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***image1***“M.U.N. isn’t your normal debate club,” says Alex Dumke, a senior at Ramstein American High School. “It’s every aspect of high school rolled into one: a battle of the minds, the acting, the learning of new cultures — everything.”
Not many are familiar with the highly-popular club Model United Nations, which has reached its way into high schools and colleges all around the globe. M.U.N is a chance for the student to assume the role of an ambassador and debate world issues according to that country’s beliefs.
The structure of the club strictly follows the regulations set by actual United Nations’ procedures. The student delegates propose resolutions, formulate ideas and debate their country’s beliefs by negotiating and resolving real-life problems and crises happening in the world.
Phillip Schmoll has been teaching the M.U.N. class for 39 years, 12 of those at Ramstein American High School. The class outlines the proper way to speak in the forum, always referring to oneself as the speaker or in third person.
Students debate over the most important and current dilemmas happening in the world: the AIDS and poverty crises in Africa, child soldiers, the Israel/Palestine crisis, global warming and the production of chemical and nuclear weapons.
“My students teach the class, through their debating, reporting and research,” Mr. Schmoll said. “It’s more a student-run class than a teacher one – this is what makes it exciting.”
Conferences are held all the time all over the world and with RAHS’s unique location in Europe the students have the opportunity to travel to international ones located in Prague, Russia and the largest in the world at The Hague.
Three years ago Mr. Schmoll was motivated to start a Ramstein conference.
The larger conferences in The Hague involve thousands of students and, at times, are extremely difficult for students to get the opportunity to speak.
There is “no better place for students to learn confidence and debating skills than in M.U.N.,” Mr. Schmoll said.
At the Ramstein American Model United Nations conference nearly every delegate is recognized and heard, he said.
“It’s exciting that the students take part and organize this conference themselves,” Mr. Schmoll said. “That is one of the things that I am most proud of.”
The conference has hosted students from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Norway, Czech Republic, England and Germany.
“M.U.N is more than what people perceive it to be,” said Alex, who has been the Secretary General of the R.A.M.U.N. conference, in charge of the forum, making sure everything runs smoothly and helping the foreign students arrive and feel welcome in Germany.
“It’s a means of cultural and intellectual enlightenment. M.U.N. allows students to create networks, meet and greet foreign students and learn cultures first hand that most people only see in their history books,” he said. “For every student out there who has an opinion and the courage to express it, M.U.N. is for you.”
