Walking up the steps of Haberdashers boys school with the school’s crest peering down at me whilst Year 7’s drowning in suits raced past me (with one eye out for the infamous tiktoker -revishaan), I had a sinking feeling that I was massively out of place. Dressed in my mum’s work clothes, because let’s face it, what normal 16 year old has a blazer in their wardrobe, I was greeted by a personalised lanyard and free tote bag. Feeling I already had everything I came for, I was instead rushed into a room full of strange faces and plunged into the Model UN world- a debating conference where students discuss potential solutions to real life problems such as space colonisation to the India-Pakistan conflict, acting as delegates from prospective member states.
Being my first ever MUN competition, I was more focused on making it through the weekend without making myself look brainless, instead of making any meaningful change to the world. However, after talking to some of the delegates, I realised that for most of them, this was their first time too and they felt as underprepared as I was. As the debates got underway, I started to understand the very specific and formal method of speaking and realised that as long as you could waffle, you’d be fine. And as an English A-level student, I felt I had that covered.
The weekend wasn’t all formal debates though and was broken up by rap battles, paranoia, arm wrestles and gossip boxes with questionable fanfics. Friends were quickly formed, socials exchanged and for many it was more like Love Island than the United Nations.
Saleena Livera, 16 said “I really enjoyed the experience of Model UN. I wasn’t expecting to have so much fun, but we had the perfect balance of fun and fruitful debate. I would recommend it and will definitely be going back next year.”
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