Who We Are
Model United Nations is an educational simulation of the various bodies of the United Nations. By assuming the role of a state’s diplomatic representative and working under an explicit procedure in simulated sessions of various UN committees, students are able to take a global perspective on world events. As the student delegates interact in their roles as ambassadors to the UN, they make speeches, prepare draft resolutions, negotiate, and attempt to collectively solve the world’s most pressing problems. Model UN truly provides students with an opportunity to put into action the principles of international politics that they are taught in the classroom and see occur in the world everyday.
Hundreds of thousands of high school and college students participate in Model UN each year and many leaders in law, government, and business have participated in Model UN—including US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, former World Court Justice Stephen M. Schwebel, and ABC This Week anchor George Stephanapolis.
GTMUN is a two day conference for high school students that takes place on Georgia Tech’s campus located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1998, this conference has worked to bring international affairs to the high schools of the Southeast. The conference has grown in size over the years and now attracts schools from the entire Southeast and beyond. Run by Georgia Tech students from a variety of majors, GTMUN offers a range of committees and issues for high school students to enjoy.
We have two objectives as an organization. First, we strive to educate and enlighten high school students on a number of international issues. These issues range from the debate over the international political economy to nuclear arms proliferation. Our Model United Nations simulation places these students at the forefront of the issues and this forces them to develop viable solutions within a relatively short amount of time. Through negotiation, compromise, and shrewd manufacturing, students can push their own solutions through a passing vote of the entire committee body. Through the course of debate, an interesting dynamic can be seen. Many of the delegates who remain silent through the beginning sessions start to speak up and voice their opinions. Prior to the conference, many of these students have never cared about what goes on outside of their realm of high school. After they leave our conference, they at least know there is another world out there. They also know that there are at least two sides to every story.
Second, we also help develop the public speaking, writing, and leadership skills of the high schools students and our staff. Each committee ranges in size from 15 to almost 200 members and delegates have to use their strategic decision and problem solving skills to reach a consensus on each topic of debate.