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CUIMUN
Maria in Nightingale 1 sent this report
Friday, 13 September 2019
The first day of our CUIMUN Model United Nations trip to Cambridge. Everyone arrived at school nice and early, in order to leave for Cambridge at 8.30 am. After a quick journey in the minibus (a special thank you to Mr Curtis for driving the team there and back!), we arrived in Cambridge at around 11am, where we had lunch and set off to Sidney Sussex College to leave our bags in our dormitories. Little did we know that this was the first of many walks back and forth from the Law Faculty to the centre of town - it was definitely worth all of those miles in the end! At around 2pm, all of the delegates collected in a large lecture hall where we had our opening ceremony, introducing us to the Chairs of our committees. Furthermore, we participated in multiple workshops, in order to reiterate how to correctly write a resolution, make amendments, in addition to a public speaking workshop, where we learnt how to speak with passion and persuasion. Delegates came from all around the world, and we made friends with students from a Dutch school in Athens, America, Romania, Italy, Spain, France, and even Singapore! Every delegate was so passionate about the United Nations, and it was clear that they too had spent a lot of time carefully researching their appointed countries. The Invicta students were representing three countries; Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Colombia.
Following the opening ceremony and workshops, the committees separated into different blocks around the site. Every committee had a student representing each country. I was part of the 'Special Committee of Children and Armed Conflict', hence our topics for debate were child soldiers, and the provision of healthcare to regions of conflict and refugee camps. Each delegate delivered a one-minute long policy statement, similar to an opening speech, in order to inform the other delegates about their country, and its opinions (and previous votes at UN conferences) on the topics at hand. After the speeches, we were invited to lobby with a minimum of thirteen other delegates, whose countries had similar views to ours. I, representing Ghana, co-signed two resolutions regarding child soldiers, and I was the main submitter of a resolution regarding healthcare in refugee camps. Later in the weekend, we would debate these resolutions, and the solutions to the problems at hand that they provided, altering them in order to make sufficient change and hopefully, resolve the problem of child soldiers and healthcare provision.
At around 6pm, after all of the lectures had finished, all of the delegates from Invicta went to Pizza Express for dinner. After eating a lot of delicious food, we walked to Peas Hill Lecture Hall in the centre of Cambridge, and danced, sung and enjoyed ourselves at a party thrown by the Model UN organisation. We made a lot of new friends, and it was definitely strange seeing all of the delegates in our committees in such a different context. We had only been at the party for five minutes, and Solape had already challenged a French student to a dance battle, and, of course, she won!
After a tiring, but exciting day, we went back to our college to sleep, so that we were well rested for the next day... the day of debating!
Emily in Bronte 2 sent this report:
Saturday, 14 September 2019
After an early start of 7.30am for breakfast we started the day, arriving in our committees at 9am, we then continued lobbying – it was a fast-paced, extremely loud environment where everyone is trying to get their opinions heard and voiced in the resolutions with their allies. After an hour of the continued lobbying, on the topic of Fair-Trade for the Economic and Financial Committee, we then sent off our finished resolutions to the approval panel.
Whilst we waited for our resolutions to be passed, we had an incredibly informative talk by esteemed alumni of Cambridge University who gave us a talk in the large lecture hall on advice when applying to Cambridge University, on topics such as writing personal statements and super-curricular resources to get engaged with.
Afterwards, we returned to our committees where we began debating the first resolutions on food insecurity within the Economic and Financial Committee, making amendments, giving speeches for and against. With so much information and opinions coming at once, it ensured that all of us were on the balls of our feet, asking points of information and intently listening so we could make the appropriate decision for our individual country - when it came to vote on the resolutions. With an hour for lunch only, and finishing at half six in the evening, the Economic and Financial Committee managed to pass three resolutions, two on food insecurity and the third on Fair-Trade, with amendments made to them as well.
Later that evening, we had the privilege of attending a formal dinner at Wolfson College, where we were served a delicious three-course meal of smoked Gressingham duck salad, chicken cooked with mozzarella and a tomato sauce, and an Eton mess cheesecake, with coffee and chocolates to end the meal. I can certainly say it was one of the best meals I have ever had.
Exhausted from the excitement of the day, and stuffed from the meal, we then proceeded to get on the coach back to Sidney Sussex College, where we were staying, and went to bed, eager for the debating to continue.
Solape in Frank 2 sent this report:
Sunday, 15 September 2019
Following an enjoyable formal dinner on Saturday evening, we awoke feeling revitalised and ready for another day of debating resolutions. Once we had finished a fulfilling breakfast we had to return to our committee rooms and continue another series of intense and passionate debates on the resolutions that were put forward on Friday's lobbying session. The SOCHUM committee that I was on began with the question of promoting vaccinations in which several approaches to providing impoverished areas with suitable vaccination programmes was thoroughly discussed. The biggest highlight of that morning would by far be the "Gossip Boxes" that the committees put together which consisted of cute, hilarious and heart-warming messages written by delegates for their fellow delegates. After a satisfying lunch we sat ourselves in the Cambridge Union where the General Assembly debate took place. The question of preserving endangered languages and foreign interference was debates however through the strong and challenging arguments put forward by the likes of Russia, China neither resolutions were passed. The closing ceremony was the next item on the agenda in which awards were given for particular delegates. A special mention goes to Lape and Emily who won "highly commended" and "distinguished delegate" awards. Then we had to say some unfortunate goodbyes to the many friends that we made over the weekend followed by a swift and safe travel back to Maidstone.
