Grappling with tough issues drawn from the headlines, 28 students from Traverse City West Senior High School immersed themselves in big issues of the day at the Canadian American Security Councils conference.
Held December 1 and 2 in Windsor, Ontario, the conference drew students from around the Midwest and Canada to wrestle with preventing nuclear proliferation in Iran and the crisis in Sudan. Part of the Mid-American Model United Nations program, the conference models the struggles of diplomats from countries serving on the United Nations' Security Council, both the five permanent members and the ten non-permanent elected members.
Students from West High School portrayed the countries currently serving on the Security Council including the United States, Slovokia, Greece, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Russia and Argentina; Iran and the Sudan were present as observers.
For participating students, the recipe for success at the conference included preparation and research: knowing the issues, proposals, possible solutions and a country's position. The West students also gathered by country after arriving at their hotel in Windsor to run through some mock debates. They threw questions and opposing ideas at one another, responding ad lib, for excellent booster shot of preparation before the conference started.
During the conference, they presented their country's positions throughout the debates and resolutions, always acting as the real country would act.
"Being in character, doing what the country would do, is everything,” said Jalel Nadji, a senior at West High School who is participating in the Model UN program for the second year.
"When you go in there and give your first speech, everyone's either for or against or even, like Switzerland,” he added. "Charisma and presence make and difference in the first round.”
A passionate debater on principle, for whom politics is (somewhat) secondary, Nadji relished his role representing Iran and the chance to wrangle with issues.
"I made a statement that was blatantly against the United States that prompted 34 response questions,” he said.
Senior Hannah Bach, attending her first Model UN event, said the debates and perspectives from all the countries broadened her horizons.
"I was really interested to see how all the countries in the world felt about [these issues,]” said Hannah Bach, a senior. "There are so many other opinions you don't hear about here.”
Debating flash-point topics and wading through the morass of issues preventing a solution did not deter Bach from a feeling of tempered optimism after the conference.
"I came home thinking there would be a chance if people would be more diplomatic,” she said of solving major problems. "Also in the model Security Council we were dealing with logically thinking people and in the real world you're not.”
Although they stayed in character, sometimes the compromises reached took students into the realm of fantasy as their solutions would never become reality in the real United Nations.
"We decided things and came up with compromises that I don't think would really happen,” said Larry Warbasse, a junior at the school, adding that the real world was still present: "Sometimes people would be really stubborn or sometimes people would say something really personal.”
The Mid-American Model United Nations will host a full United Nations session in March for high school students from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. The annual conference, held in 2007 in Kalamazoo, draws hundreds of students every year for five days of ceremony, debates, committee meetings, politics and resolutions.
Under the direction of modern history teacher Charles Rennie, West High School offers a Model UN class for credit the second semester of the school year. During the fall, students meet after school to prepare for the Canadian American Security Councils event.
Passionate about the program, Rennie asserts that participating in Model UN events helps prepare students for college and life.
"They're very important skills — critical thinking and problem solving and time management — and the real high order analysis is amazing,” he noted. "This is one of the courses that really, really prepares them for colleges and universities.”