First MUN conference helps new MUN students to improve on their debating and critical thinking skills

Seisen hosted the Model United Nations conference on October 20. It was the first ever conference to be held at Seisen, and the topic was about game theory. It was also the first conference of the year for all MUN students, including the seniors. Many felt like they were able to exercise the skills that are vital to MUN. Gina K. (12) stated, “This year’s MUN was the first conference to be held at Seisen. It was a great opportunity to understand the procedures and to learn how to organize a conference.”

The seniors felt as if the MUN newcomers had improved in their debating and critical thinking skills. Zainah N. (12) exclaimed, “We’re only about two months in at this point, but it’s so nice to see that the new members are actively engaging and that the older members are consistently improving, which is noticeable in their speeches and participation.” The students have shown massive improvement since the beginning of the year at which MUN started. 

As a freshman and a student who attended a MUN conference for the very first time, Catherine H. (9) felt like she was able to exercise the skills which are practiced and encouraged at weekly Friday morning meetings, with similar opinions to the seniors. She stated, “I gained a lot more confidence and I feel a lot more comfortable participating in the morning meetings within Seisen as well as outside of school.”

However, although the freshmen enjoyed it for many reasons, including the fact that they were able to improve on their oral skills, some had trouble following along and found themselves confused and uncomfortable. Rachel Z. (9) claimed, “Since it was my first ever conference and I’m completely new to MUN, I didn’t really know what was happening.” 

In conclusion, the first MUN conference of the year, held at Seisen, seemed to be a success in multiple aspects. Particularly, the fact that students were able to improve on the skills which are very important in MUN.