The Iowa Model United Nations conference is held annually at the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. High schools from across the state flock to the event, which affords students the opportunity to learn about diplomacy and the roles of cooperation, communication and compromise in fostering international relations. In the fall of 2016, then-junior Abigail Melbourne created a Model United Nations chapter at Pleasant Valley High School, hoping to attract classmates who wished to educate themselves on relevant global issues.

“I was thrilled to start MUN at PV because it is a crucial chance to train students to be global, conscious citizens,” said Melbourne, the founder, current president and head delegate of the group. “It helps them become capable of applying classroom critical-thinking skills to real-world issues.” Since its formation last year, the Model United Nations club has exploded in popularity; it boasts a membership of 40 students, ranging in age from freshman to seniors, who are excited to put their numbers to use at this year’s spring convention. Because of increased participation, the group will be able to represent two countries — India and Spain — as opposed to just one country the year prior.

Sophia Xiao, a first-year member of Model United Nations club, told the Shield, “MUN represented a very unique opportunity that intrigued me. I was interested in learning about politics, especially after taking French and attending the World Food Prize, so I joined. It was definitely a good decision.”

In the months leading up to the MUN forum, each student is assigned a delegate position on a specific council that corresponds with an actual United Nations body, including Political and Security, ECOSOC and Disarmament. The delegates are then asked to prepare a position paper about their committee’s designated topic, which should cover the country’s perspective along with past UN decisions. Though the research is a lot of work, it plays a critical part in getting the students ready for their greatest challenge: the conference.

A two-day convention held on April 5 and 6, 2018, the Iowa High School Model United Nations conference provides an academic setting in which delegates can discuss foreign issues, form alliances with other member nations who possess similar agendas, learn the phraseology associated with passing or rejecting resolutions and experience firsthand the ways in which careful, tactful negotiation influences policy worldwide.