ELEVEN students from The Hamilton and Alexandra College (THAAC) will soon be embarking on the experience of a lifetime, travelling to Brussels, Belgium to participate in the 2024 Model United Nations Europe conference.

From March 15 to 17, students from across the world will come together as delegates in multiple sessions of the General Assembly.

The structure of the conference is rigorous, to simulate a real United Nations committee in terms of their real-life topics and combining delegates from different background and experience levels.

THAAC Learning Analytics head, Tim Cameron will also be travelling with the group as an advisor at the Model United Nations Europe conference and said it will be “an incredible opportunity for these students”.

“The format of the General Assemblies requires ‘delegates’ to conduct thorough research, be an active participant for their resolutions, and work effectively with other members regardless of their background,” he said.

“There is a lot of work to do before we depart, including preparing an opening speech. Students have been assigned countries other than Australia, so it will be challenging for them to think outside personal beliefs, experiences, and points for view.

“We have Charlie in Year 12 representing Russian Federation and Holly in Year 10 has Serbia.  It will require considerable public speaking and debating while working as a team and incorporating global perspectives.”

Other countries THAAC students will be representing include Mexico, Myanmar, France, Denmark, Vietnam, Israel, Yemen and Venezuela.

Four students will be in the Disarmament and International Security committee, covering the two topics of The Weaponisation of the Cyberspace and Prevention of Illicit Arms Trafficking.

In the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues committee, five students will debate the topics of The Right to Food and the Protection of Children and Women in Conflict Zones.

The Legal committee will have one THAAC student looking at the topics of Ensuring the Criminal Accountability of UN Workers and The Management of Transboundary Aquifers.

“This conference was an idea pitched by the International Programs Prefect, Shavon Wong, at the end of 2023,” Mr Cameron said.

“It has been a tight timeframe to make this happen, however, the leadership team saw the benefits this program will bring to the students and their peers, and we knew we had had to make it happen.”

A Year 12 student, Wong, will be participating in a Regional Bodies committee, which covers a more specific region of the world and its particular needs and issues.

The committee for the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean will cover the demanding topics of Social Welfare, Transnational Capitalism, and Climate Crisis.

THAAC has been committed to providing local and global learning opportunities for students to engage broadly and whole-heartedly with the world.