By Chris Park, Secretary General of SEOMUN XXI
The 21st Annual Seoul Model United Nations was hosted by the Korea International School from November 9-11, 2018 at the COEX Convention Center with participants from over a dozen countries. The Secretariat invited several clubs from international schools near Seoul that work to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals to the “MUN Impact Zone.” In the Zone, the student leaders had an opportunity to share their work to contribute to our local communities and join the global dialogue for change. SEOMUN participants had the opportunity to browse through each club booths as they learned the drives of the club leaders in doing what they do. The Secretariat hopes that the participants will return back home and begin taking action to combat the perils of indifference (the conference theme).
We wanted to share the stories of some clubs featured at the Impact Zone.
Well-Fair
Well-Fair is a student-led club from Korea International School that work to educate people on women’s health and empower women in our school and the local community. In sharing their passion through aesthetic and powerful posters, they discussed their work with a local organization advocating for women’s rights and health.
Social Justice League
SJL has a clear presence on KIS campus. It’s student leader, Sarah Oh, shares with us that it “is a progressive voice on the KIS campus. Each quarter, we focus on a theme such as women’s rights and body image to develop a deeper awareness of social injustice. Our activities include managing bulletin boards and posters, as well as multimedia projects. One of our major projects from this past year was installing free sanitary items in the women’s bathrooms. We’ve taken a significant role in leading the annual Human Rights Week as well as attending protests such as the Women’s March and the LGBTQ Festival. SJL’s influence is growing rapidly, and we are excited to be the trailblazers of KIS”. They brought their “#ImAFeminist” pin that many participants–delegates, student officers, and advisors–wore proudly throughout the conference.
World Wildlife Fund
WWF is a cub from Seoul Foreign School whose goal is to make people realize the issues outside the urban Seoul metropolitan area. According to their club leader, Henry Kim, “Our club is a wildlife/endangered species preservation program which strives to spread awareness and take initiative to help in this cause around our own community. Through hosting physical volunteer activities, holding campaigns around campus, and researching, our club envisions to encourage our school and the local regions around us to join our movement in conserving wildlife.” One of the student leaders of the club, Ana Park, served as the Deputy Assistant President of SEOMUN International Court of Justice.
The MUN Impact Zone was open during the SEOMUN participant’s lunch and break After the Impact Zone closed, all the clubs leaders had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion. Each of the club representatives introduced themselves and elaborated on how their work has positively impacted their community. It was interesting to see how even with the diverse goals and approaches to action each club had, they all shared a central goal: a hope for a better tomorrow that can only be possible through our individual determination for action. Many of the club leaders mentioned how the listeners were very kind and didn’t hesitate to donate to their cause. Some members also mentioned how other guests from the venue came to listen to the presentations and wished for the MUN Impact Zone to be open for more than one day.
The SEOMUN XXI Secretariat team truly appreciates these student leaders who visited us to share their work with our participants. We are confident that these clubs left a deep impact through showing what is possible when we translate our passion for the various issues debated in MUN to creating a real movement that pushes for change.
SEOMUN XXII will be hosted by the Seoul Foreign School in November 2019.
