BRAMUN 2017 – by Ms. Brandi Colvin

Model United Nations (MUN) is an organization that fosters diplomatic inquiry, debate, and resolutions about past and current international issues. Students are introduced to topics in specific committees that resemble the actual topics and committees in the United Nations. Once the students (or delegates, as they are called in the committees) are assigned topics, they perform research on the issue, focusing on the point of view of their assigned country, and try to develop resolutions that will pass in the committees. This organization not only encourages students to stay abreast of current events, but allows them to take an active part in diplomatic resolutions. Students are forced to see other countries’ perspectives on the issues, in order for their suggested resolutions to appeal to a wider audience.
The largest conference that the MUN students at the Escola Americana de Belo Horizonte (EABH) participate in, is BRAMUN (Brazilian Model United Nations). The event took place from March 22 – 26, but the students had been preparing for it all year long. In September 2016, they participated in SPMUN (Sao Paulo Model United Nations), a smaller conference at which to gain experience before the larger BRAMUN. Students at EABH also participated in a MiniMUN (a mini Model United Nations), in which our own members were assigned a committee and a topic, then chose countries to represent as delegates. In the MiniMUN, we focused on the specific language and procedure used at conferences, already preparing for BRAMUN, which hosted around 450 students.
BRAMUN took place in Costa do Sauipe and everyone participated in general sessions and committee meetings at the conference center. The goal of the event is to get the students to create agreeable resolutions to each of the issues the committee has been assigned during the time allotted to them. Several committees have a “crisis” that they have to navigate through during their time at the conference. The committee chairs introduce the crisis and tell the delegates of each country that this new issue must be dealt with promptly, setting aside the issues that the students were prepared to address in favor for this new issue. Students must research the new issue in the crisis and create a resolution on the spot, with no prior preparation. Some of these crises take place during normal committee meetings, while others occur in the middle of the night, forcing the students to get up and think on the spot. Throughout the conference, students network among other delegates to discover which countries would be on their side of the issues, and make modifications to their proposed resolutions based on these conversations, just as real politicians do every day.
As a first year Model United Nations Director, I have learned an immense amount about the organization and structure of the conferences and simulations. The students always surprise me with the amount of preparation and dedication they show to their assignments, going above and beyond to ensure a successful committee and an agreeable resolution to the issues at hand. Students get to experience first-hand what it is like to be a politician and deal with international issues that develop. The students who participate in Model United Nations learn about effective communication, conflict resolution, time-management, and how to make a difference by actively getting involved in the political process.
At the 2017 BRAMUN, all students did an outstanding job. Some students got special recognitions:
Gustavo B. and Felipe L. earned verbal commendation as Al Arabiya news agency in the Press Corps.
Giovanna B. and Joana S. earned Honorable Mention as Somalia in the Arab League.
Elene S. earned the Vice-Chair position for a special committee at BRAMUN 2018.