Twelve Arcadia students will participate in the World Model United Nations (MUN) from March 14 to 18. Established in 1992, WorldMUN is a collaborative student simulation of the practices, actions and debates of the real United Nations.

Each year, a host city is selected to hold the annual WorldMUN. Past locations include Puebla, Geneva, Beijing and Istanbul. This year, the conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan.

WorldMUN promotes friendship across borders and a deeper understanding of cultures and perspectives beyond one’s own. Last year more than 2,400 student delegates and 400 faculty advisers from more than 50 countries participated.

This year, 22 committee simulations will be held, including WorldMUN’s first Spanish-language committee along with its first Joint Crisis Cabinet—an intensive interactive specialized agency focused on the situation in Sri Lanka. In addition to the simulation of the UN, the events include in-conference site-seeing visits, nightly social events and a post-conference trip.

Mairead Comaskey ’10 is a WorldMUN veteran. It is her second year participating in the program, so she knows how to prepare for the conferences. “I know we not only have to be very knowledgeable about both the policies of country we represent and the policies of the committee, but we also have to be prepared to articulate ourselves quickly, confidently and in the proper UN procedure during some rather heated caucuses,” she says.

In addition to the simulations, Comaskey knows that the social events can be just as rewarding. “I look forward to meeting delegates from around the world and learning about the wide range of interesting things that they are involved in and are experiencing,” she says. Having made friends with students from the Netherlands and Italy, she was able to visit them over the summer. 

In addition to making life-long friends, the students also hope to come home with a photo with the Taipei Love statue, which is just like the one housed in Philadelphia’s Love Park.

The following students will be participating: Christopher Anderson, Megan Beck, Mairead Comaskey, Matthew Dalrymple, Kimberly Martel, Michael Myers, Cathryn Sarras, Brett Sharpe, Kelly Stavrides, Mellania Tanada, Rachel Teter, and Jasmine Washington.