Model United Nations Club Helps Students Develop Real-World Communication Skills

By Darcy Coffta, Director of Innovation, Upper School Librarian

Model United Nations (MUN) has been an active club at Berwick since 2009, and offers students the opportunity to debate realworld problems, while learning how to advocate, collaborate, and ethically solve international issues.

Most recently, Berwick Academy students competed in a Model United Nations simulation at Phillips Exeter Academy. There they attended MUN meetings to practice debating skills and discussed research strategies for their written arguments. While actively engaged in discourse, Berwick student delegates worked to align with like-minded nations to formulate working papers and pass resolutions in the mold of the real United Nations. They also had an opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Harold Hongju Koh, a professor of International Law at Yale Law School and a legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State.

To prepare for the simulation, students researched and practiced formal writing in the form of position papers, working papers, policy statements, and resolutions. The process helps them build confidence in public speaking, debating, critical thinking, and communication skills, both for MUN events and applications beyond Berwick.

Since 1945, the United Nations has worked to maintain international peace and cooperation between its member countries. Delegates to the United Nations collaborate to resolve global economic, social, and humanitarian issues of the highest importance, and currently there are 193 Member States.