A Reflection from the Summer’s International Model United Nation Conference

By Samantha Helmold

On July 14, Hood College welcomed 90 delegates from 27 different nations to partake in this year’s International Model United Nation conference. With suitcases and bags in hand, the delegates prepare for two weeks’ worth of hard work and tons of fun.

Over the course of this two week camp, the students were going to learn what Model UN was all about, but first, they had to have an understanding of what UNESCO really was.

UNESCO, or “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization” is set up for students to better understand the goals of achieving peace. And the UNESCO IMUN Summer Camp is set up just for that; for students from all over the world to come together to work as one and better understand the meaning of peace and how to achieve it in the most efficient way possible.

For two weeks, the delegates were to get up every day by 6:30 a.m. and then start the day off with breakfast, then workshops, and even some field-trips as well.

Some of the field-trips that were scheduled this year were a trip to D.C. to see the monuments, museums, and visit the state department to allow students to ask some questions regarding UNESCO and anything else they may have had regarding solving international issues. Another trip was taken to Baltimore Inner Harbor, Hagerstown Outlets to shop a little, and of course New York City Time Square. We were going to visit the United Nations but they were cleaning it out.

Over the course of these two weeks, they were preparing for the last three days of the camp, Model UN days. The delegates were broken down into five different committees before they arrived to the camp; UNESCO, ECOSOC, WHO, General Assembly, and The Security Council. Each committee was presented with different topics to discuss, and they were to solve each topic, or resolve it.

At the end of the two weeks, whether or not anything was resolved within the committees, the delegates enjoyed themselves, worked hard, made life-long friends, and had a ton of fun. And a special thanks is to be given to Hood College for partnering with UNESCO this year, all the facilitators for volunteering their time over the two weeks, and a special thanks to Mr. Guy Djoken, Miss. Claudia Twum, and Mr. Karl Helmold for working so hard to make this year’s camp possible.