While attempting to write an introduction to our new online initiative this afternoon, it was a Board member’s comment that stopped me in my tracks. The gist of his message was that ‘catastrophic’ and ‘unprecedented’ had become part of the boilerplate language we are seeing daily. From the social media posts from our local cafe to the leaders of nations (well, most leaders) daily reminding us on cable news, we know something horrible is unfolding, too big to wrap our heads around. This is the steady drumbeat that is hard to escape and this new rhythm is unfamiliar and disconcerting. My own social media feed is feeling additionally heavy-equal measures of anger and sadness: MUN conferences canceled, the long-awaited and hard-earned duties of Secretary General obliterated, and for many, a whimpering end to a high school or university MUN career. Model UN delegates know, because we are smart and understand big words like ‘exponential growth’ and ‘pandemic’, that catastrophic and unprecedented accurately describe this moment. I also bet that many of us have been debating these weighty topics in our committees for years. We get it! We understand!
So where does this moment in time leave the MUN community. Beyond the sadness and frustration, what else can we discover about ourselves?
In searching for this answer and to keep my mind off of my Twitter feed, I gathered up three MUN Impact collaborators and partners: Board member Andrew ‘Newmo’ Newman, our Director of Global Operations Cody Eckert, and our new Technical and Partnerships Lead, Erik Novak. We began to brainstorm what MUN might look like in the midst of an unfolding pandemic. And delegates, I have some encouraging news. For starters, you can read about our MUN@Home initiative here. It’s jrOMUN on steroids-a free, asynchronous debate prep activity connecting students from around the world. We are focusing on SDG Targets, how to research, write resolutions and craft that powerful opening speech. But beyond the more obvious MUN stuff, I see glimmers of incredible opportunity. First, our potential pool of MUN@Home participants is gigantic. Experienced delegates will have an opportunity to hone their skills for another day. Building a program and a movement, if it is to be truly global and student-driven, is time consuming and labor intensive, something many of us have in abundance at the moment. Of course, having to do things differently brings out our creativity, pushing us to try new things and to step up and take ownership of seemingly crazy ideas. This energy reminds me of OMUN’s early days, that intense esprit de corps which lives on in its founders today. Perhaps the most important thing that will grow out of this moment will be the expansion of our ranks, the inclusion of individuals looking for connection and who will bring their talents and fresh perspectives to our community. I’ve seen it today in our Edmodo mentors, 25 high school and university students from every continent, each with a story of Covid-19 MUN disappoint, yet all excited to be part of trying something new. MUN Impact is blessed to have these young adults as partners. All of us will reap the benefits of their engagement.
So to all those delegates, conference organizers, Directors and MUN vendors out there struggling through disappointment and pain -MUN Impact is sending you love and solidarity. When this moment in history passes and the sad and scary moments have lost their sting, I know that we will look around and see and FEEL a very different MUN family, one that is bigger, more diverse, more connected and more committed to addressing and solving our enormous challenges. That’s just who MUN delegates are and always have been. If our MUN@Home mentors are a window onto our future, I can tell you this- we are going to be ok! We’ll be better than ok.
Model United Nations has never needed to prove anything to anyone. We are who we are and we’re awesome, thank you very much. But we can make something of this moment. This is the challenge and opportunity we are presented with. This is Model United Nations moment to truly shine. So let’s do this, delegates. Let’s roll up our sleeves, connect, and get to work.
~Lisa Martin, Executive Director/Founder of MUN Impact & Online Model United Nations
#munsolidarity #MUN4theSDGs #wegotthis #stayathome #FlattentheCurve #MUNatHOME
