Stories

Ashley Shaefer & Griffin Kennard, MUN Club Sponsors

Our middle school Model UN club recently participated in CHARMUN, a long-standing annual introductory Model UN conference for local independent school teams. In only our second year as a member school of CHARMUN, Charlotte Prep took twenty delegates to play the roles of international diplomats in committees that were seeking to resolve pressing real-world issues, including climate change, equity of access to technology in developing countries, and even historic world wars. Two of our 8th-grade delegates, Ansley E. and Killian D., were recognized with awards for their meaningful contributions to their committees. Ansley was awarded a vocal commendation for her representation of Bangladesh on a committee simulating the real United Nations’ annual climate conference, COP 28. For her exceptional work as a juror during a simulation of the International Court of Justice, the Model UN chairs recognized Killian as the Most-Improved Delegate. This continues the tradition of Prep students being lauded for their exceptional performances, as last year at the 2023 meeting of CHARMUN, club leaders Summer L. and Akhil M. earned our first delegate awards.

Model UN has an incredibly long history, tracing its origins to Oxford University in the 1920s. Though the terms and labels used to describe the work of these student committees were different, the procedural aspects of debate were much the same as they are today. Model UN eventually spread all over the world, from colleges to secondary education institutions. Mrs. Shaefer, who started the middle school Model UN program at Charlotte Prep and has helped it grow into a competitive team since 2020, usually describes Model UN as a “blend of international diplomacy and theater.” Students must educate themselves about international relations and the real political, environmental, economic, and humanitarian challenges that we face as a society–but they are also “performing” a role as a diplomat or national leader, and must convincingly represent the interests of their country, regardless of their own beliefs. Model UN supports interdisciplinary learning in profound ways: it demands research, collaboration, writing, active listening, the development of public speaking skills, and the consideration of multiple perspectives on an issue. 

Because Model UN taps into our natural curiosity about the world, club meetings will often center around activities that cultivate a sincere interest in our global community. Students develop themselves into global citizens. They consider themselves part of a worldwide community, committed in their belief and actions to making the world a better place. This global education aspect of Model UN takes many forms. Whether through races to research countries’ essential facts, global “current events” trivia contests, or creating a world map of how different cultures celebrate the end of the year, students actively participate in their own growth and knowledge. While we, as sponsors, share some of our own expertise on these issues, it’s truly remarkable to see how often students will drive these conversations.

As we look to the rest of the year and beyond, Model UN plans to offer more opportunities for students to pursue their interests. This spring, students have begun crafting their own in-house conference. As a club, they’ve decided to research the international conflict over the South China Sea and all its intricacies over control of its resources and shipping lanes from powerful regional actors. They are already noticing on their own the ways that economic and political disputes can create humanitarian crises. Students will write a background guide and participate as delegates in a conference wholly created by them, giving them more opportunities to sharpen their skills and step into leadership roles. Students want to flex their muscles as forces for good by adding a community service project to the club in the spring and next year. In addition to CHARMUN, club leaders are looking at participating in a middle school Model UN conference for the entire state of North Carolina. Prep Model UN students continue to imagine a brighter and better future, and we’re happy to support their innate curiosity.