Saanich High Schoolers Tackle Global Issues at UVic Model United Nations Summit
By Alysha Rose and Connor Williamson – Stelly's Secondary
excerpt from Article for Peninsula News
From left to right: Kaylee Butler, Connor Williamson, Armand Birk, Alysha Rose, Peter Reston
This year, Stelly's Secondary was the sole representative of School District 63 at UVic MUN, with its six delegates winning seven of thirteen available accolades, including Best Delegate in each of the three committees.
Teens and young adults, in full business attire, flocked to the University of Victoria for the annual University of Victoria Model United Nations (UVic MUN) conference held from November 1st to 3rd. Each delegate diligently prepared to address the conference's theme of “A World in Crisis: War, Famine, Debt, and Disease.” The three simulated committees - the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council and the Security Council - collectively passed nine resolutions, providing solutions for issues ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to reducing the spread of disease in post-conflict situations.
“I am so honoured to have been part of this Stelly’s MUN journey! The students' decorum, their diplomacy, their articulate arguments, their conviction and their empathy combined to make them deserving award recipients for this conference,” said Kate Reston, English Department Chair and teacher-sponsor of Model UN at Stelly's Secondary.
Students from Pacific Christian School, Belmont Secondary, UVic and Stelly's also participated in a speech contest, with Stelly's Secondary's Armand Birk winning the high school category.
“I didn't win the speech contest: the Stelly's team won the speech contest. I would never have been so successful without their support,” said Birk, a grade 12 student.
Birk and the rest of the Stelly's Model UN club all agree that MUN's value goes far beyond success at conferences. The experiences they had at UVic MUN will serve them both in and outside the classroom.
Peter Reston, winner of Honourable Mention in the Human Rights Council believes that “the ability to speak with others and cooperate, as well as being able to develop positive and beneficial solutions to complex problems applies to all facets of life,” surely supporting the notion of MUN skills being applicable beyond school walls.