The Model United Nations (MUN) program offers students a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of members of the United Nations and use real-world problem-solving, helping them to develop skills for public speaking while debating public issues in a fun setting. Unfortunately, that option will not be available to Morgan students this year.
Last year, The Morgan School participated in Yale’s 50th Annual Model United Nations program, bringing eleven students to New Haven to participate in an event that draws over two thousand high school students worldwide.
However, this year, Yale’s MUN program does not have spots available, so Morgan students will be unable to participate this academic year. When Ms. Finnegan, a French teacher here at Morgan emailed the people responsible for running the conference, they informed her all spots were filled for this conference.
According to Yale’s Model United Nations website, the program aims to educate students about current events, international relations, diplomacy, and the United Nations agenda. It offers a place for students to debate global issues, draft resolutions, and collaborate with peers to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.
The MUN club at The Morgan School has been a space where students can become more involved and confident in their voices by participating in simulations of UN committees in classrooms with students from across the world, representing countries they have researched, and tackling real-world issues by promoting their ideas of solutions, at conferences, they take a trip to throughout three nights away.
A prior club participant who is a junior here at Morgan, Lena Flaherty says, “It was really fun to collaborate with students from all over the world and hear their different perspectives on issues, aside from that the freedom we had was awesome getting to walk around New Haven with my friends and getting to bond with each other in the hotel room.”
The club typically meets throughout the school year in Ms.Finnigan’s, their advisor’s classroom to prepare for the conference, which usually takes place over a weekend during the winter. During meetings, students research their assigned countries and topics, draft position papers, and practice their debating skills to prepare for these conferences.
Students at The Morgan School have had a lot of fun participating in the MUN club, and many are sad that it won’t be happening this year. It’s especially disappointing for those who were looking forward to joining the club for the first time and experiencing the excitement and learning opportunities it offers.
Junior Austin Borkowski who was looking to join the club said, “Hearing my friends going, and the experiences they got influenced me to do it this year. I think it would have been a great opportunity to meet passionate students from other schools.”
The absence of the trip this year is a significant loss for the Morgan School participants. While it may not be active this year, the hope remains that it will return in the future.
