On Friday, May 13, 2016, the Model United Nations Club, led by history teacher Josh Stoner, traveled to New York City. They partook in a student simulation of the UN, and every school in attendance represented a different country. Each school then talked about certain world affair topics and tried to come up with a solution.
At the simulation, the student “delegates” from Neshaminy High School represented the country of Romania. There were many different topics of discussion at the simulation, and the students had the choice of what discussion they wanted to be part of.
A junior member of the club, Rachael Cofer, was involved in a discussion about if and how the World Bank could eradicate poverty in the entire world by the year 2030. Another member of the club, Jaslin Tharakan, studied how to fix the problems with education in postwar zones with the help of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO as it is more commonly called.
The students in the club said that they had fun. “It was boring to come back to the suburbs after being in the big city for the weekend,” Cofer said.
At the conference, students made speeches, prepared draft resolutions, negotiated with allies and adversaries, resolved conflicts and navigated the conference rules of procedure, which prepares them for a possible future career in the UN.
The conference is a great opportunity for any student who may be interested in the UN, and anyone who is interested should join the Model UN club next year.