Model United Nations event

On 1 – 3 March, seven sixth form students took part in the 33rd Model United Nations event at Kingswood School for the whole weekend. This is an event designed to educate young people on the way the United Nations works and takes the format of a simulated United Nations Conference. Many students take part each year from schools across the country, most of them independent. Each school fields one or two teams and each team represents a different country. Seven intrepid sixth form students signed up for this and were allotted Indonesia and Guyana their countries. Once students know their country, they are allotted as delegates to a different UN committee including Health, Science and Technology, Politics, the Historic Committee, Environment and, this year, the Security Council.

The weekend began with an opening ceremony after which each of the committees gathered in different rooms for the lobbying process. Prior to the event our students had all written a resolution for their committee proposing solutions to certain issues. In the lobbying process, each delegate has to gain as many signatures as possible from other delegates in order to have their resolution selected for debate.

Debating the resolutions began in earnest on the Saturday – despite a delayed start due to the unexpected snowfall in the night – and students enjoyed promoting their resolutions and proposing amendments to others. Debating lasted all day and continued on Sunday where a surprise issue was also given to each committee before the closing ceremony in the afternoon.

All seven students – Evie, Phoebe, Tom, Sam, Ridhima, Mia and Jess – were a credit to the school; they had worked hard on researching their chosen country before the event and rose to the challenge of engaging in debate during the event itself, very well able to hold their own.

Ms Rutter, Deputy Head of Sixth Form