The Mini MUN conference for 6th and 7th graders followed the theme of SISMUN: threats to democracy. The topic of Mini MUN was an invasion of our planet by aliens who look identical to humans, whose aim was to take over our society. They were targeting MEDCs (more economically developed countries) in an attempt to take over finances, take over power, and destroy the society humans have built. The students represented certain countries to create resolutions that would protect their country and ensure the safety of our society.

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In the morning, the students started off by designing their placards, researching their country’s stance on the issue, and writing their opening speeches. They researched aspects such as their country’s defense strategies, space activities, evacuation plans, and whether they would take a neutral stance or go to war in this scenario. Once their research was done and their opening speeches were written, the students went up to the auditorium to attend the opening ceremony.

The secretary general and the under-secretary generals ran the opening ceremony, going through the topic, the terminology, the procedure, and the schedule. Then we had a “speed debating” activity, in which the students debated a wide variety of statements such as:

• “Democracy is the best form of government.”
• “Homework should be banned.”
• “Teachers should be replaced by computers.”

The students were very engaged and willing to share their arguments in front of everyone. This prepared them for the committee sessions by becoming familiar with debating and developing the self-confidence to speak in front of others.

During the committee sessions, the students participated actively, with many volunteering to speak during the moderated caucus, and they actively formed alliances during the unmoderated caucus. They became more familiar with the terminology and procedure throughout the day, so many delegations were added to the speaker’s list and there were various motions on the floor at all times.

The students challenged each other by asking points of information during the moderated caucus sessions, and actively listened and engaged when their fellow delegates were speaking. As alliances began to form, resolutions did too. After lunch, the different alliance blocks started presenting clauses, and we eventually voted on resolutions as a whole after making the necessary amendments.

At the end of the day, at the closing ceremony, 2 students from every class received the “best delegate” awards. Furthermore, the resolutions that were passed during the committee sessions were presented during the closing ceremony.

Overall, it was a learning experience for everyone. Hopefully, the 6th and 7th graders feel encouraged to join MUN in the following years, and maybe once they get into DP they’ll be the ones organizing SISMUN!