Model UN clubs meet

Students from around Germany descended on Kaiserslautern American High
School in November for the 15th Annual KAHS Model United Nations
Conference.

Department of Defense Dependent Schools students came to Kaiserslautern
to participate in a full day of formal debate on topics that varied
from the culture of peace to gender equality and women’s
empowerment. 

Model United Nations is a class, or club, in which the students prepare
resolutions concerning world issues and debate them as they would in
the actual United Nations. Hearty debates have influenced many student
ambassadors on how they view the world’s issues, with some students
saying they are interested in pursuing careers in the actual United
Nations.

“I want to become a translator for the United Nations, “said Robert Flagg, a student from Ansbach.

Many Model U.N. clubs attend smaller conferences, like the one at KAHS,
to prepare for The Hague International Model United Nations conference,
held annually in the Netherlands.

Ambassadors from each school were interviewed about their school Model
U.N. program and were very enthusiastic. Most ambassadors said their
group met as a class.

“Our class prepares for THIMUN starting in June,” said Jessie Goforth, KAHS senior.

“Over the summer we prepare resolutions, speeches, and policy statements, along with debating in class when school begins.”

Afton Cissell from Würzburg explained that her class does, “current events each week with global importance.”

To prepare even more for the upcoming international conference, schools
also attend other conferences, including the Ramstein American Model
United Nations conference, Würzburg American Model United Nations
conference in Russia and Prague.

At the conferences, students set goals including passing their
resolutions, gaining experience and picking up debating techniques. The
two most popular questions dealt with the culture of peace and women’s
rights.