On Saturday, November 15, twenty Middle School students took part in a Model UN Conference at Northeastern University. These students were “delegates” of either Tunisia or Russia. During the Middle School clubs period, they worked hard to research their countries and the issues they were preparing to discuss. They joined 600 middle school students from many schools around New England as they discussed important world issues and worked to pass resolutions to solve global problems. The issues our students grappled with at this particular conference:
- Closing the gender gap in STEM careers
- Improving living conditions in urban slums
- The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Before participating in small group discussions, we heard a short talk from Dr. Marcia Mareno Báez, a professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, about the importance of thinking and acting with empathy. She emphasized that the skills we nurture in Model UN–listening, speaking, and collaborating–are skills that are fundamental to global leadership.
Preparing for a Model UN conference involves extra work outside of school, a commitment to effective collaboration, and a desire to make a difference in the world. All of our students did so well. They brought flair, kindness, and humor to their preparation work and spread the BDS values of excellence and joy at the conference itself. Many of these students will be taking part in future Model UN opportunities this year. Be sure to ask one of our BDS delegates about their experiences as international diplomats!
Our Model UN participants were sixth graders Zoe Masozera, Nick Yu, Kayla Li, Ben Fucci, Celine Li, Noah Woreta, and Isaac Luo; seventh graders Leah Zhang, Bella Tan, LaMay Zhang, Elena Li, Dalia DiCrescenzo, Stuart Sun, Rubin Xiao, Elsie Yang, Marina Hubbard, Jaya Patel, and Olivia Hu; and eighth graders Eileen Luo and Reema Wulfsberg.
– Jen Friborg, Capstone coordinator and Model UN club advisor
