On Jan. 16, Mounds View High School kicked off its first meeting for Model United Nations (MUN). Though some students have participated in MUN in the past, Mounds View has never had an official chapter. This year, senior Emily Ren, with the help of social studies teacher Scott Oberg, had the idea to bring the program to Mounds View every Thursday after school.

MUN is an organization open to students in grades 7-12 to participate as a delegate from a country at an annual conference acting as delegates to the United Nations. The program is run by YMCA’s Center for Youth Voice, the same program that runs Youth in Government (YIG). This year, the conference is being held from April 4-6 at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, and any students looking to attend can register from Jan. 29 until Feb. 9. 

Prior to the conference, students can sign up for SUMMIT in March for pre-conference training, where they select the countries they hope to represent. During the conference, General Assembly delegates come together to discuss committee issues and interests pertaining to their countries, acting as diplomats. “They choose a country and then they debate about global issues from the perspective of that country. So, for example, if you wanted to go as a delegate from America, you would speak on issues like the economy [and] human rights from this perspective of America,” said Ren. 

Students may also have the opportunity to join other special councils or programs, depending on their grade — such as Media, which reports on important conference events, or the Human Rights Council, which focuses on issues and policy proposals of marginalized groups. “I [am] really looking forward to joining either the international courts or the security council because these two bodies are the ones that make decisions on humanitarian crises and rule on huge trials such as genocides or crimes against humanity,” said senior Michael Craig. 

Having participated in Minnesota’s MUN last year and setting up the conference for the past two years, Ren had the idea to start a Mounds View delegation after hearing more interest from students compared to previous years. “This year we are starting just a Model UN chapter here at Mounds View because we realized that it doesn’t need to be as big as YIG is for it to be fun,” said Ren. Ren serves as the 2024-25 chair of the state steering committee for the YMCA Center for Youth Voice, and she plans to be Mounds View delegation president for MUN. 

Ren, who is also Mounds View’s 2024-25 YIG delegation president, believes MUN is a great opportunity for YIG students to stay engaged in political activities year-round. Similar to MUN’s conference in April, YIG students travel every year to the Minnesota state capitol for a weekend to act out what it is like to be a part of a government. “I’m intending for it to be an extra fun thing that you can do on the side of YIG. So YIG’s the main event but Model UN is like, ‘Hey, if you’re still interested, you just want something to do in the spring, then you can join there,’” said Ren. 

Already, Ren has reached out to various members of YIG in hopes they will join the new MUN delegation. Craig is excited to learn more about what being a part of MUN will be like, as it is a very interactive environment compared to most classes. “What I’m looking forward to the most at MUN is learning more about global politics while spending time with my friends because it’s way easier for me to learn information when I’m not bored doing textbook readings and actually learning from applying the knowledge in a fun setting,” said Craig. 

Though the program hopes to appeal to YIG students, any student is encouraged to try out MUN and gain a new understanding of international politics. “I think Model UN allows you to speak from a different perspective, because you’re not representing your own beliefs. You’re speaking on behalf of a country. So it also allows for different engagement and practicing different public speaking skills and critical thinking skills,” said Ren. “[Join MUN to] have fun, make friends and do politics.”