Model United Nations at Canisius College, 2014

You may be deeply saddened or overwhelmed by recent events in the global arena, but all hope is not lost. Many strong, smart, and dedicated individuals remain committed to the causes of peace and humanitarianism, including the alleviation of human suffering, the protection of human rights, and the promotion of global and human security. Many of those people work for or with the United Nations.

Here at Canisius College we have a Model United Nations club -- it functions currently as a subsidiary of the International Affairs Society -- and we are always looking for new members of both organizations. On Thursday 4 September, Ean Tierney -- Secretary-General of the Canisius College Model UN -- will host an organizational meeting of the Model UN group in the Political Science Conference Room at 4:30 p.m.

The meeting will identify priorities, the most significant of which in the short run is the High School Model UN conference. Each year (for over 35 years running!) Canisius College hosts the conference and we staff the simulation: six concurrent sessions that run for the better part of the school day and give the high school students (roughly 300-400 of them!) opportunities to role-play the diplomats who represent the countries of the world at the United Nations.

If you are potentially interested in the Model UN, this is one of the main events, and we hope you will volunteer to help out. With the cooperation of your professors, you may be excused from classes for the day to help run the conference or moderate the sessions.  If you are interested in intercollegiate competition: join as a volunteer, get trained in the protocols and rules of procedure, and then become part of the team that might later be involved in (friendly) competitions with other colleges (say, for example, at LEIMUN).

I urge you to consider helping out with the Model UN. It is a very rewarding experience and a great way to perform a valuable community service for the high school students in our area. And maybe you'll make a couple of new friends who also care about international relations and (like you) want to be a force for positive change in the world!

If you are interested but cannot attend please be sure to contact Ean Tierney as soon as possible. And while I have a family obligation that will keep me from this first meeting, I hope to see you at a future MUN meeting and at the conference!

Cheers,
JMD