MUN journal entry

My MUN experience was incredibly enriching and exciting. Prior to this MUN I had only participated in one at our school, but this experience was completely different and new. This is due to a number of reasons, it was online over zoom which was interesting to adapt to but the biggest difference is, it was with students from UWC Costa Rica most of whom have had many MUN experiences in the past and are extremely knowledgeable in politics. 

During the first session I was extremely nervous and confused on what the next few days would look like. Nevertheless I approached every session open and excited to learn, remembering throughout that this is a wonderful enriching opportunity which I can learn a lot from. Although being honest sometimes the sessions felt way too long, this experience taught me so much.  Beginning with learning the proper structure of an MUN, how to write a proper position paper, and overall I got a much more in depth understanding of the conflict. Going into MUN I had a general understanding, but the sessions allowed me to truly analyze the different aspects of this conflict, and be able to critically explore it. It was really interesting to look at the Israeli Palestine conflict through a social and economic lens which my committee focused on, and it allowed me to really understand how it’s affecting Palestinians at the individual level. Through the three days I got to watch and learn from other experienced delegates who inspired me, I got to become more confident when speaking and in my ideas. Working with people that have had so much experience, were truly dedicated to the process and so intellectually driven pushed me to constantly be better and remain focused. 

A motivator going into MUN for a lot of us I think were the awards. It’s really easy to get caught up in the prizes but as the process began I knew I wouldn’t get an award because there were so many amazing experienced delegates in my committee. But instead of letting that discourage me and make me feel like there was no point in completing MUN I made sure to remember how enriching the experience can be, but it all depends on myself. It almost pushes me harder because the people that did get awards have had a lot of prior experience, so it makes me excited for my future in MUNs. 

Although there are some things I could have done better like not being so scared to share my points at the beginning, or focusing so much of my research on the history of the conflict these are all things that I believe I will get better at as I gain more experience. Because even now after this MUN I feel much more prepared to do another one, I know how to research for a MUN better and my nerves to speak slowly fade. This MUN made me extremely excited for future MUNs, i’ll have the opportunity of participating in and for the MUNS at our school. I want to bring more of that professionalism to our school and get to share this experience with the rest of our community because it can truly be enriching if done properly.