Shenzhen College of Education held its annual Model United Nations (SCIEMUN) Conference last November 5-7, 2021 in Antuo Hill Campus. It was two and a half days of amazing diplomatic simulation experiences where delegates were tasked to solve global issues through collaboration, research, drafting, lobbying, and debate. The delegates passed two ‘resolutions’ for their assigned agendas.
The 138 delegates were from eight schools, namely: BASIS International School Guangzhou, BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour, Desheng School (International), International School of Nanshan Shenzhen, KIS International School in Shenzhen, Shenzhen Senior High School, Utahloy International School Zengcheng, and Shenzhen College of International Education.
The conference was organized by the student leaders and their advisors, namely:
- Cindy Chen – Secretary-General
- Jackson Chen – Deputy Secretary-General, Head of Logistics
- Hajin Kim – Deputy Secretary-General, Co Head of Public Relations
- Pranati Mishra – Under Secretary-General, Co Head of Public Relations
- Steven Wang – Under Secretary-General, Co Head of Finance
- Cindy Ma – Under Secretary-General, Co Head of Finance
- Ms Maria Christina Acosta – MUN Coordinator
- Ms Iris Cheung – MUN Advisor
- Ms Jane Ford – MUN Advisor
- Ms Abi Graves – MUN Advisor
- Ms Tina Wang – MUN Advisor
- Mr Curtis Zimpfer – MUN Advisor
Below are the personal experiences of the student leaders and delegates:
- Cindy Chen (Secretary-General, SCIEMUN 2021)
Welcome to Shenzhen College of International Education Model United Nations Conference 2021!
My name is Cindy Chen, a junior student in this college. It was an honor to serve as the Secretary-General of SCIEMUN.
I was delighted to see all of the delegates and advisors in our Antuo Hill new campus. This was the second conference we’ve ever had, the first conference having taken place in 2019. I believe that I met some of you two years ago as well. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were forced to cancel the annual conference in 2020, but we have the chance to host again this year.
The SCIEMUN organization group has put in great effort into the conference preparation stage for 6 months. I would like to thank all of our student leaders, coordinators, and teachers for the time and contributions devoted for the past half a year. Without you we wouldn’t have been able to make this conference happen.
Our conference this year had the theme “Addressing and solving future humanitarian, security, and economic cohesions in international politics.”
I was heartened to see such a large and enthusiastic group of delegates from 8 different schools engaged in SCIEMUN. Together, they represented the United Nations as it should be: delegates from all countries gathering, drafting resolutions towards issues through constructive debates and the exchange of new ideas throughout the conference.
I have been with SCIEMUN from the very start and was once a delegate myself. This was the 13th MUN conference I’ve participated in. Each conference I’ve been to has taught me memorable things, and I learned how to be a better speaker and a better leader because of these experiences. I have made significant improvements throughout my MUN career. I am confident that SCIEMUN has offered an opportunity for all of us to learn more about ourselves and MUN.
I know that this was the first MUN conference for a lot of delegates, and many were nervous and anxious, scared of not doing well. All I wanted to tell you was that everyone starts somewhere, that you have made it here, to just keep working hard and that you will succeed. Be brave, express your ideas, let the floor hear you and your country’s voices; speak more, raise POIs, communicate with others, make amendments, challenge yourself; and what matters the most is to actually enjoy the conference, making all your experience meaningful. As leaders of the future, you will come up with innovative approaches to help confront the problems that the global community is facing. SCIEMUN was only a start, I sincerely hope all of our delegates perform outstandingly in whichever conference they participate!
We have produced more than 22 draft resolutions and 12 final resolutions in total, and over hundreds of excellent speeches, POIs, and amendments were made. It was my pleasure to have witnessed how you have grown throughout conference, and I am proud of each one of you.
Once again, I want to thank all the schools and delegates coming to SCIEMUN 2021. I look forward to seeing you next year!
- Kaye Cai (Best Delegate, Delegate of China in UNDP)
“Delegate of China, you have been recognized” Palms sweaty and feet were trembling; I nervously shuffled my way to the podium. “This is it K, you’ve been wanting to try this out since forever.” “K you’ve got this, you’ve literally given so many speeches before: this should be a piece of cake.” And yet, no matter how hard my inner voice tried to get me to collect myself, my heart continued thumping and thumping. Boom, boom, boom. Twenty pairs of eyes staring back at me. Boom boom boom. I nervously cleared my throat—boom, boom, boom. I started to speak.
The next few days passed by quickly in a blur. However, I did know that we’d all gone from a mixed assortment of unprofessional and inexperienced beginners to being the Delegates of the United Nations Development Program. Every one of us wanted to represent our countries to the best of our abilities. The awkward silences and polite debates were just a part of it. (Perhaps it wouldn’t have been as polite if we weren’t all beginners). But I can confidently say I learned a lot from this experience. The delegate of Russia taught me about diplomacy and keeping my temper in check. The Delegate of South Korea’s resolution was so well written and comprehensive that it made me realize my writing had a long way to go. However, the best part was being in a room with so many talented and passionate speakers. The room was constantly abuzz with excitement that comes when you’re surrounded by people that collectively want to achieve the same goal as you. We were all united under a common clause, which was to rise above our differences and shape a better future for our world.
- Julia He (Outstanding Delegate, Delegate of USA, UNSC）
This is a great experience for the first time MUN in the security council. I have been in 4 conferences and none of them were in this specific council. A lot of the delegates in our committee were inexperienced, however, they were all very aggressive and definitely had done great research into the topic. Being in the security council is actually quite different from all the other ones. As the delegate of the United States, I had the opportunity to use my veto power which was quite fun. It was also different since we formed one resolution as a whole on two topics about COVID-19 and the illegal firearm trades. We each write one clause and merged them together to form the resolutions. As the debate of the resolution started I remember handing in a lot of amendments to each clause. A lot of the information of the amendments actually overlapped with some of the other delegates, but it made each clause much more specific and precise. I remember for the topic of firearm trades, my country seemed really involved in the topic so there were abundant amounts of points of information that were raised. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and am honored to receive the award of the outstanding delegate.
- Julia He (Outstanding Delegate, Delegate of USA, UNSC）
SCIEMUN has really been a unique and precious experience for me – especially as an event that extensively pushed me rigorously to be more socially brave. My speaking skills really did improve, especially my confidence in speaking without preparation. One of the most memorable moments for me was when I had to give a 6 minute speech, on the spot, about my resolution. I was incredibly nervous, but I didn’t regret giving it my all on that podium – at that moment the words just seem to flow out of my mouth – and at the end of the conference, another delegate which I have now become friends with, the one who received the Best Delegate in my committee, said he was really impressed with my public speaking ability. From this aforementioned friend and the event as a whole, I also learned the importance of research and preparation. The reason, I believe, I didn’t get Best Delegate is because I didn’t have robust research in the content of my speeches and resolutions. All in all, I did receive the Outstanding Delegate for my bravery in public speaking and impromptu speech, but at the end, I realized that I enjoyed the event not because of the award but because of all the new friends I made, and all the debating. Really. I have never in my life made so many close friends in so few days – in the span of just 2.5 days of SCIEMUN, I felt like everyone in my committee were people I could laugh, cry, and move through life together. I highly recommend SCIEMUN and MUN as a relaxing yet challenging opportunity for a fun and memorable weekend!
- Elisa Wang (Honorable Mention, Delegate of Poland, HRC)
As a rather inexperienced delegate, I expected to spend my second MUN quietly soaking in the ideas of the more knowledgeable and more eloquent from a corner. Instead, I found myself on a floor of shy first-timers. I began raising and answering more POIs, at first to keep the conference going, but overtime it occurred to me how interesting it was to challenge other students’ views on the mess that is international politics and in turn, how important it was to reevaluate my own. At the end of the week, I was incredibly grateful for having the opportunity to main-submit HRC’s winning resolution. More importantly, I was filled with pride for my fellow delegates who gradually stepped out of their shells over the course of the conference. SCIEMUN was a great experience for building skills and forming friendships. I hate to admit it, but the delegate of Poland is much better at socializing and public speaking than Elisa.
- Jinyi Shi (Delegate, Delegate of Venezuela, WHO)
SCIEMUN was an unforgettable experience for me, not only because it was my first MUN but also because it was so unique (there were a lot of first timers). Everybody was very friendly, and I made friends with students from other schools. Even during the conference, delegates were very polite to one another and made everyone feel involved. The chairs were very nice and helped me understand the procedure better. The meeting also helped me get over my life-long fear of public speaking. Standing on that podium, suddenly, I wasn’t so afraid of giving speeches anymore. MUN really pushed this introvert to come out of her shell, converse with strangers, and gain more confidence. I found a part of me that I never knew was there, a part of me that could bravely defend my ideas and express my opinions. It also gave me a chance to speak out about issues in the real world and better understand the actual hardships that burden our earth, allowing me to possess an extended grip on current world problems.
MUN was surprisingly fun, and I’m already looking forward to the next conference. And I hope that everyone had a good time and learned something new in the process.
- Article / Cindy Chen
- Photos / Brian
