Model United Nations Conference 2005-2006 Model UN Conference CONTACT MRS. CHUNG AT kchungMUN@hotmail.com for information and concerns...at the bottom of this blog you will find helpful websites...i will update as they come to mind... APRIL 12, 2006 it is with great debate that sjs and hpa will not participate together THIS YEAR in the annual model united nations conference... sjs has a great number of mun students who are also band members; and to conduct our annual conference on the traditional dates of the sjs easter break would bring a great conflict upon student memebers... mrs. chung (sjs) and mr. kamrow (hpa) have proposed that students take this year to prepare for and promote an island wide conference for 2006-07...it seems that many of our most ardent participants at hilo area schools have graduated or are no longer available to commit to the annual conference... sjs model united nations students will hold a ONE DAY conference simulation on saturday, may 20...topics and country determination will be discussed on monday, april 24, when school resumes... thank you...kchung FEB 21, 06 sjs students met for enrichment today...went to lab to begin investigating topic/country...students are reminded to narrow their search fields and stay focused on the topic...also, get to know your county's (GREEF: government, religion, economic, education and family systems)... FEB 7, 06 sjs students met yesterday to discuss country and topic selections...sjs students are requesting the following countries: japan, taiwan, china, russan, iran, colombia, and qatar...our committe topic choices are: bird flu (WHO); iran's nuclear build up (SC); children soldriers (i'll check on committee); and diinishing world dependence on petrolem products... please contact mrs. chung with your school's selections...in case of duplicate selections, the students will need to necessitate some kind of compromise...topics can also be discussed in the event the need arises... Hawaii Island Model United Nations Student Planning Session #1 Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006 In attendance: HPA: Russell Aguilar, Duke Chase, Dylan Lynn, Scott Walker, David Lee, and advisor Chad Kamrow SJS: Janelle Del Castillo, Briana Bailey, Ra'am Akiba-Hajim, Kayla Alapai, Julie Hasegawa, graduate/aide Josh Pacheco, and advisor/coordinator Kelly Chung Agenda topics: What is MUN and how does the conference work? Chad Kamrow was given a copy of the booklet that Kaili Lambe put together after last year's conference. This booklet shares planning meeting minutes, financial information, and the MUN handbook adopted for the 2005 conference. The handbook explains the agreed upon rules of procedure for both the General Assembly and the Security Council; a sample position statement; a sample resolution statement; a short form of committee guidelines; and other vital information concerning delegate conduct. It is advisable that all students begin working on the rules and procedures ASAP. Conference date and venue? St. Joseph High School is still willing and able to host the conference on our campus during the second week of Easter Break (either the Thursday and Friday prior to Merry Monarch OR the Friday and Saturday prior to MM; i.e. April 20-22). There was some discussion about HPA hosting the conference on their campus either a week earlier (April 12-13), or perhaps a week later (April 26-27). HPA advisor, Chad Kamrow will inquire as to the viability of the HPA campus as a venue option. He will contact me when decisions are made. Whether the conference is held in Waimea or Hilo, a decision needs to be made regarding transportation to and from the campus in order to secure student safety. We also discussed the possibility of overnight home stays. How much will it cost per student? Previous MUN conferences have been relatively inexpensive to facilitate: The greatest cost incurred generally involves the opening night dinner (usually prepared in the County Licensed SJS kitchen), and pizza lunch for the second day (all delegates are asked to donated sodas, water and snack items to be shared and readily available to the students). Other expenditures include "office supplies" such as materials to make name badges, voting placards, certificates of recognition, copy paper, pens and note pads, and, if needed, computer printer ink Although "outstanding delegates" will receive special recognition and the completion of the conference, the MUN experience is NOT a competition; therefore, Mrs. Chung has suggested that it would be advisable for all schools participating to work on a fund raiser (car wash?) as a collective group rather than as individual schools. This combined effort would allow the students to bond as a "community" prior to coming together at the conference, and would build respect for individual participants. In the event that no combined-effort fund raiser could be arranged, anticipated cost per student would run about $15 to $20. In addition to covering the cost of food and supplies, the fee would allow each student to receive a participation gift such as an official UN lapel pin. At the completion of the 2004 conference, there was an excess of money that was not spent on necessities. SJS advisor Kelly Chung contacted all participating school advisors and receive approval to purchase a United Nations flag that is to be used at all future conferences. The flag remains at SJS until such time that another school agrees to host an MUN conference. The MUN flag does NOT belong to SJS, but to all students/schools participating in MUN activities. If your club wishes to take temporary possession of the flag, please contact Mrs. Chung and it will be provided for you. What are the agenda topics and what are the countries? Countries: Since all of the last four MUN conferences have been completely student organized, topics are entirely up to the students. However, all permanent Security Council nations (US, UK, Russia, France and China) are imperative to our simulation and are always represented. Furthermore, the rotating, non-permanent nations begin the students secondary options. Once those nations have been designated, other nations can be chosen. All continents, (Third World developing nations AS WELL AS First World industrialized nations), should be adequately represented. Sometimes the topics will necessitate particular countries. Countries discussed 2-4-06: US, UK, Russia, France and China (Permanent) Tanzania, Argentina, Congo, Denmark, Ghana, Greece, Japan, Peru, Qatar, Slovakia (non-permanent, rotating members). **It was determined by the students to drop Denmark and Greece UNLESS a delegate not attending today's meeting objects. Additional nations requested by student planners included: Israel, Iran, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Colombia and (maybe perhaps one or two I've forgotten: The countries listed on the board do not appear in the notes I have. If I've missed a request, please contact me.) Agenda topics on the table for discussion to take back to school clubs: *What to do about a possible pandemic re: bird flu (currently on the agenda in the World Health Organization [WHO]; *Iran's nuclear build up (currently on the agenda in the Security Council); *Children soldiers; *Over-fishing coastal regions (possibly ECO-SOC?); *Diminishing world dependence on petroleum products; *Environmental causes related to natural disaster; *Promotion of volunteerism in recent disaster stricken regions. Students are to take these issues back to their club members and reach a consensus on topics that will include ONE Security Council topic, and THREE additional committee topics. Each country's delegation should include one student per committee; however, in order to fill committees, this is not a hard and fast rule. For instance: If a student feels that is necessary to represent, say, Thailand, in a committee on "volunteerism in disaster stricken regions," the school does not necessarily have to have three other delegates to represent Thailand in the other committees. One or two students may represent a country they feel is vital to an issue. Additional discussion Next planning meeting time TBA. It was suggested by Mrs. Chung that it would be reasonable to hold some planning meetings in the Laupahoehoe area so that the HPA students are not always the ones to travel. The 50's diner was suggested as a meeting place. Other schools' participation: Mrs. Chung will follow up with Christian Liberty, Kea'au, Ka'u, Connections Charter School, Haile Christian, Laupahoehoe, and Kamehameah this week. Mrs. Chung is willing to take a personal day off from her teaching duties to travel to these schools to "promote" MUN participation if necessary. If anyone knows of additional schools that have been overlooked, please contact Mrs. Chung via e mail as soon as possible. Guest speaker for opening ceremony: In the past, the Hawaii Island MUN has been priviledged to have Hawaii State Representative Helene Hale, Mayor Harry Kim, and UHH professor of political science Dr. Phil Taylor among our honored guests speakers during the opening ceremonies of our MUN conferences. Mrs. Chung has asked the student planners to investigate local political and/or academic leaders for consideration for this year's conference. Students should keep in mind that inviting an outer island guest could possibly cost us air fare that we cannot afford. Students can e mail Mrs. Chung with their suggestions and she will make sure that the information gets to all in her address book. Guest speaker considerations will be at the top of our agenda at the next planning session. Combined practice sessions: The Hawaii Island MUN is in its second year of "rebuilding," now that the majority of veteran delegates have graduated from high school and gone on to college. Novice participants are, understandably, concerned about learning and using the rules and procedures outlined in the handbook. SJS has only four students returning from last year (which was their first time as MUNers, so, we're all basically on the same performance level. Again, Mrs. Chung emphasized that THIS IS NOT A COMPETITION and that first-timers should not be afraid to make mistakes: Just practice and use the procedures to the best of their abilities. For every novice, the first time is a learning experience: Be confident and don't be intimidated. If time allows, Mrs. Chung will arrange for some joint practice sessions in the near future. Josh Pacheco, 2005 SJS graduate and four time MUN delegate, has agreed to aide Mrs. Chung in facilitating practice sessions as his work schedule allows. Preparation: Once countries have been assigned, students need to choose their committee and research, research, research that country's position on the issue. Mrs. Chung has set up a specific e mail address (kchungMUN@hotmail.com) so that she can disseminate information and web sites to the delegates. Students should feel comfortable in contacting her for any questions or concerns about their topics or problems that they are having in gathering information. Although it is not particularly necessary to arrive at the conference with a draft resolution, having a draft resolution ready will eliminate the stress involved in constructing one during the conference. All delegates MUST prepare a brief, concise position paper to present during the initial committee sessions. Having this on hand will not only serve as a reminder that the student IS a delegate to their assigned country, it will, once presented in committee, will serve to connect "allies" with "allies" and help to discern non-allies. The knowledge of your allied nations is imperative to gaining signatories on your resolutions. Special thanks go out to Scott Walker from HPA for keeping the minutes. HELPFUL WEBSITES www.un.org www.commondreams.org http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ www.google.com www.aljazeera.com ALWAYS KNOW THE GREEF OF YOUR COUNTRY (government, religion, economics, education and family systems)...