I firmly believe that no amount of
learning by textbook or class can come even close to that by which we learn
from experience. My personal
involvement with Model United Nations (MUN) begins as far back as my Junior
Year in high school. Although I
only joined the University of Dayton Team this past semester I confess my
recent experiences have lead me to regret my late participation deeply. The amount of experiences, skill and
social graces I have learned from being a part of MUN as a whole have been
enumerable; so, the commentary I have on my trip to New York for National Model
United Nations (NMUN) comes with a very biased adoration for every ideal that
surrounds this organization.
However, I feel that any member of the club will admit that their
appreciation for MUN runs just as deep as my own. Considering the depth of my experience, in order to prevent
myself from rambling I will focus this reflection of NMUN on three specific
aspects of the trip I believe are beneficial for any current and future member
of this club. These focuses will
be the maturity developed on the trip, the fostering of respect for other
nations and diversity, and the promotion of companionship amongst teammates.
Although a sophomore in college I
recognize in many places my maturity is lacking. Some of my main flaws revolve around the inability or lack
of desire to consider the affect I have on the entirety of a group before the
consequences are perceived. Preparing
for and participating in NMUN challenged me with experiences that forced me to
put a group’s needs before my own.
Examples of this range from both very simple to complex prior to and
during the conference.
During the conference one had to
deeply consider their teammates. A
simple example of this is throughout the conference we would often have team
check-in meetings. Although ironing your suite or finishing up that last bit of
research seems very important in the moment, finding a delegation kindly waiting
for you provides a horrible feeling of guilt. Additionally, while in committees I am certain every member
of this conference experienced absolutely draining fatigue. After of hours of debating and
finagling sentences you feel exhausted and it’s easy to see how everyone feels
the same. This showed me the way
each individual contributes to the overall energy of a room. When I saw my partner tired or annoyed
I would begin feeling the same way and visa versa. This really highlighted for
me the importance of consistent behavior in a group setting as well as the need
for consideration of all members in a group when choosing your attitude or the delegation
work.
Prior to the conference a sense of
maturity is also stimulated through the relationship with your professors and
your partner. In college, newly found
independence makes it easy for one to simply check out with out checking in
with those they have relationships with.
Since attending this conference requires skipping all of your classes
right before a major break there are assignments, quizzes to take into
consideration. Close communication
with your professors is an absolute necessity. I feel that having this open communication with professors
over missing classes has only strengthened my relationship with them, which has
benefitted me more than the amount I was set back by missing class. Lastly, in terms of maturity, the
preparation for this conference is largely the responsibility of you and your
partner. My maturity was strengthened by being able to put into practice ideals
I already knew. I had to hold
myself accountable to the work my partner and I decided we wanted to do and be
able to prioritize my own tasks.
On top of this it was necessary that I knew my partner, their schedule
and abilities and realize that a fair amount of work for each of us to do did
not mean it was going to be equal or at the same time.
The examples mentioned also
contribute to one’s skill in time management. These things often aren’t learned by lecture. These things are learned through the
experience of making mistakes and having successes or watching the mistakes and
success of others. One has to have
a very strong and stubborn sense of taught values to automatically be perfect
at managing their time and integrating their schedule with a group’s and I feel
this is more often not the case.
So, what better way to learn these skills than with a group of peers
struggling to learn the exact same things?
The promotion of companionship at
NMUN is touched upon in the previous paragraphs with my explanation on how MUN
assists in the way one learns to consider others. However, this sense of companionship can be expanded much
further than a mere notion of respect.
It is important to include everyone on activities and create real
friendships while on the conference. This is something I thought was done very
well the entire trip. NMUN
requires a serious attitude; however, without a balance of work and play MUN
conferences can drive one to insanity.
In high school conferences prior to this I’ve driven myself to tears
after committees in absolute frustration.
However, despite the greater amount of work required for NMUN I found
this experience much more enjoyable than any other conference I have
attended. The seniors of our club played
a vital role in this by integrating underclassmen in all activities from
wondering central park, giving life advice over some appetizers, having a team
dinner, or visiting major landmarks.
Everyone knew of every activity and there was absolutely no exclusion. Honestly, when I signed up for this
conference I thought it would be impossible for everyone to find time to
befriend one another considering all the committee sessions we had. Yet, somehow it was managed and I feel
closer to my team than ever.
Lastly, and perhaps the most
exiting thing about this conference, was all of the international
participants. In MUN conferences
prior to this I have met people across the country and a few across the globe. However, delegates were more segregated
and international students often never worked with the Americans. This conference blew me away. In my committee there were four
American delegations. The other
nine delegations were from across the globe. These delegates were probably the most brilliant of the
brilliant. Although they
constantly stated how embarrassed they were by their accents I was dumbfounded
by the fact they could debate in multiple languages. Some accents were difficult to understand but working with
these delegates merely allowed me to practice patience and strengthen my own
communication skills through my attempt to explain concepts to them based on
what they could understand.
Throughout the entire conference a general respect was promoted for all
cultures. In every elevator ride you could eavesdrop on international or
intercontinental conversations, usually about an appreciation for one another’s
culture. Probably one of the most
amusing conversations I had in the elevator was with a young woman from Paris
who told me she couldn’t figure out why Americans she talked with kept asking
if French citizens disliked the United States because she didn’t think France
had anything against the U.S. at all. After considering that, I couldn’t remember why we Americans
allude to the reoccurring theme of ‘hating the French’ either.
As a result of attending
NMUN, next semester I want take a greater leadership role in University of
Dayton MUN as an upperclassmen. I
plan to use experiences with this conference and others to help better prepare
the team for NMUN in the upcoming year so that missing classes will be less
disruptive and our experiences will be better integrated in and shared with the
rest of the University. Some of my
plans for this involve suggesting the use of distinct deadlines and
requirements for making up work and announcing absences to teachers. I will help emphasize the need for work
to be done before leaving rather than after unless specifically decided upon
with the professor. This will
mostly benefit new members of the club.
Additionally, at each weekly meeting there should be an explanation of
one body within the United Nations to promote a better understanding of how the
UN functions as a whole. In college we are still learning and since this club
involves members ranging from freshman to senior year it has the ability to
serve as a valuable learning tool for all students. Supporting members with their class-work before the
conference and teaching about the UN will allow students to relax on their
trip, feel comfortable with their knowledge of the UN and focus more on their
research and earning recognition.
Additionally, a better knowledge of the UN contributes to students’
ability to participate in class discussion and share the workings of the UN
with their classmates. Although
learning about the UN as a team will be beneficial, a real understanding still
can only be achieved by attending conferences such as NMUN. With all being said, I hope I have
successfully explained how attending NMUN has helped me, helped others, and will
only continue to help this club thrive in the future.
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