Pictured above: The delegates in attendance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Creighton University, and Hastings College.
On Saturday, November 7th, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Model United Nations team hosted the first-ever Pan-Nebraska Model UN Conference.
The Model United Nations club on campus is designed to simulate the real United Nations, headquartered in New York City. Students who participate are given a chance to immerse themselves in international relations while honing their public speaking, group problem solving, and persuasive writing skills. The Model UN conferences allow students to act as delegates of a country and come together with their peers to solve international problems.
The Pan-Nebraska Conference was inspired by the UNL team’s experience at the National Model United Nations conference in New York. They wanted to create a similar experience on a smaller scale in Nebraska by bringing together Model UN teams from different schools around the state. The organizers also hoped this would allow their team to prepare more for the National Model UN Conference in the spring. The UNL team hosted Model UN teams from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, Creighton University, and Hastings College.
Late last summer, the presidents of each club started planning the event, deciding on details such as how many delegates from each of the universities would attend, which countries the delegates would represent, and which UN committee the conference could simulate. UNL senior and Model United Nations Co-President Ashley Kunz said that the conference simulated the “Third Committee with the subtopics of protection of migrants and the right to privacy in the digital age”. Altogether, 68 students attended the conference in Lincoln on November 7th.
“I was blown away when the conference rolled around,” Kunz said. “The delegates came in full force and they were professional, well researched, and enthusiastic. Everyone worked really hard in preparation for the conference and kept working hard throughout the entirety of the conference. I have been to the New York conference twice, and I can honestly say that the atmosphere of the room and the actions of the delegates was very similar. We passed both resolutions that made it to the floor and successfully came up with a plan to help migrants from all over the world.”
The presidents of all four Model UN teams hope to make this conference a yearly event. Students who are involved with the UNL Model UN team have a lot of fun acting as ambassadors from other countries and meeting people from all over the world, while researching international politics and dynamics.
If you would like to join Model UN, you can visit their Facebook page here to learn more.
The UNL Model UN Team.
