Membership jumps after Connecticut conference
When students from Haldane High School’s Model U.N. club traveled in November to the University of Connecticut’s annual Model United Nations conference, they documented the overnight trip on Instagram.
Those photos did more than just highlight a trip that included debates on real-world issues and simulations of U.N. committee meetings. They became a recruiting tool, according to club President Gabe Lunin-Pack and Treasurer Trajan McCarthy.
More than 15 students have joined the club in recent months, they said, many of them attracted by the photos Model U.N. members posted of their stay in Connecticut and competitions they participated in.
Connecticut
During the three-day conference, more than 1,000 students from schools in the Northeast assumed the roles of delegates to the U.N. and debated and attempt to resolve real-world problems.
Lunin-Pack joined Haldane’s club in 2020 and convinced McCarthy to join the following year.
The club is a “social and fun experience while remaining education-centric,” said Lunin-Pack.
It “teaches good lessons on being respectful to those with different opinions than yours,” said McCarthy. He added that arguing the ideals and principles of a country you might not agree with teaches how to view topics from different angles and viewpoints.
Members meet every Wednesday, and have practice debates during lunch periods. Lunin-Pack said he spent about eight hours prepping for the conference in Connecticut; McCarthy said he devoted five hours. During the bus ride to the university, they crammed in last-minute preparations.
At the conference, Lunin-Pack represented the U.S. on the Security Council committee, which examines past world crises and attempts to pass resolutions to address them. This year the conflict centered on the Suez Canal, a waterway in Egypt that is an important route for commercial shipping.
Lunin-Pack said he has learned to “combine history and debating tactics while working with others.” His experience with the club has led to a “better understanding of the historical context” of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, he said.
The Model U.N. club hopes to use its recent boom in membership to attend more conferences, such as those planned at Yale University, Dalton High School in Manhattan and in Washington, D.C.
