Model United Nations’ students forego nametags for their country’s plaques, an odd practice used to better combat world problems.
In Model UN, when members speak they forsake the word ‘I’ for their plaque.
“It’s a little different, it’s a little weird, in that no one uses your name,” Senior Erin Whitfield said. “You are your country at that point. You don’t have a name anymore.”
Senior Alexander Battaglia said when looked at from the outside, Model UN is seen as a nerdy thing. He said It’s seen as a bunch of students putting on costumes and role playing.
Battaglia said he sees a greater purpose in all of it.
“It’s really amazing to sit in a room with other people who are all working to make the world a better place,” Battaglia said. “Knowing that this person is going to work to help rescue, this person is going to prosecute war crimes, this person is going to be the next state department ambassador to Yemen or work to end poverty or any number of things that challenge society.”
The roleplay is meant to achieve an overall purpose: to reach compromises through how a country feels as opposed to the individual.
“You’re supposed to be talking as a diplomat of that country and a diplomat of that country would not be referring to himself,” Whitfield said.
The Model UN is also about insight. It’s about seeing issues in a different light and learning how other countries view certain issues.
“I like being able to see issues through another country’s eyes,” Whitfield said. “You can see other ways of coming at a problem and see how something like poverty affects a different country a different way.”
Battaglia said with problems like global warming affecting the world, young people need to step up and pick up where their elders leave off.
This is where Model UN comes into play.
“It’s practice for formulating policies for the future,” Battaglia said. “It’s not as if those issues will just disappear once our parents leave positions of power. We have to step in and become the next people to fix those problems.”
Image Courtesy of UCA Model UN ‘s Facebook Page
