Model United Nations is a simulation of UN conferences where people can learn about international relations and diplomacy. Every year Fountainhead School hosts a MUN which is a student-led event. This year I got the opportunity to be the Head of Hospitality or the Organizing Committee Head. I had a lot of work assigned both during and before the event. The biggest task was leading the whole OC and making sure they work together efficiently. The Learning Outcomes of this CAS experience were LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5, LO6, and LO7.
LO1 – Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth.
I’ve always been told that I’m a good leader and I can make people work efficiently. That is a strength I am proud to have. One of my weaknesses that sometimes creates an obstruction is that sometimes I may lose control of my emotions and get frustrated easily. As far as the event was concerned I tried to keep my cool for as long as possible and I don’t think it really acted as a barrier for me this time.
LO2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
I often struggled with communicating with new people, as I felt really awkward. During the event I had to communicate with the EB initially I felt it was hard to break the ice but then I got more comfortable. I found myself interacting freely with people I had just met and that is going to help me further in life when I’ll be more exposed to the outside world and will have to talk to new people.
LO3- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
I was very much involved in the planning of the whole event and aided the Core Committee when needed. I learned the back story of how an event is organized and put into place. From managing the logistics to contacting people the event gave me varied experiences. What I learnt about myself is that I like organizing events and I’m good at it. Both planning and initiating the event was an equally tough task, as during the event there were some last-minute crisis and had to work upon it quickly to help maintain the flow of the event.
LO4-Â Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
For the planning of the event, I had to come early regularly which is a challenging task because I’m not a morning person. There were also rough patches sometimes within the core team whom I worked directly under, we had to overcome all the grudges and individual grievances so that the event would altogether be a success. Sometimes there was so much work that it got overwhelming, but I was committed to the task because this is something I like doing.
LO5-Â Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
An event can’t be put together by one person single-handedly, and hence it requires teamwork and collaboration. One thing to keep in mind while working in a team is to be open-minded and respect everyone’s opinion.
LO6-Â Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
LO7-Â Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions