The “SGH Tamagawa Gakuen Model United Nations Conference” hosts more than 100 students from all over Japan every year and simulates a model United Nations conference. In this school year, the conference is going to be held on January 13, 14, 2019.
A mock session was held to help the students understand the way the conference would work.
The training session was held for students in the morning and for teachers in the afternoon.
With the cooperation of “the institute of MUN for junior and senior high schools in Japan” which aims to promote Model United Nations conferences, the training session included commentary and personal experiences so that everyone could understand it.
In the morning, 15 students from Tamagawa Gakuen and 5 students from Shibuya Junior High Schools” participated.
The meeting was started after Mr. Kei Nakagawa explained the process for simulated United Nations conferences.
First of all, the students chose a country to take charge of from a list of African countries and acted as a representatives of that country.
Then the students aimed to create five plans that would benefit all countries.
In the mock conference, the students who were designated as ambassadors for each country held a “Moderated Caucus” where each students gave their opinions to the assembly worked on public negotiations. There was also an “Unmoderated Caucus” where students could select negotiations for free discussion.
“Every country needs to acquire technology from developed countries and respond to hygiene problems.” “Nigeria has problems without sewage treatment. It is also a problem in Africa as a whole, so let’s find solutions to help each other.”
The students explored how countries could solve problems by working together.
Statements like “Is that plan really okay?” “You said it is an equal plan, but I think it depends on each country” could be heard around the room.
While the students had a discussion considering the issues from a critical point of view, there was occasional laughter which warmed the atmosphere.
Ultimately, resolutions which mutually benefited each country came out. As a result of the voting, all the proposals were adopted, and the meeting ended.
The students applauded each other’s negotiation skills and willingness to work on each problem.
The students who were from different schools discussed certain topics from the point of view of a representative of a certain country.
From this experience, the students gained a lot of experience and raised their awareness of certain issues. This prepared them for the Model United Nations Conference.
In the afternoon, the next training session was held for 14 teachers from 8 schools. Mr. Nakagawa of the ” the institute of MUN for junior and senior high schools in Japan ” explained the way the conference worked and the teachers discussed the issues as 14 ambassadors of 14 countries.
The teachers listened to the explanation of the rules of the simulated UN conference, and took careful notes to avoid missing any important details.
While confirming each step, the teachers experienced the same type of conference, which included a “Moderated Caucus” and an “Unmoderated Caucus”, expressing their support with flags, filling in resolution proposals.
Even beginner teachers soon understood the format and debated the issues from their nations’ standpoint.
The teachers tried to resolve any issues at this time. They listened to the advise of their advisors and asked questions when they didn’t fully understand.
“I realized it today that the students are doing difficult activities.” “I thought that it was necessary to have an opportunity to reflect on the process of the Model United Nations.”
After the training, teachers communicated their thoughts to each other, and there was a feeling of free exchange.
Each student and teacher gained meaningful insight into the MUN process. They promised work toward making the “SGH Tamagawa Gakuen Model United Nations Conference” a success and the day ended.