The MUN trip to Barcelona was something out of the ordinary. It is every debating student’s dream to join an event of such scale. From the glorious university in which the opening ceremony was held, to the committee rooms, to even the talks with delegates outside sessions, there was a constant eager feeling for the next controversial clause.
MUN was officially declared launched in the opening ceremony, which took place in none-other than the University of Barcelona, beaming with ancient knowledge. The whole place was flooded with over 300 delegates, all excited for the next 3 days of intense debates. Following the greetings from the representatives of the American School of Barcelona and opening speeches, this year’s Executive Director hit the hammer and declared the MUN open.
A mere 30 minutes later, all delegates were in their committees, giving opening speeches, forming blocs, little unions and resolutions. As it was my first MUN, I was concerned that everyone would be hostile, that I wouldn’t get a word in, and instead - would be shunned to the back and branded a ‘newbie’. But everyone was friendly, expecting other participants to mess up at least once and therefore, supporting each other.
It was thrilling to see the momentum build up with every passing minute, to witness the rush for delegates to get their resolutions approved and to write speeches in support or against certain aspects. Even when the chairs declared the session over for the day, pressure and anticipation had already been built as the chosen resolutions were only to be published later in the evening.
The second day for the NATO committee started slowly, with everyone still getting used to everything. However, after only an hour of debating, all participants changed from half-certain to ‘full on’ representatives of their delegation’s views. It is safe to say that having 40 or more extremely intelligent people in the room debating one controversial aspect was the most heated and amazing conversation I had ever been in. Strategies were made, clear leaders surface, intelligent and appropriate humour blossomed.
The third day started off with immense heat, which died down only during the last minutes of the committee. After the final resolution was voted on, all points of information given and ‘The Gossip Box’ read, the delegates and chairs could finally let out a breath that had been saved up from the very first day.
BCNMUN is one of the most inspiring events one can go to. It is a conglomerate of intelligent and knowledgeable debates, yet, humour is still present, with someone cracking a joke at the most heated of moments. It is also very important to point out that most people who are afraid of speaking can learn to speak freely during an MUN Conference. The hardest part is always starting to speak.
The conference in itself is very friendly, extremely beneficial for developing debating strategies and putting yourself forward as a confident speaker. If you are a student searching for somewhere to relax, take your mind off current matters and engage in a heated debate on something along the lines of USA’s future in NATO or even just find new friends; then honestly, do yourself a favour and hit that ‘Sign Up’ button for MUN. You will NOT regret it.
Written by Tim Romanchuk, Year 11 student
