Hands-On Learning: Montana High School Students Take on Model UN
Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - 300 Montana high school students will descend on the University of Montana next week to participate in the annual ‘Model United Nations’.
I spoke with Dave Kuntz, UM Director of Strategic Communications about the gathering.
The Model United Nations Starts Next Week at UM
“For almost six decades, we host the Montana Model UN conference,” began Kuntz. “This conference brings in over 300 students from Montana and Idaho for a two day conference here at the university to do two things. One, learn about international issues and International Affairs, and then break into a Model UN session where they'll emulate UN processes and procedures and just really get a hands-on learning experience on our campus.”
Kuntz dove deeper into what these high school students will experience.
High School Students Will Act as Delegates for Different Nations
“They'll work through some mock issues and break into little teams that represent different nations,” he said. “Really, it provides them that opportunity to not learn from a textbook or from a lecture, but really break into sessions where they can work through different issues, different international affairs and form different teams to get that real world experience. This is something that doesn't just happen here in Montana, because there will be a team from this conference of 12 students that will be sent to a week long National Model UN conference in New York City later this year.”
Kuntz said the UM Political Science Department is leading the way in the model United Nations.
It is Hoped That the Experience Will Lead to Students in Coming to UM
“We know here at UM that students learn and knit in different ways and fashions, and so this is just another example of our Political Science Department here at the College of Humanities and Sciences, bringing kind of a new lane to education and providing these students with an opportunity to take what they've learned so far through the school year here on the campus, to be able to execute a UN session here next week,” he said.
Kuntz said, of course, it is hoped that the delegates will eventually want to attend UM after graduation.
“It provides us an opportunity to recruit a lot of these students too,” he said. “Anytime we can host a big event of high school students on our campus, whether it's Model UN, our music camps, our journalism camps, our athletic camps, it does provide us that opportunity to get students on the campus, get them into our facilities, into our dining facility, into our residence halls and begin that process of hopefully turning them into Grizzlies.”
Get more information about the Model United Nations here.