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Model United Nations is an authentic simulation of the U.N. General Assembly and other multilateral bodies.
Simulating international organizations began even before the birth of the United Nations, when students held a series of Model League of Nations in the 1920s. The Model U.N. Program is a successor to a student-directed simulation of what preceded the U.N. itself, but it is not documented exactly how the Model U.N. began.
The popularity of Model U.N. continues to grow, and today more than 200,000 high school and college/university students worldwide participate every year. Many of today's leaders in law, government, business and the arts participated in Model U.N. during their academic careers – from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and former World Court Justice Stephen M. Schwebel to actor Samuel L. Jackson. Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton is a Model U.N. veteran as well.
Some Model U.N. exercises take place in the classroom and others are school wide. Still others are regional, national, or even international. These are called conferences, and the events are much larger, with participants from all over the United States and the world. More than 1,000,000 people have participated in MUN conferences around the world since the conferences became popular over 50 years ago. Today there are more than 400 conferences that take place in 35 countries. Depending on the location, the average conference can have as few as 30 students or as many as 2,000.
A Model U.N. delegate is a student who assumes the role of an ambassador to the United Nations at a Model U.N. event. A Model U.N. delegate does not have to have experience in international relations. Anyone can participate in Model U.N., so long as they have the ambition to learn something new, and to work with people to try and make a difference in the world. Model U.N. students tend to go on to become great leaders in politics, law, business, education and even medicine.
You should participate in Model U.N. because it promotes student and teacher interest in international relations and related subjects, increases the capacity for students to engage in problem solving, teaches aspects of conflict resolution, research skills, and communication skills, and creates the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.
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