegation at BosMUN for the fifth year in a row, and they were also awarded an Award of Excellence at NHSMUN.
Northrop says that their team stands out because even though they operate as a campus club instead of a class, the students are very dedicated. “The students who join the club are incredibly passionate about the club’s success. As a club, there is an institutional knowledge that is passed down through mentorships. The club is student run and the leaders identify the skills that delegates would most benefit from and implement activities to practice these skills.”
Read on to learn more about the Beaver Country Day MUN team!
What is your MUN organization’s philosophy when it comes to training and preparing for MUN conferences?
The Beaver MUN team cultivates a practice of design thinking when approaching all preparations for conferences. Delegates identify the real-world problems that exist in model UN work and set themselves to create realistic solutions. An important step that makes this possible is that students practice, not only in MUN but across their academic disciplines, this process of design thinking. They take sides on an issue and speak with urgency to solve real-world problems.
What challenges did your MUN team face this year? How did you overcome them?
A continual challenge that faces our team is finding more time to meet as a group. It can be difficult for students to prepare and practice skills for conferences while also juggling the academic workload, sports, and college preparations. Ways that we have worked to overcome time restraints is to find little slices of time during the week. Model UN delegates work in mentor relationships during lunches or before school. Students are incredibly passionate about the club and so they somehow make time for it.
What would you consider your MUN organization’s biggest accomplishments from the past school year?
This year the Beaver MUN delegation was awarded an Award of Excellence at NHSMUN. We are also very proud that our team was awarded Best Small Delegation at BosMUN for the fifth year in a row. These delegation awards have also strengthened our sense of model UN as a team endeavor; with each club member working to best prepare each other.
Thank you to Randall Northrop and Sumaya Ibourk for contributing information used in this article!
Want to learn MUN skills to share with your school’s team? Check out the MUN Institute!
Midnight crises are some of the most talked about parts of any Model United Nations Conference. We all hear those delegates in the elevator talking about the crazy things their committee did during the midnight session, or how their roommate woke them up getting back to the room at some early hour of the morning after a midnight meeting. But what is a midnight crisis? Will you have one, and if you do, how can you use this extra session to your advantage as a delegate?
So first off, a midnight crisis, as they’re often called, is an extra session of committee, one that often occurs at midnight, or very early in the morning. The circumstances surrounding a midnight crisis session differ from conference to conference, but generally they are a surprise to the delegates involved. Conference staffers might come knock on your hotel door in the night to retrieve you for committee, or your chairs may simply ask you to come back for an extra session at midnight. Regardless of how you get to your midnight crisis, however, you should still be prepared to treat it as any other session of committee. Just because it happens at an unusual time doesn’t give you an excuse to slack off.
Below are some quick tips in how to approach your time in a midnight crisis session so you don’t fall behind, or fall asleep!
Go in with an open mind — it’s healthy to recognize that this session is unique because of the time it takes place at. Everyone tends to be doing different things at midnight; maybe you’re usually asleep at this point in the night, or maybe you’re still grinding away at some homework. Regardless of what everyone is used to, debating, writing, and negotiating at midnight is going to be a novel experience for everyone. It’s easy to feel annoyed that you’re losing sleep or are having an unplanned session, but that’s just going to make the whole experience miserable for you, and you won’t do well. Instead, try to be excited about this opportunity! Think of this as an extra chance to collaborate and showcase your skills as a strong delegate, and you’ll be sure to succeed.
Remember to have fun — yes, this is another committee session, but it’s also a crisis-specific session that’s taking place at midnight. For those reasons, it’s pretty typical to see chairs or crisis staff that are willing to let a little bit of the most formal parliamentary procedure fall to the wayside. By no means does this mean that everything in committee will be chaotic, but expect some formal debate to be suspended in favor of a timed crisis, or something of the like.
Think of this as a mental marathon — most midnight crisis sessions occur on the Friday night of a conference weekend. At this point in your day, you’re probably exhausted from a day of travel, settling in, experiencing the anxiety that comes with opening ceremonies, and going through one committee session earlier that night. It’s easy to let the sleepiness and the mental fog creep in and keep you from doing your best, but one way to combat that is by playing a mental game with yourself. I like to think of my Fridays at a conference as mental marathons to stay alert and sharp, and if I can make it through that midnight session while staying on my game, I’ll get to rush straight up to bed, or a favorite snack, or something that’s not related to MUN that I can look forward to. Keeping some form of a ‘prize’ in your mind’s eye will motivate you to keep pushing through that last moderated caucus!
Here at Best Delegate, we are so excited for the Summer 2019 Model United Nations Institute! It’s going to be an incredible summer filled with diplomacy, learning, new friends, tons of fun, and so much more. Today, we’d like to introduce the staff of this year’s MUN Institute! They are the best and most inspiring MUN leaders, coming from some of the top MUN teams on the North American collegiate circuit. Read on to learn more!
Curan VanDerWielen is a student at Clark University. He decided to return for a second summer as a diplomacy fellow because one of his favorite things about Model UN is learning both soft and hard skills. They’ve helped him become a successful and driven student, and he feel it’s important to help others develop these skills so they too can succeed. As Curan puts it: “As a diplomacy fellow, I get a chance to help others develop, and I’m very excited to do so again this summer!” Curan is a Richard Traina Scholar at Clark and is the Secretary-General of ClarkMUN X.
Rebecca Pfeiffer studies at Fordham University. Her favorite MUN memory is competing at WorldMUN in Madrid, Spain. Rebecca met delegates from around the world and engaged in substantive debate to come up with the most effective solutions possible. Additionally, participating in an EU committee in Spain made the experience even more meaningful. Fun fact about Rebecca: she has been a nationally competitive fencer for 11 years!
Jamey Battle studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. MUN has played an important role in Jamey’s college career. She has met some of her best friends and she has grown professionally and personally. As a residential counselor, she wants to help others who are interested in MUN to grow their abilities and their self-confidence. Jamey was the Secretary-General of SBIMUN X and helped to facilitate the conference’s move from campus to a beach-front venue.
Jillian Bendlak is a student at George Washington University. Jillian’s favorite MUN memory was chairing a committee on transnational organized crime this past March. She spent a lot of time working on the background guide and preparing for the committee, so chairing was a rewarding and fun experience. Jillian loves traveling so she is excited for the opportunity to teach across the country. She also trains the award-winning GWU Model UN team throughout the year!
Albert Gunnison attends McGill University. Albert’s favorite MUN memory is passing a resolution at his first ever MUN conference in Beijing. He hopes to become a better leader and team player through working with incredibly talented diplomacy fellows whose skills and interest overlap significantly with his own. While he knows a few diplomacy fellows already, he hopes to make some new friends and learn more about their perspectives on MUN, which will have a positive impact on him as a MUN leader in his community. In his free-time, Albert runs a movie review blog!
Nicholaus Griesemer studies at the Indiana University, Kelley School of Business. As a residential counselor he hopes to apply his skills in community development and leadership that he developed as a resident assistant at IU to a challenging and new environment. He is excited to connect with students from different backgrounds and grow as a scholar and leader alongside them. Nicholaus is a Provost Scholar at Indiana University.
Joshua Lewis is a student at the University of California, Berkeley. Joshua’s favorite MUN memory came after competing in his first conference. After finishing the last committee session of the conference, his delegation teammates met in their head delegate’s room for what was described as a “surprise secret ceremony.” When all of the new delegates arrived in the room, they were surprised with glasses of sparkling cider and participated in delegation toasts. Going around the room, every member of UC Berkeley’s delegation gave a speech on what the conference and the team meant to them. It was a memorable experience as it introduced Josh to a lot of delegation members that he now considers family. Fun fact about Josh: he is the youngest delegate to California’s Democratic Party.
Piper Womelsdorf studies at the Ohio State University. MUN has been the most fulfilling part of her college experience so far and the position of diplomacy fellow is a way for her to continue that involvement throughout the summer. She is excited to not only help teach others how to be better delegates, but also learn to become a better delegate and head delegate herself. Additionally, it has always been a personal goal of Piper’s to be able to work and travel at the same time so she’s really looking forward to that opportunity with MUNI! Fun fact about Piper: she speaks German!
Bob Brown studies at Michigan State University. This summer, he wants his students to feel comfortable and confident running their own conference or club. In particular he wants them to be able to trust others when they lead—and know when to ask for help. Bob was the secretary-general of MSUMUN XIX and has won awards for research and debate inside and outside of MUN. Fun fact about Bob: he studied abroad in Brussels, Belgium!
Alexis Knoebel attends Cornell University. Alexis’s favorite MUN memory is her first midnight crisis. As she puts it: “ it was so thrilling to be thrown from the order of debate into the heart of crisis itself—seeing, in times of great need and peril, countries can truly put aside their differences for the betterment of the world.” Alexis is also the captain of the the Cornell varsity polo team.
Dalton Liggett attends McGill University. He has always been passionate about both Model United Nations and about teaching. Working for MUNI is where these two amazing fields of involvement merge together. He started MUN at age 14, and he can’t wait to be able to pass on the mentorship that he received to the next generation of MUNers! Dalton has won an award at all but one of the many conferences he has attended, including 7 “Best Delegate” or first place finishes.
Madeleine Northfield studies at McGill University. Madeline was a diplomacy fellow at MUNI 2018 and found it uniquely rewarding. She worked with many amazing students and was able to help students develop their public speaking and MUN skills. She wanted to come back this summer to continue doing that and be able to offer even more experience to students this summer. Madeline is the head delegate of the McGill University MUN team.
Jack Korologos attends Georgetown University. Jack’s favorite MUN memory is his first time coaching a freshmen delegate and seeing them win best delegate for the first time in their college career. After the award was announced he ran down and hugged him right in the middle of the closing ceremonies. Jack once won $700 in &pizza credit each for accidentally showing up in the background of the Michael Cohen hearing eating their pizza!
Logan Smith is a student at the University of Miami. Logan wanted to return to MUNI as a Diplomacy Fellow because he loved the experience he had last summer engaging with students. Students who attend MUNI are among the best and brightest young people he has met, and he loves being able to see the shift in students from feeling lost in debate, to seeing them begin to express own their ideas and their skills. Logan has only visited one foreign country: Mongolia!
Mustafa Hassoun is an alumnus of Emory University. Mustafa’s favorite MUN memory is rather a collection of memories making so many different friends from a variety of schools across the country. His friendships have been formed, developed, and strengthened traveling to MUN conferences, hosting Model United Nations at Emory, and even as a Diplomacy Fellow for Best Delegate. Now, because of MUN, he has a network of friends across the world doing awesome work that he can rely on. Mustafa was a Dean’s Scholar at Emory University and, starting in September, he will be Gregoire Fellow at the University of Washington School of Law.
Saranyan Uthayakumar is a student at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an alumnus of the MUN Institute, and says that his time in the program before his sophomore year of high school was one of the most meaningful high school experiences he had. Not only did it help develop his skills in MUN, but it also helped him make friends from all over the country that he is still in touch with today! Saran is excited for this summer, saying that, “I’m looking forward to challenging myself and learn more about education, and I am looking forward to bringing out the best in others!”
Here at the MUN Institute, we’re gearing up for Summer 2019 by adding even more awesome programs to teach middle- and high-school students everything there is to know about Model UN! Back by popular demand, we’re heading back to the University of California, Irvine.
California has a long tradition of Model United Nations education. Colleges and universities throughout the state have incredible competitive MUN programs, and Californian high schools also have a deep-rooted network of strong Model UN teams. So, coming back to teach the MUN Institute at Irvine this summer will be promoting even more Model UN education in the region!
Model United Nations conferences start way before opening ceremonies – they actually start when delegates are researching for their committees! Whether the topic is nuclear disarmament or climate change, every single delegate must determine what their assigned country’s policy is so they can accurately represent it in committee.
But research can be really difficult, especially if your country isn’t super involved in the topic at hand, or if it’s a very specific topic. How can you find accurate information to determine how your government feels about each facet of the topic?
Well, we’ve got you covered! With our S.P.E.A.R. framework, it’s easy to find the best information that you need in order to accurately represent your country in committee. Watch the video below to learn more about how to research your country’s policy for any topic from Best Delegate Co-Founder Ryan Villanueva!
One of the most important aspects of participating in a crisis committees is the amount of paper you push. Of course, it’s important to generate a large volume of documents, but keep in mind the idea of quality over quantity. It’s much better to introduce a few well-planned documents and get them passed, rather than introduce thirty rushed documents, none of which end up passing. Before you can begin writing these thorough, high-quality, documents, it’s necessary to understand what kind of documents crisis committees use, and how you can use each type to your character’s advantage.
Directives These are the documents that are used most regularly in crisis committees. Unlike General Assemblies, there are no resolutions in crisis, and directives take their place. The primary purpose of directives is to take action, to respond to the crisis at hand and (hopefully!) solve the problem. One important distinction is that directives are executing an action, rather than recommending an action, like in GA. For example, a directive could directly send troops into a contested region, rather than suggesting that UN peacekeepers be brought in. Another important note is that directives are much more informal than resolutions, they are usually shorter, and are written much more frequently. They don’t include preambulatory clauses, and instead jump straight in with operative clauses. In crisis, time is of the essence! While there are significant differences between GA resolutions and crisis directives, your directives do need sponsors and signatories, and they need the majority of the committee’s vote to pass.
Directive Example Directive: Take Action
Immediately send 500 of the kingdom’s spies eastward through Donetsk towards the contested region of Ukraine at once.
These operatives will travel only at night, disguised as weary travelers in groups of 4 or less, so as not to attract unwanted attention.
Each operative will be provided with one cyanide pill, to be used if they find themselves in a compromising position.
Any and all information these royal operatives discover will be brought back to the royal advisor’s committee immediately and shared with all royal advisors.
Regardless of what is discovered, all operatives will be called back to the kingdom in exactly three weeks’ time to begin training for the next mission.
Press Releases These are used less frequently than directives, but can still be very effective, if utilized properly. Instead of taking action like a directive, a press release releases information to the public. These can be helpful in trying to get the public on your side, which is always beneficial. For instance, if there were rumors spreading about government corruption, your committee could issue a press release clarifying the rumors and reiterating that it is there to serve the people, not its own interests. These documents also need sponsors and signatories, as well as the majority of the committee’s support.
Press Release Example Headline: Keep Calm and Carry On Information to release: Our beloved citizens, it appears that we, your upstanding government, are under attack. Vicious rumors have been spreading rapidly about our supposed wrongdoings, and we will not stand idly by while we are slandered. Citizens, rest easy knowing that your government, your public servants, are working tirelessly to keep you safe. We work only with your best interests in mind, and never to further our own agendas. Stay safe, and send any tip-offs of further rumors to yourgovernment@gov.org. Source: Your Loyal Government
Communiqués These documents are used even less frequently than press releases, but are super fun to utilize, if you work them into your strategy! Communiqués are used for official communication on behalf of the entire committee. For example, a communiqué could be passed by a Sons of Liberty crisis committee for the purpose of sending a message to King George III, letting him know that they will soon be writing the Declaration of Independence, and giving him one last chance for reconciliation. They can be sent to heads of state, other government organizations, prominent individuals, corporations, and presidential cabinets, among others.
Communiqué Example Addressee: King George III Message: Dearest King George III, Our patience has worn thin over the past few years, and the colonies will not cooperate with your tyrannical reign much longer. The many injustices you’ve inflicted upon us and our brothers have not gone unnoticed, and the time for action has arrived. We issue this message as a warning: we will soon be taking action to further our own interests, and this action will have major repercussions for you and your country. We’re offering you one last chance to meet our demands. Be warned that if you do not take this option, you will surely regret it.
Whether delivering opening remarks before a whole committee or speaking to a whole bloc about a merger, public speaking is one of the central skills any delegate needs in order to participate in Model UN. For newer delegates and introverts (like me), this can often be a hurtle at first; speaking in front of fifty, one-hundred, or even four-hundred people isn’t always the most comfortable thing in the world. Yet, building confidence in public speaking (or faking it), though achievable through consistent practice, isn’t as difficult as it may sound. By adjusting how you present yourself, and where you focus during your speech, not only do you look more confident, but you’ll begin to feel more confident. Here are some key tips taken from Best Delegate’s Diplomat program on how to become more confident in speaking.
Narrowing the Audience Down
By far the most intimidating part of speaking in front of a crowd, no matter what size, is realizing that all attention is on you when you speak. An audience’s eyes can unnerve even the most experienced speakers, but controlling what you see can often defuse any anxiety this might normally induce. A very common strategy among most public speakers is to find someone you are comfortable making eye contact with, and although occasionally looking to others to address the group as a whole, make that person an ‘anchor’; it often feels you are talking directly to them, instead of a whole crowd. Similarly, finding a place behind the audience you’re speaking to, such as a spot or picture on the wall, or a doorway as an anchor be useful. By finding a place to anchor your gaze, not only does it defuse some of the stress of talking to a large group, but it also allows you to look more confident; where others might keep their eyes on their notes or on the ground, you’ll actually be speaking to the committee.
Posture and Movement
Something which chips away at public speakers’ confidence when speaking is how they carry themselves ‘on stage’. Shifting on your feet, playing with your hair, and fumbling with pages of notes not only detracts from your perceived confidence among committee members, but also can make you yourself feel less confident. When public speaking, pretending or even convincing yourself of your confidence in speaking is often the key towards presenting strong speeches, which more people are likely to actually make note of. Try to avoid shifting around, and keep your hands centralized in a hand diamond or clasped together. Stand straight and plan out any movements or gestures you do include in your speaking; make sure everything you do and say has an actual intention behind it. Not only will committee members take you more seriously, but you yourself may feel more confident in your own body language.
Finding the Words
Finally, one of the more difficult aspects of MUN speaking is the improvised nature with which many speeches are given. The topic of discussion in any committee is broad, and often contains subtopics which you aren’t always going to be prepared for. Nonetheless, you may need to speak about those topics, especially if another delegate presses them as something particularly important. Knowing what to say in these instances, where your research isn’t as strong or your confidence is weaker, is vital for delegate success. And although simply practicing your improvising might be the most effective means to accomplish this, there are short-term, ‘in-the-moment’ ways of countering this issue. Borrowing from other speeches, for example, by stitching together key phrases or ideas used by others can often yield effective speeches calling for the committee to write all of those ideas together. And simply agreeing or disagreeing with the previous speaker can also bring you attention from others. Simple reactionary speeches such as these can often allow you to find the right words when you otherwise don’t have them.
Here at the MUN Institute, we’re gearing up for Summer 2019 by adding even more awesome programs to teach middle- and high-school students everything there is to know about Model UN! Back by popular demand, we’re heading back to the University of California, Irvine.
