Model NATO Youth Summit is developed by a multicultural team of 38 students and young professionals coming from 15 countries around the world. For us, the people behind MoNYS 2013, being involved in such a big project means challenges and accomplishments, effort and the joy of work well done.
It is a great pleasure for us to organize such an amazing event and we are eager to meet the 212 participants of this year’s edition of the Summit. Come and meet us in Brussels, the capital of Europe, between the 8th and the 13th of July!
“Working in MoNYS Team means believing in a project and building with your peers something for the youth, allowing students from all around the world to come to Brussels and discuss interesting topics, reflect about serious issues and negotiate, reach compromises...it's challenging for the organizers, as well as the participants.”
“I decided to get involved with the MoNYS 2013 project while taking part in the 2012 edition. During the first edition, I was an individual delegate representing Finland in the EAPC and I really found it to be a unique project. Everyone knows about MUNs or MEUs, but this grassroot project had something new about it. I assume this was one of the things that pushed me to apply for a position within the organizing committee.”
“The idea of MoNYS inspires me as it creates an opportunity for young activists, interested in diplomacy and international affairs to prove their capabilities by organizing such an event. Being part of MoNYS gives me self-confidence on personal as well as professional level.”
““During the last months I have met and learned a lot about high-class events such as MoNYS and the organization behind it. It is great to see, how a group of students puts this summit together – all voluntarily. I am really looking forward to see the final outcome of all of our hard work.”
Raluca Petre-Sandor is the Coordinator of Executive Council of MoNYS 2013. Her principal responsibilities are coordinating the PR, FR, DA and SE Departments, while focusing on opportunities for the event. Raluca is currently pursuing a Master 2 Professional Programme in Political and Social Communication at Université Panthéon-Sorbonne Paris. She has obtained a Master 1 in InformationCommunication at Université Panthéon-Assas and a double BA in Political Sciences and Communication, University of Bucharest.
What led to your interest in international affairs and MoNYS?
What are your hopes for MoNYS 2013? What sorts of events are you looking forward to this summer?
My interest in international affairs is related to my academic background given that studying political science for my BA degree contributed to enriching my knowledge in this field. In addition, international affairs cover different domains, such as politics, economics, societal changes, culture, therefore being a very dynamic and complex area.
I sure hope MoNYS 2013 will be even more successful as the previous year. MoNYS 2013 should be the opportunity for young people to put in practice their knowledge in international affairs, to engage in negotiations, to take the lead. I am truly hoping for an excellent event, in terms of organization issues and outcomes. Other than MoNYS 2013, this summer I will be looking forward to attending national events related to international development. And for October, I am looking forward for the Youth UNESCO Forum.
As far as MoNYS is concerned, our „chemistry” started back in 2011 when the current Director, George Manea, invited me to join the project as a PR Officer. I was familiar with the „models” since for two editions I have been a PR officer for Model European Union Strasbourg and I have previously participated to different Model UN. The idea of organizing a NATO model appeared like an impressive challenge. The joy of working with youngsters from all over the world to organize the first simulation of NATO in Europe and the success of the first edition were among the reasons I decided to join the organizing team for the second edition as well.
What are your duties as Coordinator of Executive Council? What is a typical day like in your position? As Coordinator of the Executive Council, I am in charge with supervising 4 departments: Public Relations, Diplomatic Affairs, Social Events and Fund Raising. My tasks deal mainly with MoNYS’s image and partnerships. I wouldn’t say I have „typical” days because there are different rhythms for every department. I normally discuss with the Heads of the 4 departments and with the other members of the Board every day, checking the status of tasks and setting new deadlines and objectives. Interview by Komal Patel, Journalist at MoNYS 2013
Why do you think it is important to be involved in MoNYS? What do you hope students participating in the program will learn? MoNYS is an incredible experience for everybody involved: staff, participants, speakers, etc. It offers a platform for multicultural dialogue; the participants get the chance to learn from professionals while the experts can benefit from a „fresh” perspective. I hope students participating in the event will learn more about NATO, about contemporary international affairs and, last but not least, about themselves and their abilities to cope with different situations.
You chose Socrates' quote "All I know is that I know nothing" for your info page on the MoNYS website. Why did you choose this quote, and how do you think it applies to MoNYS? This has been my favourite quote since the first year of university. We are constantly facing new challenges and we learn every day new things about us and the world surrounding us. We should never stop learning – this is why I think the quote can be applied to MoNYS as well.
“It is natural for any person to think about the welfare of his or her nation, but to my mind, each person who is engaged in international relations should have as primary objective the promotion of international partnership and cooperation, which are the precondition for worldwide peace.”
“I applied for Model NATO Youth Summit (MoNYS) 2013 to expose myself to a different academic culture that exists outside of Africa and at the same time groom my communication and organization skills. More specifically, this opportunity would expose me to the thought behind the courses I am currently taking in International Relations and Social Development, and how they differ when compared to the African perspective. ”
“The opportunity to participate in Model NATO Youth Summit 2013 constitutes for me a source of pride and inspiration, as well as a memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience. Furthermore, the chance of meeting participants from around the world who share the same interest and passion I have in political affairs and international security renders Model NATO even more exciting.”
“Going into the Summit, I truthfully do not know what to expect. I feel a seemingly contradictory sense of optimistic nervousness. Ideally, I would like to meet individuals from around the world who share a similar passion for discussing issues in the realms of political science and international relations. I also look forward to experiencing some of the rich culture that Brussels offers— albeit for a short time—as the Summit will be my first time in Europe.”
“In my opinion, the world nowadays moves faster than ever. Countries with emerging economies become more active on the international arena and sometimes "dictate the rules," while the "Old World" makes a compromise. That is why I also expect to discuss about possible changes that could occur within NATO, such as expansion of research activities, activities in IT and focus on conflict prevention rather than conflict solving.”
NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium. The centrality to all actions enforced by National Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) lies in Brussels, Belgium, where the organisation’s headquarters are based. The headquarters hosts NATO’s administrative and political work and is the home of the North Atlantic Council. Providing sovereignty and independence to partner countries, this headquarters acts as a hub for inter-governmental agreements on defence, security and peace to be actioned. There are 41 partner nations with NATO, to date, as well as the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Operation in Europe, who play an active role at the NATO headquarters. All of the partner nations, their national delegates and diplomats, work alongside NATO’s international staff and international military staff, based at the headquarters. Located at Boulevard Leopold III, 1110 Brussels, Belgium, the NATO headquarters is located in the same host city to the European Parliament. This location was decided in 1999 when facilities at the then NATO headquarters in Paris, France were no longer adequate. The Alliance decided it was in need of a larger headquarters and the NATO heads of State and government decided to construct a new headquarters to meet this requirement. In 2002, during the Prague Summit, the Belgian government signed a contract to grant NATO concessionary rights for the construction of a new building. That site is now opposite the present official NATO headquarters site. Now, this base hosts 4,000 employees on a full-time basis. These include, but are not limited to; 2,000 national delegates and military representatives supporting NATO work; 1,200 international staff and member of NATO agencies; and 500 international military staff. These people all work towards NATO’s primary goal; providing security and freedom to all its state members through defence and military measures, done in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter. NATO headquarters promotes togetherness in order to achieve security against global challenges. It aims to establish global responses to these challenges in order to achieve a global perspective and shared leadership. This is done in order to eliminate cyber security, piracy and terrorism, through global agreements in Special Forces, maritime, and critical military stability. Through these values, the headquarters most important achievements are as follows: 1. 1300 Standardisation Agreements; 2. NATO partners participating in the Korean War in 1950-1953; 3. The Lisbon Conference in 1952, expanding NATO; 4. Military exercises in September 1952 (NATO’s first naval exercise); 5. The Clandestine Planning Committee’s planned guerrilla resistance for any country conquered by the Soviets; 6. Cuban Missiles Crisis of 1952, where NATO partners were on stand-by.
Presentation by Charlene Broad, Journalist at MoNYS 2013
For any requests and inquiries, please write us at: Simona MARICAN – Head of Public Relations simona.marican@natoyouthsummit.org
Mihnea HANGANU – Head of Fundraising mihnea.hanganu@natoyouthsummit.org
Raluca PETRE-ŞANDOR - Coordinator of Executive Council raluca.petre@natoyouthsummit.org George MANEA – Director george.manea@natoyouthsummit.org