Programs
Vancouver Model UN
A group of 20 Shawnigan students connected with more than 1,500 of their peers from around the world last weekend at the 22nd annual session of the Vancouver Model United Nations, the largest high school student-organized MUN conference in North America.
The group included a pair of award winners, as Findlay H. and Ivana W. were named Outstanding Delegate in their respective committees. Findlay received the honour for representing Jamaica in the Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC), and Ivana was recognized for representing the Netherlands in the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM).
“It felt great,” said Findlay, a Grade 10 student in his second year at the School and first year of MUN. “I worked really hard to be as prepared as possible. My whole life, I’ve loved public speaking and I’ve been told I’m talented at it, and it was a really pleasant surprise when I ended up winning.”
Findlay was one of 150 “very talented people” in DISEC, so he wasn’t expecting to receive any awards. “There wasn’t one delegate that didn’t carry themselves well and speak well,” he said. “That’s why I thought I had a low chance of winning.”
Similarly, Ivana stood out among 200 delegates to SOCHUM. Also a Grade 10 student, Ivana is in her first year at Shawnigan, and says that MUN was one of the reasons she chose to attend Shawnigan, because it combines her interests in discussing political and social issues around the world, and talking about resolutions to related questions with her desire to improve her speechmaking skills. “I wasn’t the best at public speaking, so I joined (MUN) as a way of developing that skill,” she said. “It provides you with a lot of opportunities for that.”
Even though there were so many people at VMUN, Ivana says it felt like a close-knit community because everyone was there with the same goal. “You’re comfortable enough to talk with everyone there,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what age they are; even people who are three years older, you’re still on the same level.”
As a delegate for the Netherlands, Ivana had to gain extensive knowledge about that country prior to VMUN. “You have to research a lot, and write a lot of position papers,” she explained. “You have to do a lot of reading; there’s a lot to learn about a country to be able to embody their position.”
Findlay expressed his appreciation for Mr. Paul Klassen, who runs Shawnigan’s MUN program. “Mr. Klassen is very good at what he does,” Findlay said. “And he practices what he preaches — diplomacy and being respectful of others.”
There are many benefits to MUN, Findlay added, but one of the biggest is the diplomacy skills that it imparts. “It teaches you how to best work with people you might not get along with otherwise, and how to form relationships with those people, and that’s an important skill in any work environment.”
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
