CSW Model UN Debates World Issues

By Connor Milligan '11

The Cambridge School of Weston's Model United Nations class spent part of their spring break in late March at the Concord Academy Model United Nations (CAMUN) conference. Model UN advisor Ben Ibbetson joined Rachel Levinson '11, Elliott Hamilton '11, Olivia Becker '11, Will Freedberg '11, Will Harkins '11, Alex Egilman '11 and Oliver Wass ' 13 at the conference. Elliott Hamilton won Honorable Mention for his resolution on sustainable energy at the all-day conference.

The Model UN class meets two days a week for two modules and students’ interests drive the course content. In class they have the opportunity to discuss current events and share their views on problems facing the UN and the world at large. In the D-Block class, students learn how the UN works, parliamentary procedure and debate skills, as they participate in ongoing discussions. 

This year, they were responsible for selecting the theme for and organizing Social Justic Day, in which students participated as a mock General Assembly of the United Nations debating the issues surrounding the privatization of water.

Students who have been in the Model UN for the past few years have seen growth in their speaking, research, and debate abilities. Before joining Rachel Levinson '11 said she "came with almost no knowledge" of the UN or its procedures. After three years participating in the class and two Cambridge School of Weston Model United Nations conferences, she and her classmates have grown both individually and as a group.

As a group, students in Model UN are able to share what they learn on their own and bring an argument or discussion topics to class to seek new viewpoints and be introduced to new angles on a previously single line of sight. Because the class encourages outside research and debate, an individual's views constantly change with the information that is brought in by the entire group.

Facts change what theories and ideas cannot. Instead of focusing on theoretical discussions about world problem solving and social justice, Model UN looks deep into the facts behind the issues and attempts to make judgments based on proof, reasoning, and personal opinion.