This April 6th and 7th was the Model United Nations Spring Conference at UNI in Cedar Falls. The students involved included Jayden Smith, Caleb Lillquist, Elijah Hosmer, Daniel Stephenson, Laura Keenan, Marcus Plunkett, Margaret Kruse, Nathan Elsbernd, Noah McLaughlin, Randall Davenport, Senai Lewerke, Timothy Read and Erika Sloan. Elijah Hosmer was Mason City’s Head Delegate for the duration of the conference, and Daniel Stephenson, Laura Keenan, Marcus Plunkett, Margaret Kruse, Nathan Elsbernd, Noah McLaughlin, Randall Davenport, Senai Lewerke, Timothy Read and Erika Sloan represented the countries of Pakistan and New Zealand. Every student participated in various committees and represented their country respectively on different real world issues.
At the final general assembly of the conference, a select few out of the 500 students in attendance were awarded for Outstanding Position Paper Writing and Outstanding Delegate committee contributions, and Mason City had two students who were awarded this rare and prestigious honor. Nathan Elsbernd was awarded an Outstanding Position Paper Writing Award & Noah McLaughlin was awarded an Outstanding Delegate Award in the committee for Disarmament. Noah also was selected from his committee to present their resolution as a whole to the entire General Assembly at the conclusion of the conference.
Not only did the conference feature debates over real world issues, but it also featured many guest speakers. One of the speakers was an actual United Nations Chairmen, whose speeches left the entire room inspired and ready to make the world a better place for everyone. At the mere suggestion that the students sign a petition designed to raise awareness and support the work of the United Nations, the number of supporters on the petition page jumped by over a hundred in a matter of minutes. The entire room was filled with an air of progress. Each face in the crowd told a different story. Students of different ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds were able to come together in hopes of inciting real global change. Every one of them had a different idea of how they wanted to help the world, and 1,000 ways how they could do it, whether it be ending global hunger or halting climate change. In the words of the United Nations and guest speaker, “Despite everything in our current geopolitical state, looking around at this room of students, I know that the future of the United Nations and the future of the world is in great hands.”
Another Mason City student, Daniel Stephenson, had the opportunity to speak with the Chairman about his perspective on global politics, as well as having the honor to share with the chairman which of the United Nations’ Sustainable Goals for Development he felt was the most important. Strangely enough, he and the chairman happened to have the same goal in mind, number 17, the Partnerships for the Goals, because none of the goals are possible if the member countries cannot find a way to cooperate. Issues like poverty and world hunger will never be solved if the world as a whole cannot figure out a way to work together to solve them.
You can find more information on the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development and what you personally can do to help here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/