Written by Lenard Murray
Executive Head of Schools

“Without collaborative dialogue, the world cannot converge upon solutions to our problems.” 

As educators, we believe that conferences such as these place important issues at the forefront, including regional conflicts, the rights of women, children and human rights in general. Furthermore, there is a focus on peacekeeping, economic and social development, and of course, the environment. Our goal is to provide students the opportunity to learn more about the world through communication and collaboration. Through MUN, students will gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the United Nations and build skills in diplomacy, compromise and decision making, so they will have the opportunity  to make changes and solve problems.

For the reasons mentioned above, SIS Schools place great emphasis towards student participation in MUN (Model United Nations). Equally, it gives students an opportunity to practice and improve upon their public speaking skills and confidence in general. It  teaches students important debating skills, which will benefit them in University and in their careers. Being knowledgeable, confident and believable is half the battle. If students can gain the ability to change someone’s opinion, they then gain strength over their adversaries and will have a better chance at becoming strong leaders.

MUN offers students the forum to practice and hone their skills while in Secondary and JC years, so they will be one step ahead of others when they leave. To improve at anything, we need to continuously practice. Some people are lucky enough to have a natural gift of gab (they can easily talk about anything in a charismatic way) but the fact is; many people out there, cannot. The only way for them to become more confident speakers is by practice, which will in turn gain them the experience necessary.  We must write a lot to become great writers, thus we must speak a lot to become great speakers. 

Other the past few years there has been a lot mentioned about what students will need to make it in the 21st Century. Certain skill sets and an entrepreneurial mindset will need to be mastered for the best opportunity at success. Below are the  12 main skills that students will need to possess if they wish to prosper in the 21st century. Model United Nations offers students the right set of circumstances to gain expertise in all 12 skills and build the confidence necessary to succeed with an entrepreneurial spirit.

1. Critical thinking
2. Creativity
3. Collaboration
4. Communication
5. Information literacy
6. Media literacy
7. Technology literacy
8. Flexibility
9. Leadership
10. Initiative
11. Productivity
12. Social skill

Please read further regarding the advantages and benefits of being involved in MUN:

https://www.mindler.com/blog/advantages-and-benefits-of-mun/