4 minute read
Rijul Gupta and Tomas Imparato
The GHAMUN Experience: Mutual learnings by exploring uncharted territory
Rijul Gupta and Tomas Imparato look back on an innovative and exciting conference
Lincoln Community School (LCS) located in Accra, Ghana, hosts an annual conference as part of its Model United Nations (MUN) club called the Ghana Model United Nations Conference (GHAMUN). This conference offers high-schoolers the opportunity to learn more about global affairs, diplomacy and negotiation, and to better empathise with the various social, economic, and infrastructural problems that are faced by communities all around the world. After the executive team of GHAMUN 2018 sat down to reflect on the 2018 conference, and discuss what went well and what didn’t, we realised that there were a few elements that we missed.
It is stated clearly in the GHAMUN bylaws that we have been chartered to foster international-mindedness and global awareness; we encourage understanding and tolerance for different cultures, peoples, ideas and attitudes around the world through discussion and debate; we challenge each other about how to solve major global issues pertaining to nations and communities from different corners of the world; we embrace and promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and its commitment to peace, human rights and collective security. This was a gross situation of irony! We encourage understanding and tolerance for different cultures, peoples, ideas and attitudes around the world, and yet we only invited to GHAMUN students from international schools in Ghana and West Africa, and didn’t even think of reaching out to local institutions. Did we think they were not good enough? Or were they not interested? We didn’t even ask.
We proceeded by reaching out to DUNK – which stands for Developing Unity, Nurturing Knowledge, a local initiative in Accra that works with underprivileged kids and young women. DUNK’s mission is to create a safe space for children and young women, and they do so by providing libraries and sport facilities. Through sports and education, they explore the programme’s five pillars: Teamwork, Leadership, Respect, Commitment, and Self-Esteem. It was clear that DUNK was doing locally what LCS MUN was trying to do globally, or at least on a larger scale. In principle, it seemed like a good idea to invite them to GHAMUN 2019, but the Executive Team was in uncharted territory. There were constant back-and-forths before we finally came to the decision to take a chance and invite them. Nobody knew what to expect, and nobody could guess what would happen next.
There being significant problems that the LCS Executive Team had to address regarding the funding of DUNK delegates’ participation in GHAMUN, there was undoubtedly a lot of anxiety regarding their invitation to the conference. After contacting them to ask if they would be willing to participate in our conference, to which they happily agreed, at least one of the aforementioned questions was answered: they WERE interested!
On the day of the conference we were all nervous, and had a million questions in our heads. Would their computers work? Would they be embarrassed and regret coming? Should we have invited them earlier to give them more time to prepare? Most importantly, was this a bad idea? DUNK delegates went on to give us all a pleasant surprise. Committee chairs reported that their communication was clear, their points were well-researched, and they made positive contributions to debate, always intervening to provide a newer, and fresher, viewpoint on how to approach conflict. They were polite, highly attentive, spoke with the highest degree of formality, and certainly knew their facts! Now, we also know the answer to the other aforementioned question: they ARE good enough!
We were truly amazed at how much we were missing out on by not inviting DUNK delegates to our conference. We decided that it would be a wise idea to contact the delegates from DUNK to discuss what they liked and what they thought could be improved about GHAMUN 2019. We were additionally interested to hear about some of their takeaways from the conference, the biggest one being that MUN debate isn’t two-sided like most debates are. Debate in MUN is usually of a highly multifaceted nature, with various sources of input for information, and for different viewpoints on a certain scenario which are all informed by research
Rijul Gupta (LCS), with DUNK delegates Alfred Twumasi, Nana Opoku-Agyemang, Deborah Fafali Mensah & Abdul Wahab-Hussein
that supports a certain country’s policies. A bigger benefit that the DUNK delegates shared with us was a boost in their self-esteem, and that they felt more confident about public speaking after the GHAMUN experience. “Some kids are afraid to say what they think is right”, said Nana OpokuAgyemang, one of the delegates.
After having collaborated with DUNK, we learnt that there is a plethora of opportunities not only for international schools but for local schools too, to grow together through collaborative learning and shared experiences that improve knowledge and skills, and cultivate passion in both parties. Lincoln also partners with DUNK through basketball. Seeing as DUNK aids young children and women in need by pushing them to pursue an interest in basketball, they have become an excellent competitor, and are regularly invited to participate in Lincoln’s local basketball tournaments. Through this, they also get to interact and connect with other international schools in Accra.
For GHAMUN 2020, we will be focusing on our connection with DUNK by ensuring that they bring as many delegates as possible. From bringing only 5 delegates this year, they hope to bring 50 next year! We also will begin contacting other local schools in Accra that may or may not have an existing MUN programme and will invite them too, to further the LCS GHAMUN outreach, and to make our conference truly globally-minded and locally inclusive.
