Model United Nations Conference
Students recently took part in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference on Monday 27 April, engaging in an enriching and thought-provoking simulation of global diplomacy. Model United Nations provides students with the opportunity to step into the role of UN delegates, debating international issues, negotiating resolutions, and gaining insight into the complexities of global cooperation. Through this immersive experience, students developed their research, public speaking, and collaboration skills while deepening their understanding of international relations.
Student Reflections
Model United Nations is an educational simulation where students role-play as UN diplomats, debating global issues to learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the UN’s structure. Participating in Model United Nations on Monday 27 April, was a valuable and engaging experience. I represented Panama in a committee focused on space exploration and sustainable development. This required me to research Panama’s policies, understand international agreements, and draft and amend resolutions. I also learned how to debate effectively, negotiate with delegates and collaborate with them to build a consensus. It also gave me a wider understanding of how the UN handles global issues. One of the most interesting parts was negotiating amendments and adapting my ideas based on different perspectives. I enjoyed the interactive nature of the conference, the opportunity to think critically and how it enabled me to strengthen my public speaking skills. Overall, Model UN helped me develop communication skills and a deeper understanding of global cooperation. -Jenna, Year 10.
On Monday 27 April 2026, 13 different schools gathered at the Founders’ Centre at Plenty Campus to be a part of the Model United Nations Conference. We learned to work together as a team, improve our public speaking skills, and our critical thinking and debating. In the morning, each country presented a position statement, explaining what they wanted to change about the draft resolution on sustainable space exploration. Our team was representing the country of Panama. My favourite part was listening to what others had to say and forming a rebuttal on the spot. The Model United Nations Conference was an incredible learning experience and a fantastic opportunity. I encourage anyone interested to join in for the next one! -Jaynaya, Year 10.
The interschool Model United Nations Conference held at Plenty Campus on Monday 27 April, was a great day of collaboration, negotiation and fun. The structure of the day resembled the UN General Assembly, which included pre-prepared position statements for each country, a caucus session, making amendments to the draft resolution and voting on final changes. We represented different countries in groups of 4-5 and adopted that country’s views on the chosen topic: Space and Sustainable Development. It was intriguing to see how different countries interpreted their views on the topic, and how students accurately embodied their nation’s values. During the caucus, which was a session to debate with other countries, I enjoyed discussing, arguing and criticising the overall goal – changes to the draft resolution. I represented China. At the end of the day, a new draft resolution was agreed on by a majority vote and was designed by each of the countries to benefit (almost) everyone. This experience demonstrated the difficulties of making peace through contrasting opinions and proved how the UN faces many obstacles during the General Assembly. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is interested in debating, politics or sustainable development. – Mali, Year 9.
The Model UN was an amazing interactive experience that teams of students participated in. The event took place at the Plenty Campus Founders’ Centre and we were joined by a range of different schools from Melbourne. Our team consisted of four people, and we took the position of Australia. Being in Australia allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the country we live in. Additionally, it was really great to learn the positions and values of other countries, and gain a deeper world view of their stances. It taught us about world politics, and how a UN meeting would run, including the rules, regulations and formatting. Overall, the day was a really amazing experience, teaching us a lot, while being fun and collaborative. – Scout and Steph, Year 11.
