From world hunger to gender inequality to global health issues, there are no international topics that escape the round table at Model UN.
Model United Nations, better known as Model UN, is a national student organization that engages middle, high and college students in a simulation of the United Nations. The Green Hope chapter of Model UN boasts more than 60 members from all grade levels, and the chapter participates in multiple regional and state competitions throughout the year. Students have the opportunity to participate in four different committees (traditional, specialized, hybrid or crisis) during their time at Model UN.
From Mar. 1-3, the Green Hope Model UN team traveled to Chapel Hill to participate in Model United Nations at UNC Chapel Hill (MUNCH), an annual conference. At MUNCH, Green Hope students mainly participated in two of the committees: traditional and crisis. Traditional committees entail taking on the role of a delegate and representing a country while arguing with other countries over resolutions for a global issue. Meanwhile, students in the crisis committee have the opportunity to play a fictional character and attempt to solve different crisis situations based on that character; At MUNCH 2024, Percy Jackson was used as the theme for the debate.
Four Green Hope students won awards at the 2024 MUNCH: Navya Bansal (‘26) and Aryan Shah (‘26) won the Best Delegates of India in the World Health Organization, Jessie Zhang (‘25) won the Outstanding Delegate of Ed Gard in the Black Plague Ed-hoc and Sarah Hussain (‘25) won the Best Delegate as Hesmat Salehi in the JCC-Revolution.
Zhang, one of the award winners, commented on her win. “The event I did was ‘ad-hoc,’ meaning that we don’t know the characters or what the committee is going to be about. To prepare, I learned the flow of debate in crisis committees and how to write personal directives,” she said. “People get awards on speaking and collaboration and while I didn’t talk as much as some of the others, I think I had good personal directives, which is why I think I won the award. I’m really proud of my award and my work for my event.”
Around 800 students from schools around the area participated at MUNCH and students were encouraged to socialize with their fellow opponents through the Delegate Social. Sanjana Juvvadi (‘24), the current president of GH Model UN, touched on the diverse and connective experience Model UN fosters. “One of the best things about Model UN is being able to meet with students from other schools and bond over Model UN. I’ve made quite a few friends through Model UN, and it’s a great way to network and meet people who share the same interests as you.”
Model UN also provides an opportunity for students to improve on their speaking and researching skills. Juvvadi emphasizes this, saying, “ I always tell people that they should try Model UN at least once- it’s a really great way to become more confident in your speaking, researching, writing and general social skills. It’s a lot of fun, and everyone enjoys collaborating with each other.”
On Apr. 5-7, Green Hope Model UN will compete again in DUMUNC, a conference hosted at Duke. As international issues take center stage, the club continues to engage students with the global policy process.
