Last Wednesday, over twenty students from Fern Hill School participated in a Model United Nations conference at Appleby College. Model United Nations is a conference for students in grades 7 to 12 where participants represent specific countries and take part in committees to discuss current political issues. It connects young adults with important events around the world.
Fern Hill students had only two weeks to research the countries they were assigned to. We quickly realized that we did not know as much as we thought we did about our world. This conference forced us to step outside of our comfort zones. The satisfaction we got from those risks, gave us courage to face challenges in our lives.
Model UN helps greatly in understanding some of the I.D.E.A.L.S of Young Round Square, such as Internationalism, Leadership, and Adventure. I learned more about the world in two weeks while preparing for it than I did in the fourteen years of my life. My leadership skills also improved during Model UN. I learned not to be afraid to speak in front of others even when I was the sole representative of a country. I knew that my words would change the lives of thousands. Even though the lives I changed in Model UN were imaginary, I appreciated it all the same. However, Model UN was mostly a great adventure. I prepared my material for a month but nothing prepared me for the fear I felt when I arrived at Appleby College. As the other participants of Model UN entered into the crowded room, my confidence shrunk. I had known this event was meant for grades 7 to 12 but that fact never got through to me until I was standing face to face with many much older students. I then realized this meant I would be facing people who are 4 or 5 years older than me AND may have had more time to prepare. I sat down and looked over my research, hoping to get my mind off of the fact that I was about to stand up in front of a large group of people I did not know, feeling completely vulnerable. All of the participants of Model UN then separated, and made their way to their committee rooms. Fern Hill participants were in either the World Health Organization, Security Council, or the Special Political debate on Lebanon.
I was in the WHO and, as we sat down, we wasted no time at all. We were then given the option of being on the Speakers' List - the list of the representatives who wish to speak. Everyone raised their hand, not out of eagerness but because they knew that they should or else they would be the only one not speaking. The first time I spoke was the worst part of the entire Model UN. I didn't know what to expect of the people who were listening to me. I then remembered that WHO was a novice committee, which meant that everyone was a beginner. As we spoke, everyone was very attentive and polite which encouraged us to push our limits, step outside of our comfort zone, and take this adventure for all it was worth.
To conclude our day, all of the participants entered Willis Hall where the three most outstanding debaters in each committee received awards. One of our grade seven participants received an award, which wasn’t a very big shock because he is one of the strongest debaters at our school. The rest of Fern Hill’s participants did not receive awards, but I received the courage to face what scares me so I would never back down from any adventure I might encounter in my lifetime.
- Kimberley (Grade Eight)
