Pine Crest Model United Nations

Introduction

Members of the Pine Crest International Relations Club have been participating in Model United Nations conferences for 26 consecutive years. Pine Crest students have attended--and distinguished themselves--at Model United Nations held at Harvard University (HMUN), Georgetown University (NAIMUN), the University of Pennsylvania (ILMUN), and the University of Chicago (MUNUC). The club co-sponsored the St. Edwards Model United Nations in Vero Beach for three years before initiating the very first Pine Crest Model United Nations in 1993. This year will mark the Fourteenth occasion this event has been held at the Institute for Civic Involvement, and we’re hoping your participation will make this conference the best one yet.

But first, what is a Model United Nations Conference?

A Model UN simulates the activities of a representative body of the United Nations, usually the Security Council or the General Assembly and its committees. Delegates assume the roles of the diplomatic representatives of the member states of the United Nations. They meet to consider, debate, and possibly resolve controversial items from the UN’s vast agenda. Through this role-playing, students are able to gain a greater understanding of global issues and the complexities of the international system. Model United Nations generally range in size from 15 students in a single classroom, simulating the Security Council, to thousands of students in a convention hotel, covering the full range of UN activities. Over 100 major Model United Nations are held annually around the world, and there are well over 60,000 people who participate in one or more Model UN Conferences or events each year.

The Model UN Program is by no means an “elite” activity just for young people with demonstrated leadership abilities. There is room for everyone who seeks a better understanding of the world, and how change and progress is made at the international level. The demands on a delegation representing the complex interests of a country in the UN requires a wide range of expertise, abilities, and skills: both leaders and followers, negotiators and debaters, writers and spokesmen, experts and diplomats. A delegation participating in a Model United Nations needs many different types of people, and it should be clear that every individual in a delegation is equally important to the success of the group.
PCMUN is a unique opportunity for cooperative education in politics, diplomacy, history, current issues, and foreign affairs. The experience of Model United Nations Conferences, in which participants represent their assigned country’s position in various committees and work towards writing resolutions to address debated topics, brings to life the problems that face nations in the real world. The stated purpose of the Pine Crest International Relations Club and the Pine Crest Model United Nations is:

• to educate high school students in the arts of debate, negotiation, and public speaking by providing a forum in which they can test and enrich their skills.
• to introduce students to the fascinating realities and complexities of international relations through simulations of international organizations.
• to demonstrate the potential of the United Nations to resolve global conflicts and problems while showing its limitations as well.
• to allow the students to participate in “living” historical situations and recognize the fact that they, too, are a part of history.
• and, of course, to meet, work with, and socialize with other students in both cooperative and competitive situations.

The Pine Crest International Relations Club is excited to present the Third Annual Pine Crest Model United Nations and we hope to see YOU there!!

Information

WHEN: Thursday, May  19, 2005

WHERE: Pine Crest School
ICI Lecture Hall
TIME: 3:45-6:30

SPONSOR: Pine Crest International Relations Club
-Leo Stivelman, Club Secretary-General
-Mrs. Rousseau and Mr. Crawford, Faculty Sponsors

REGISTRATION FEE: $10 per student

UNITED NATIONS MAIN ORGANS AND COMMITTEES IN OPERATION:
General Assembly (GA) - 191 member nations

ELIGIBLE STUDENTS:
High School students, Ninth through Eleventh grade.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS PER DELEGATION:
two

COUNTRIES YOU CAN REPRESENT:
Choose from the official list of member nations of the United Nations. List your top five choices on the application, and make sure each group fills in only one application. Countries will be chosen by lottery, and you will be informed of your country on in your World Civilization, World History, or American History class.

PREPARATION:
Each Delegation will be responsible for researching and writing a short position paper on the issues involved from the point of view of the assigned country. Time and credit for preparation and participation in the Pine Crest Model United Nations will be given to those who participate at the discretion of the appropriate Social Studies teacher.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR CLARIFICATIONS:
Contact Megan Green, Mr. Crawford in ICI 207, or Mrs. Rousseau in ICI 103

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Robert A. Crawford.
Copyright © 1998

All rights reserved.
Revised: December 01, 2006