[JSRC 학생기자] Be a Student Diplomat at Model UN

You can be a Student Diplomat at the Model UN Conference!
Hyelin “MaryAnn” Shim

Since summer break is coming, Many high school students are making plans for their break. To the students who are struggling with that problem or have great attention and interest in worldwide social issues, I highly recommend to participate in Model UN, also known as MUN.
So, what is the Model UN? It’s literally a “model” of a UN conference. Each student becomes a delegate of an assigned country and a committee member such as Security Council and General Assembly’s committees including Disarmament and International Security Committee, Special Political, and Decolonization Committee, etc. Also, this is a simulation of an actual UN conference; the students should wear formal clothes and cannot use first person pronouns. For example, “This delegate” or “Delegate of Republic of Korea” is used to represent oneself rather than “I”.
Regarding procedures of conference, each committee has at least two agendas about recent world issues. To begin with, participants pick the agenda they want to talk about. After they pick the agenda, delegates present their position. Then, like-minded countries’ delegates cooperate with each other to write a resolution, which can equally benefit all of them.
At the end of the conference, there will be an award during a closing ceremony. Participants who show distinguished talent or remarkable ability to be future diplomats during the conference will be awarded by secretariats and chairs.
Generally in the Model UN conference, the delegates can only use English. However, since the huge number of Model UN conferences, some Model UNs provide not only Korean committees, but also Chinese or Japanese committees. Furthermore, if you are a beginner participant of model UN, some organizations or conferences offer a workshop or training program. So, you do not have to worry about anything.

If you are interested in global social issues or debating contests, the Model UN will be a valuable and memorable experience to you.


Inner City EAT & READ
YoonJi Kim

On April 17th, Key Club members from Glenbrook South High School served lunch and read books for students in William H. Brown Public School, located in Chicago, IL. On the previous day, the club members spent hours to prepare over one hundred lunch bags. Each of the bags included a sandwich, some juice, and a bag of chips, and 50 books were donated by one of the teachers from GBS. Before the event started, the principal of Brown Elementary School had a brief speech in front of the club members. The principal informed that 95 percent of the students were African Americans, and over 90 percent of the students were receiving free lunch. He let the volunteers recognize that most of the students are experiencing economic problems, and she pleaded with the club members to give the kids hope and encourage them during the event. First, they paired up, and the Key Club members read the books There’s a Wocket in my Pocket! and Green Eggs and Ham for the kids, yet some kids, who loved to read, read the book by themselves. After 30 minutes, they had lunch and also had conversations about their family, friends, and school. The time flew, then the time to say goodbye came very soon. Some kids said such words as, “Can’t you not leave? Can you come back again?” Everyone felt bad to be parted and promised to come back again. Through this activity, the kids learned hope, and the Key Club students also learned something. They used to have a bias about the inner city; that it is very dangerous and poor. But this activity totally changed their perception of the inner city because the kids from there were as normal as the kids from their neighborhood. More than the purpose of the event, it became an enormously great time for both the Key Club members and the kids. Hopefully, it will be a good motivation for the upcoming days of each one’s life.

Exchange Students Have International Dinner Meeting
Hyun Jie Jung

Exchange students from the agency of DMD had international dinner meeting on April 12th, 2015. The meeting was hosted at Belvidere Community Center in Belvidere, Illinois. More than 25 students from Korea, China, Thailand, and other countries and their host families were in attendance.
The most important aspect of the meeting was that the students needed to prepare a dish to share from their home countries to serve other people from different countries while beverages and table service were provided. Many students say that it was their first time ever to make food by themselves. Caroline Hong, a Korean exchange student, said, "I usually help my family for dinner, but I've never made something on my own." She also mentions that sharing dishes with her friends from different countries is such an awesome idea.
During the meeting, the exchange students talked about their lives in America and shared their best memories that they had here. Most students mentioned their host families while talking, which made the host families happy. Some boys drew lots of laughs from the audience by talking about the girls in America or the possession of guns. The exchange students and the host families had lots of fun talking to one another and learned more about different cultures. They also learned about their departure, when to leave, and what to do from the area representative.
Tony Le, a Vietnamese exchange student, said that it was a great time to share experiences of the past year and prepare for departure. The exchange students are now ready to share the memories that they just made during the meeting to their families back in their home countries!