The MUNchkins Return to McMUN
During the last weekend of January, the Marianopolis students engaged in Model UN, often called (by us) icons or munchkins, attended McGill’s university level conference. As the cold air cut our breath and we slid on ice rinks that once were sidewalks, we once again came into the warm and inviting Sheraton. Armed with our textbooks, winter coats, boots for those who remembered, or high heels covered with ice, we spotted the other Cegep students who also looked like they had walked through the arctic to be there. Though we could not tell yet, we were surrounded by Harvard, Princeton, Georgetown and many other prestigious Universities, as well as the military academy students dressed in their uniforms and ready for success.
The opening ceremony this year boasted four different speakers. One represented this year’s feature charity which promotes refugee development in Montreal, someone working for the UNHCR (which happened to be my committee and that of many other Marianopolites), as well as a depute from Ottawa. As usual, the opening ceremony outlined the important work people do and their faith in us as the “next generation of leaders.” Their faith (and the pressure) those comments bring are always welcomed, but the nervousness of opening speeches an hour after the ceremony quickly overwhelmed us, as the two thousand students rushed out of the Sheraton in suits and fancy shoes to any place that offered a warm plate of food.
Now, many of you may wonder: what do delegates do at a conference? It mainly consists of debating about topics. Everyone represents a country and must try to project their countries’ stances and needs in their speeches to further talk about the issues at hand. You also spend a lot of time listening to others debate. In my opinion, the most amusing aspect is working with fellow delegates on a resolution paper which tries to tackle the issues raised in debate and finding novel solutions with fun acronyms. This is when you get to meet new people and really see how smart and dedicated people are. It is truly inspiring!
In my committee which was the United Nations Humans Rights Coalitions (UNHCR), we discussed the barriers facing refugees around the world and came up with solutions to improve their living conditions, such as a passport given to refugees at every camp they arrive or providing them with funds and access to bank accounts by use of cryptocurrency. All the resolutions we wrote in that committee will be sent to the UNHCR, so it felt like we really made a difference with our ideas.
As for the social aspect of the conference, McPub was sadly full, but we were able to attend the MCParte awaited by many. Unfortunately, the shuttle bus between the Sheraton and MTelus was not available, so many out-of-towners did not show up as they did not know how to use our metro. Those who did, however, enjoyed it, but the music last year (which included an abundance of ABBA) was considered superior by many (including this half-Swede!)
Like any conference, McMUN, the last model UN conference for many, came to a close with a bang. The closing ceremony featured the wonderful secretary general of ICAO: Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar, who gave an inspiring speech as always, and reminded delegates that there is always a place for them at ICAO, which made many who want to work in the UN happy.
We applaud all the delegates who won awards, most of them being from the US and Concordia delegations. A special congratulation to Alexandra Muravetchi who received a verbal commendation at McMUN which is very commendable!
If this sounds like something you enjoy, such as wearing fancy suits, debating about issues that matter, and meeting like-minded people who care about the world, I suggest applying to MariMUN next year and making your memories! (Hopefully, they will have some ABBA for you at the Party:))
