We received information of OFSMUN
in October last year. It was exciting to know that this MUN was being organised
for grades 6-8. What’s more was that it
was happening in Singapore! While we had heard a lot about MUNs, we were not
sure what it meant. We had always thought it was something our seniors
participated in.
Our initiation into MUN started
with us being told what MUNs were all about. Interested students were asked to
prepare on topics and were later interviewed. The list of students selected
then came out. It was exciting to know that we were selected and yet we were at
a loss. We were not sure of what we had
to do.
Our country allotment came next
and we were representing New Zealand.
That is when intensive training
started. We prepared our position papers through the winter break. Then we
participated in the PSNMUN 2013, some of us just as volunteers in committees so
that we could learn the nuts and bolts of how to conduct ourselves in
committees. Our senior, Aman Srivastava, was of great help in explaining to us
the procedures patiently and teaching us the dynamics of forming blocks and
lobbies.
We flew to Singapore on the 22nd
morning and had the day mostly to ourselves. We got a chance to look at the
city. Day 2 and 3 were serious MUN- ing days. We were a little lost at finding
out that we had to have our resolutions before hand and then debate these resolutions
clause-by- clause. Our position papers came to our rescue. We got used to it
quickly and were soon actively debating and discussing.
It was great to have made new
friends, seen and experienced a new country. A country that is naturally
multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, very clean and very particular about following
rules. We managed to visit Little India, China Town and went on the Night
Safari, which was great fun.
We look forward to participating
in more such conferences and truly encourage our friends to experience the
same. Debating and discussing topics as diplomats while still in grade 6 made
us feel really important. It required us, at all times, to actively listen,
think on our feet and drop inhibitions about speaking in front of so many people.
We would really like to thank
everyone who made this possible for us.
Deeksha Rajesh
Orkojeet Banerji
Grade 6
