Spring is the busiest time of year for members of Storm King’s Model UN Team, who recently participated in the 58th North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) Conference.  Organized by the Georgetown International Relations Association (GIRA) and staffed by over 250 Georgetown University students, NAIMUN is attended by over 3,300 talented delegates annually and stands as the largest student-run Model United Nations conference in the world.

NAIMUN is usually held in Washington, D.C. where students from around the globe converge to discuss real-world problems and share unique perspectives on international affairs. This year, the event took place virtually with the theme of ‘Collaboration Beyond Borders.’ SKS delegates representing Armenia and Senegal included senior captains Dominique Gooden and Anora Mahin,  juniors Andy Hamilton, Trey Lawrence, Alex Neighbors, and Scout Zischke, and sophomore Elena Centeno.

“I represented The Republic of Senegal in the World Health Organization. Our task at hand was to address COVID-19 outbreaks in emergency situations,” explained Dominique, who is an SKS MUN veteran. “Senegal proudly sponsored the ACERHP-BUILD resolution, which was holistic, but specific to many areas of the issue. These included operative clauses about farming, technology, job loss, and vaccine deployment to name a few. Senegal was proud to present this resolution to the WHO and contribute numerous clauses that passed favorably amongst nations. This experience was very enlightening and I learned a lot about the COVID-19 pandemic from others’ perspectives. I am grateful to have been a participant in this conference.”

Scout, a junior on the MUN team, also had her resolution passed. “I represented Armenia. My resolution was titled ‘21 Drinks to Sustain Success.’ We focused on sustaining cultural heritage sites and the tourism industry post-pandemic. Our solution discussed how we would fund the project, how we would educate the global community on this topic, and who would help achieve this goal. It was definitely an awesome experience! My resolution passed for UNESCO!  Not only was I a sponsor, but I was actually a presenter. It was a first for me! Even though the event was virtual, I learned a lot about my skills in Model UN.  I can’t wait for our next conference!”

MUN Advisor Tim Gillett was pleased with the overall experience of his team: “The school community can be proud of the outstanding work done by our delegates during three days of persuading, influencing, and debating; and all of the research they conducted to prepare.” According to Mr. Gillett, the Georgetown event was excellent practice for the team, who are now busy preparing for more virtual events including the 2021 National High School Model UN Conference (NHSMUN) in March, and the Southern Ontario MUN Assembly (SOMA) in April.