by Elias Gunther
Recently, students from seven chapters in Maryland gathered in Annapolis. Their mission: to stop terrorists from blowing up the world.
Okay, so maybe they weren’t really stopping terrorists, but that was the situation for the Model UN session on 11/11/11 where I was able to serve as Secretary-General. At this event we had 41 delegates (from ICC Chapters) representing 21 different countries. My brother Billy and I headed up the planning and coordination for this event, and it was a blast! Working with other students in our local Chapter we were even able to make a short video to get excitement building for the Model UN. Our success in putting this event together was due to our experience with Model UN at ICC events and to our preparation through ICC’s student leadership opportunities.
Okay, so maybe they weren’t really stopping terrorists, but that was the situation for the Model UN session on 11/11/11 where I was able to serve as Secretary-General. At this event we had 41 delegates (from ICC Chapters) representing 21 different countries. My brother Billy and I headed up the planning and coordination for this event, and it was a blast! Working with other students in our local Chapter we were even able to make a short video to get excitement building for the Model UN. Our success in putting this event together was due to our experience with Model UN at ICC events and to our preparation through ICC’s student leadership opportunities.
Delegates were assigned to a country and partnered with a student from a different Chapter. These delegates then had to work as a team to write a short paper about their country’s position on terrorism. When the students arrived at the event, they were given an orientation about the Model UN procedure, Robert’s Rules of Order, and ICC’s Standards and Practices. Then, they jumped into the situation, offering solutions to the problem that upheld their country’s goals and that were acceptable to other countries. From delegate parties to runaway terrorists, the delegates had a lot of fun thinking of creative ways to build consensus, solve problems and at the end of the day support their team. Perhaps that’s a bigger mission than even stopping terrorists. NOTE TO STUDENT LEADERS: get super-psyched for IGNITE’s special session of Model UN!!
Elias Gunther serves as a Chapter Mentor in the Maryland Chapter SALT (Students Advocating Light and Truth). He enjoys clear logical processes that get answers- like calculus and physics. If you ask him for a math pun he might tell you one. He likes integrating them into his humor.
