Ten Somersfield Academy pupils attend UN conference

On the world stage: Students from Somersfield Academy debated issues of global importance when they attended a Model United Nations in New York recently.

Leonard Rentrup

June 16, 2011 — Meetings usually take a lot to organise; the bigger the meeting, the greater the effort required. Imagine, then, a meeting of 2,000 high school students, many of them flying or driving into New York from places often hundreds of miles away. It requires nothing less than a feat of managerial power to pull such a meeting together, both from the participants and the coordinators.

Ten students and two teachers from Somersfield Academy experienced this effort firsthand when we travelled to New York on May 11 to participate in the 12th annual United Nations Association USA International Model UN Conference. The conference, spanning three days and attended by students from 30 countries, mimicked the proceedings of the real United Nations impressively.

Divided into committees which ranged in size from 50 to 250, students representing different United Nations member states sat through four meetings at the Grand Hyatt hotel. They learned about debate procedures and discussed topics ranging from maternal health to weapons disarmament.

The conference also included opening and closing ceremonies in the General Assembly Hall, where we were treated to speeches from Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, and US Ambassador Susan Rice. The convention, not only a fun experience, was also educational, providing a fascinating insight into the workings of the United Nations.

Originally published by The Royal Gazette