On April 5 and 6, the Oakland University Model United Nations team hosted a Model United Nations competition for local high schools. Delegates arrived on campus excited to partake in an intergovernmental organization simulation that required them to discuss various world issues. The students left the conference with a greater understanding of international politics and useful debate skills.
Delegates were able to participate in a variety of United Nations simulated committees led by OU college students. The committees included the UN Environment Programme, Disarmament and Security, Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council. There was also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) committee.
Oakland University Model United Nations team members Eien VanRiper, Christopher Aranda and Dakotah Atkinson led the UN Environment Programme committee.
VanRiper, an environmental science major, was key in developing the discussion topics for the committee. He decided to highlight the issues of sustainable agriculture and climate change, challenging the high school students to debate potential solutions to these world problems.
“I had to conduct a lot of outside research to see what had already been done by the United Nations Environment Programme, and compare that to what could be done in the future,” VanRiper said. “My job was to challenge students to use precedent and past research to brainstorm ideas for the future.”
Aranda’s favorite part of the conference was gaining a new perspective as a committee chair.
“For me, the best part of the conference was chairing the UN Environment Programme committee and using the gavel,” Aranda said. “It was really cool to help facilitate an interesting conference between high school students from across the county.”
Atkinson pointed out that the conference’s main goal was to make sure attendees had fun and gained knowledge from the experience.
“We made sure to go over all the rules beforehand to make sure things made sense, so high school students could fully understand the material,” Atkinson said. “Sometimes these complex concepts can be confusing to younger students. We wanted this to be a fun, educational experience for delegates of all skill levels.”
Ethan Lehman-Pace chaired the United Nations Security Council, where delegates were responsible for maintaining international peace and security. Lehman-Pace was pleased that the competition pushed delegates out of their comfort zone.
“My favorite part of the conference was seeing all the delegates growing [in confidence] as the weekend went on,” Lehman-Pace said. “There were a few delegates in my committee that were not as outgoing or outspoken when they started off. By the end of the conference, they were major players, people who wanted to speak and draft motions.”
Lehman-Pace, who aspires to pursue a career in counseling, found the conference to be an opportunity for personal development.
“As someone who wants to go into clinical counseling one day, this was definitely a good experience for me,” Lehman-Pace said. “Learning how to engage with young adults in a respectful way is really important.”
At the conference closing ceremony, delegates were presented with individual awards, and the best-performing schools were named.
Landon Julius, the Oakland University Model United Nations club president, followed the presentation by delivering awards to the outstanding conference staff members.
Larissa Giacomin and Patrick Henkel received the award. Both Giacomin and Henkel were commended for their hard work preparing for the conference and their dedication to growing the OU Model United Nations program.
For individuals interested in learning more about Oakland University’s Model United Nations team, visit their GrizzOrgs page. Those interested in joining the team may contact the club’s president, Landon Julius, via email at [email protected].
