William and Mary High School Model United Nations
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The William and Mary High School Model United Nations Conference (WMHSMUN) is held annually at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. With over 1250 high school delegates from all over the world, and over 100 staff members, WMHSMUN is one of the largest high school Model UN simulations in North America.
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[edit] What is WMHSMUN All About?
[edit] Mission
Every year for two decades, hundreds of high schoolers have come to the College of William and Mary in November to participate in the William and Mary High School Model United Nations Conference. Over the course of the three-day conference, the students (or, delegates as they are called at the conference) simulate the organs of the United Nations, as well as several other cabinets, governing bodies, and groups significant to international relations and politics. The experience aims to hone delegates' speaking and negotiation skills while affording them the opportunity to meet new people and to explore the William and Mary campus.
[edit] Background
The Conference is the product of William and Mary's International Relations Club (IRC) and is entirely run and organized by students within the organization. WMHSMUN was first held in 1986, and since then, the IRC has hosted 19 successive conferences. The IRC held its twentieth anniversary conference, WMHSMUN XX, November 10-12, 2006. Plans are currently underway for WMHSMUN XXI, which is likely to be held in November 2007.
[edit] Past WMHSMUN Conferences
[edit] WMHSMUN XIX
At WMHSMUN XIX, 24 individual committees were featured. Of these, 10 were larger General Assembly Committees, and 14 were specialized crisis agencies. Some highlights included the modern 15-member United Nations Security Council, the Versailles Conference of 1919, the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and the Mexican Cabinet - which was run exclusively in Spanish.
One very special feature was the last minute addition of a simulation of the Second Continental Congress, which was held in the College's historic Wren Building.
[edit] WMHSMUN XX
At WMHSMUN XX, held November 10-12th, 2006, 25 committees were featured - 10 of which were large General Assembly committees and 15 of which were specialized crisis agencies. For the twentieth anniversary, several new additions were made, including the United Nations Environmental Program, a special meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Arab League, and a historical simulation of the Soviet-Afghan War.
In addition, WMHSMUN XX once again offerred a simulation conducted in the Wren Building, the oldest academic building in continuous use in America, located on the William and Mary campus. The committee selected for this honor was a meeting of the British Parliament, circa 1605.
Also, WMHSMUN XX included the special last-minute addition of ghost tours throughout Colonial Williamsburg on the first night of the conference.
[edit] This Year's WMHSMUN Conference
[edit] WMHSMUN XXI
WMHSMUN XXI will be held November 16-18, 2007. Clifton Martin has been appointed as Secretary-General of WMHSMUN XXI. The timeframe for appointed positions within the conference will likely wrap-up in mid-April 2007, as has been the case in previous years.
[edit] External links
Official Home Page for WMHSMUN: http://www.wmhsmun.org/
Official Home Page for the William and Mary IR Club's middle school conference, WMIDMUN: http://www.wmidmun.org/
