On Jan. 4, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School students who are members of the Model United Nations club headed to Hershey, Pennsylvania for the annual Y-MUN conference. After coming into to school at 6:45, the MUN delegates departed on a bus ride for about three hours, eagerly awaiting the conference.
 
After arriving, students had breakfast at the Hershey Lodge and attended the Y-MUN Conference opening session. There, they learned a little about the history of Model United Nations and what to expect from the rest of conference.
 
From there, they headed to Country Caucus to meet with other delegates representing the same country as them. These students came from high schools around New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.
 
It was finally time for Committee Sessions to begin, the main aspect of MUN. There were numerous Committees for delegates to choose from including General Assembly, Social, Humanitarian and Cultural, Security and International Criminal Courts. Each committee is given topics for debate and discussion, such as LGBTQ Rights and Natural Disaster Aid.
 
Committee sessions consisted of Moderated and Unmoderated Caucus. In Moderated Caucus, delegates raise their placards and get called on in order to comment on their committees’ topics. They must use Parliamentary Procedures, which includes stating your name, delegation and country before speaking. During Moderated, motions can be made to move to Unmoderated.
 
Unmoderated Caucus is the time when delegates team-up to write resolutions on the issues. Then, they present their resolutions and the committee votes on whether it should pass or fail.
 
Many students agree that the best part of MUN is making friends and gaining new experiences. Juliette Ciullo, a sophmore first-year delegate says that her MUN experience was empowering. ‘’…I felt my confidence grow so much in just three days,’’Ciullo said.
 
For others, a favorite aspect of the MUN conference was meeting students from other schools who were in committee with them. Zach Lubeck is a sophomore and second-year delegate. He was a member of Press during the conference. ‘’Being in such a small, close committee is fun and…I made some great memories,’’ Lubeck said.
 
Overall, Model United Nations provides students with unique and valuable opportunities and experiences. For most everyone, MUN was a positive experience. Taylor Hopkins, also a sophomore second-year delegate, loved her time in MUN this year. ‘’My favorite part of MUN was the relationships I created with fellow delegate and the intense debates I shared with them. I learned that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room…,“ Hopkins says.