Volume 1 / Issue 5 / 7 ~ 8 Aug 2013

To make our voices heardTo make our voices heard

Harmony. Equality. Every member state in the UN has equal opportunity to express their opinions on any given

agenda. This entire process takes place for the sole purpose of the well-being of humanity as a whole and it is con-

ducted in harmony with every constituent of the UN. Through this first-hand experience called Model UN students

of all age ranging from elementary to college level learn to address global issues and become true world leader in

their very nature. In the picture above, delegates are raising their placards in order to have their names on the

“speakers list”, which is a critical process for each nation to express their voices during the formal session.

Seon Kyeong Kang, Michael Kang, Hyeok Ran Kwon,Min Ji Kim, Hyun Woo Jimmy Nam, Gil Hwa Lim, Seo Young Oh, Mingiu Paul Lee, Jung Eun Shin, Won Il Jang

By Do Hyun Logan Park

“Delegates wishing to be added on the speakers list!?”

WFUNA NEWS

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WFUNA Youth Camp MUN week: Why so special?

What is Model United Nations (MUN)?

Model United Nations is an academic simulation of

actual United Nation committees, including the General

Assembly and the Security Council. It aims to educate

participants of current issues, topics of international re-

lations and the UN agenda. Participants role play as del-

egates from countries they are assigned and represent

their particular nation’s stance on given issues during

simulations. MUN held in different nations usually op-

erate under different sets of rules tailored to fit specific

nations’ interests, which are reflected in the position

papers. Delegates prepare these position papers to be

presented at the beginning of the session, in which the

students detail the stance their respective nations would

take.

Why MUN?

First, MUN teaches participants how to conduct re-

search. Delegates are required to write position papers

to be read in front of the committee. In their position

papers, students write their respective country’s stance

towards a given issue. Significant part of the MUN ses-

sion revolves around this position papers. Writing the

all-significant position paper requires much research,

and it is during this research that students learn how to

use various kinds of sources and to discern what is

credible and what is not. Second, students learn how to

make public and formal speeches. One of things this

week focuses on is teaching students specific tech-

niques of public speeches, which will be further elabo-

rated in the coming paragraphs. Third, and perhaps

most importantly, participants learn how to negotiate

and compromise. During MUN sessions, delegates

come together to devise a resolution, in which interests

of participating nations are merged into a single docu-

ment. Interests are bound to collide and conflict, and, to

agree upon a draft, delegates must learn to communi-

cate, understand, and compromise.

What is happening in class?

To teach students to write and deliver speeches, train-

ers constructed a continuing feedback loop called

‘80/20 Pareto’. Students present their speeches and

feedbacks from both the trainers and the students are

given. A vote is put on which aspect of the speaker

needs most improvement, and the same speaker repeats

his/her speech concentrating on improving that aspect.

Some of the criterion for improvement is eye contact,

posture, hand gestures, volume, pacing, filler words,

tone, and fluidity. This loop repeats several times. Several activities are conducted to familiarize stu-

dents with several aspects of MUN. On the first day,

students engaged in the ‘salad bowl’ activity. Partici-

pants were each given a fruit or a vegetable to repre-

sent, as a delegate would a nation. After their assign-

ments, students broke off into groups to write a ‘recipe’,

which is analogous to a resolution in MUN. Final out-

comes consisted of what ingredients were used for a

certain kinds of salad and how they are prepared. Dur-

ing this activity, students learned how resolutions are

drafted, and what signatories are.

What is special about this camp?

There is a handful of MUN camps taking place

throughout Korea, but WFUNA Youth Camp MUN

weeks is certainly a ‘one and only’ among the several

out there. What makes it so special? Simple. It is doing

what has never done before. During MUN sessions, this

camp employs the Rules of Procedure (ROP) developed

by WFUNA in accordance to UN procedures. In fact,

this camp is first ever in the world to use this rule.

MUN’s are held all over the world, and each of them

are different from another in that the Rules of Procedure

that apply to the sessions are unlike one another. Each

has own kind of procedures in accordance to the cus-

toms and fancies of hosting parties. Most commonly

used procedures are the UNA USA rules, Thimun rules,

and some variations of the two. Though they are per-

fectly fine rules and let participants learn and sharpen

their skills, they are different from the official proce-

dures of United Nations committees. Modeled meticulously after the actual General As-

sembly of the United Nations, UNDPI Procedures is the

official ROP of this camp and is designed specifically

by WFUNA. One of the major differences between

UNDPI procedures and commonly used ROP is that the

camp’s delegates elect their own chair amongst them-

selves before the beginning of each sessions instead of

a chair being pre-elected by the outside. Not only is this

exactly how chairs are elected in the actual General As-

sembly, but it is more in line with democratic value the

United Nations promotes. By Michael Kang

3

WFUNA NEWS

Turn it around

Ever looked through a kaleidoscope? At every turn of an angle, the scene looks different. It would be a

shame to only look at one of the shapes created by the kaleidoscope from one angle and judge its content.

Even if you did not find the shapes from one angle particularly to your liking, you may find something like

what you see from another angle. This principle applies not only to kaleidoscopes but also to life in general

and this is why it is important to look at things from different angles than one’s own. Perhaps, you will find

something you never did before. The press team brings you several interviews of trainers and students to

help you turn your turn your scopes around, to see what you may miss from your ol’ comfy angles.

Q1. Tell me about yourself. I am Jan Blinka, and I am from Cech. I worked at

UN headquarter at Geneva as an intern, during which

I witnessed several General Assembly meetings. I

also learned during this time what the reality is like

in the United Nation: what delegates do, responsibili-

ties of the diplomats, and how the assemblies go. I

wish to transfer these knowledge I gained during my

internship to the students.

Q2. We have been debating for the past week;

can you tell us how the skills acquired in de-

bating relate to MUN? I had an opportunity to be one of the Model United

Nations track trainers to be present during the first

week when students were learning to debate. As a

witness of the efforts made by the students, I seek to

build on what students learned during the first week.

First week of debate taught students how to build and

deliver their arguments—valuable skills for students

to have under their belts, as students have to present

argument from the positions of the countries they

represent during Model United Nation. I have seen

students progress during the first week and, as such, I

expect them to be able to effectively participate in the

programs we prepared for them.

Q3. Under what theme are the lectures are

given this week? Model United Nations is an academic simulation

of an actual United Nation. As such, we attempt to

emulate conferences of UN bodies as closely as we

MUN Trainer Interview: Jan Blinka

By Michael Kang

4

WFUNA NEWS

can. Naturally, topics for lectures and sessions are

chosen in connection to the problems and issues

which UN agenda concerns with. For example, the

students practiced writing position papers on sustain-

able development today. We dealt with concerns re-

garding child soldiers, and we will be dealing with

the situation in North Korea. Using these topics, all

linked to the three pillars of the United Nations, we

will teach students skills of researching speech writ-

ing and delivering, and developing speech content.

Q4. What do you expect students to take away

from this week? We, the trainers, aim to teach students critical

skills that are essential not only in academics but also

in life in general. Students here are taught how to

present themselves, how to deliver speeches and ar-

guments, and to negotiate. Some of the skills, stu-

dents have already acquainted themselves with dur-

ing the first week. The MUN track will allow them to

consolidate what they learned while participating in

the debate track.

In this week, students will be able to practice re-

search and negotiation. Research will provide stu-

dents the contents with which to construct arguments.

Improved quality of building materials translates to

more detailed and solid arguments. Based on this im-

proved quality of arguments, they will be able to

make compelling arguments. This is where negotia-

tion comes in: as in reality, interests will always col-

lide during the MUN. As such, they need to find

common ground somewhere in the middle via negoti-

ation to avoid conflicts. MUN is not only about MY

position, MY argument, or MY stance, but it is also

about finding common ground and agreement. Nego-

tiation skills developed during this period will be val-

uable skills for students to have later in their lives,

and brew in students spirit of compromise and under-

standing that the United Nations believes to be criti-

cal to achieving peace and security.

Q5. Any words of advice? I would like to say to my students and fellow train-

ers to try and learn as much as possible, and never

forget that every situation is an opportunity to learn.

Occasions such as this are particularly precious.

When people from many different countries with dif-

ferent culture, ethnicity, and religion come together

and meet each other, we can realize that even though

we are very different, we have something in com-

mon. We learn so much about each other. Our in-

creased understanding of each other help us realize

that we can learn to communicate with each other

and tolerate each other. From here, I believe, comes

peace.

MUN Trainer: Jan Blinka

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WFUNA NEWS

Ji Yoon Hong(ILO)

Before coming to WFUNA youth camp, I have participated

in four Model United Nations conferences. However, I

thought participating in this camp would improve my re-

search and public speaking skill. I always felt like research-

ing and writing resolution are the most difficult part of

MUN. The classes were better than my expectations. I re-

spect the trainers in that they teach us by fun activities. The

instructors for MUN week are highly educated individuals

and give me helpful advice. I wish I could have received

such advices earlier.

What I like about MUN is that it broadens people’s perspec-

tives. Delegates have to interact with other delegates as a

representative of a country. This makes me feel professional

and expert on global issue. Unlike debate, topics of MUN are

broader and more general. Also, it has much shorter speak-

ing time. They have very different characteristic but I like

them both equally.

Hyun Sic Lee(ICC)

I have never participated in Model United Nations

before the camp, but I was very interested and knew

what it is. Because of lack of experience, I had hard

time understanding the flow of MUN in the beginning.

However, the trainers from many different nations

helped me understand how to do MUN. I felt like

MUN is much easier than debate, although they are

similar. MUN has much shorter speaking time com-

pared to debate and can speak whenever I want rather

than on fixed time. Also, MUN enables me to learn

about global issues and help me to broaden my point of

view. Research was the most difficult feature but

through different activities, I could learn how to re-

search effectively.

MUN Student Interview By Jung Eun Shin

WFUNA X-FILE

I could heighten my

responsibility through

this camp.

I feel worthwhile when

the students appreciate

our effort. Plus, I also

appreciate the children.

I can understand the

children from their point

of view which broaden

my perspective.

-Anonymous-

-Anonymous-

-Anonymous-

-Anonymous-

The students are so ma-

ture, and sometimes that

makes us feel embar-

rassed.

-Anonymous- I think trainers expect too

much from the children. In a

good way, that can be a moti-

vating, but in another way,

that can be too hard for stu-

dents to do their activity.

-Anonymous-

Though there were some communication

between students and staffs and students

and trainers, there were not enough com-

munication between the staffs and train-

ers. We would like to have had more con-

versation.

-Anonymous-

I think the banquet and

the lunch boxes were good

but the meal from the cafe-

teria was not enough to sat-

isfy us.

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By Seon Kyeong Kang

“How to understanding each other”

As a part of the extracurricular program, students

participated in Painting on T-shirts and Fashion show

on Thursday, 8th of August. The purpose of painting on

T-shirts is to get to know the nations they represent in

MUN conference on Friday and Saturday, on the 9th and

10th of August. If a student is assigned to be the dele-

gate of France, he/she will paint things on the T-shirt

that represent France such as the national symbol, icon-

ic items, or national flag of France. Even though Model

United Nation is procedure of simulations, students will

get to feel a bit more like they belong to the nations

they represent.

In order to participate in Model United Nations, dele-

gates basically should know about the nations they rep-

resent. Knowing the symbols and shapes of the national

flag is fundamental to being a delegate of a nation.

Those who prepared this extracurricular program ar-

ranged this activity so that the students will be more

acquainted with the nations they represent. During this

program, students will have an opportunity learn more

about the nations they are to be delegates of in areas

other than socioeconomic sectors.

Painting on T-shirt and Fashion show took place in

Peace Hall in the central library of Kyunghee Universi-

ty. Participants painted their own unique style of T-

shirts with permanent marker. Students sat in circles by

groups and painted on their own white T-shirt. After

painting, all participants walk through “runway” with

the T-shirt they paint.

11th Day Extracurricular Program

By Hyun Woo Jimmy Nam