Parker Model UN Hosts Virtual Global Symposium

In years past, Parker’s Model United Nations team has traveled to places such as Dubai and Mexico City. Due to the current global pandemic, traveling abroad is not an option, so Parker’s team created a way to still debate from home. 

 

On Wednesday, delegates from across the globe participated in a Global Symposium hosted by Parker’s Model UN. Students from schools in Athens, Greece; Berlin, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Bucharest, Romania; Istanbul, Turkey; and Stockholm, Sweden were present via Zoom.

 

Juniors Alex Carlin, Ivy Jacobs and Tess Wayland and seniors Grace Conrad and Alex Schapiro serve as co-captains of the team. Along with their advisors, US history teachers Jeanne Barr and Kevin Conlon, these students committed to the work to ensure the symposium’s success via its virtual format. 

 

“We all went in not knowing what to expect, particularly because it was something we had never done before, especially on an online platform,” said Conrad. “We were all blown away by not only the willingness of the delegates to speak and thrive in that space, but also their talent was incredible to all of us.”

 

Schapiro spoke on how this format allows for different perspectives on the topics at hand. “We can have someone from Sweden debating the nuances of a topic that they know a totally different side of because of the way they were brought up and the way they were educated. It really opens up your eyes to different viewpoints, and I think that’s the point of Model UN.”

 

The debate of the symposium centered on the International Atomic Energy Agency, circa 1984. Topics included production of nuclear energy, energy sources, environmental concerns and the use of nuclear energy for positive purposes. On choosing the topic, Wayland said, “We sort of worked backwards and said this is cool because it’s not focused on violence, it has an environmental aspect to it, and it’s a really good nuclear-energy-versus-nuclear-weapons debate. We wanted to still have a crisis—something happens in the middle of debate that spices things up—so we really liked the idea of doing something with Chernobyl.” 

 

The resulting resolutions ascertained the risks of nuclear energy, the importance of a regulatory body and standards to prevent another incident like Chernobyl from ever happening again. The co-captains noted that, had there been more time, more resolutions would have been passed, but they all took away important aspects from the experience.

 

“It made us realize that Model UN is universal in what we do, how we talk and how we engage with one each other,” Jacobs said. Carlin added, “It was so awesome to be able to connect with people across the globe. That’s truly the mission of Model UN, that collaboration and cooperation, and we were able to see that, but to the power of 15.”

 

These connections allow Parker students to explore different perspectives as they continue to become leaders in our global community.

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