Model United Nations hosts conference competition
March 7, 2022
On Saturday, February 26, Fossil Ridge High School’s Model United Nations club hosted a conference for students from all over Colorado to compete in several events focused on multiple current events and topics. MUN is a club in which students meet to discuss current affairs, generally those which happen on a large or global scale. Through this club, students are presented with opportunities to compete at a variety of levels from beginner to advanced.
When attending a Model UN conference, students will represent different countries’ viewpoints on topics, determined by the hosting school, and will partake in moderated and/or unmoderated discussions in attempts to earn votes for their country’s resolution, and have a chance to win an award in their event.
At this weekend’s competition, there were four main areas of discussion for students to compete in: effects of pollution on public health, access to education in developing countries, gun violence/ gun control in the United States, and recognition of Kosovo. Also addressed were several aspects of the current war in Ukraine. Niall O’Dwyer, a teacher at Fossil as well as the MUN sponsor, states, “the events of the last few weeks have reminded us of the importance of diplomacy.”
This weekend’s conference was a big success for Fossil and took a lot of hard work from everyone involved to put on the event. O’Dwyer described the event as, “a really significant undertaking.” Hosting this event required many members from the group to be on board, and working hard to make it happen, but in the end, “People were very very grateful for that effort,” explains O’Dwyer.
While a lesser known club at Fossil, O’Dwyer describes it as a “niche” community of students. “It’s good that young people would think about how to solve problems in the world,” states O’Dwyer. Even from the beginning of this year the club has seen an increase in people who are interested in attending meetings and competitions. After last season with COVID-19 and less competitions, the team is happy to have the opportunity to compete and is looking forward to the rest of a successful season.
