HIGH SCHOOL
Ms. Aria Cocheri - VISMUN Advisor
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“You (young delegates) are my Ship of Hope” said Regina Catrambone, co-founder of MOAS in an address to the Security Council Committee, reported by the VISMUN daily news. That was what VISMUN was about. Hopeful, optimistic and passionate students getting together to reflect on today’s world, through four intense days of workshops, debates and gathering. Verdala International School welcomed three schools to participate in its very first international MUN conference, from March 27th to 30th, QSI (Malta), The British School of Lomé (Togo) and the Green Hills Academy (Rwanda).
VISMUN has been in our MUNer's minds from the very beginning, when we started the MUN club five years ago. The Model United Nations (MUN) is an educational simulation designed to teach students about diplomacy and international relations as they role-play delegates of the United Nations and simulate various UN committees. Students have the opportunity to develop their research, public speaking, debating, writing, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills. We encourage students to engage in challenging discussions over economic, social and political issues present in the world today. After four busy years filled with mini-debates, diplomatic panel discussions and conferences abroad, we felt it was time for a little challenge and that is when we decided to work on the VISMUN project.
We could say “everything went fine, great adventure, great students, great debates, great resolutions…”, but it was so much more than all of that. VISMUN was a human experience. It taught us what collaborating means, what sharing is, what cultural understanding looks like. For some of us, VISMUN was the fulfillment of four years of building relationships with people. The opening ceremony at the the Presidential Palace, for instance, would not have happened without the precious link Ms Van Rooyen built with her dear Father Mintoff.
But why was VISMUN’s theme of “Peacebuilding” so relevant - and still is nowadays? It has become increasingly clear that not one of us is unaffected by the ongoing conflicts across the globe. Countering this scourge is in the interest of all nations and this issue has been the raison d’être of the United Nations since its birth. The local scenario emphasized this and we felt an urgent need to address how we can work together toward facilitating the integration of asylum seekers and migrants who fled war and persecution to seek a better future here in Europe. We all read the news, but even without reading about it, we all might have experienced situations where we wonder if that is what humanity looks like now.
As part of an international community, we are expected to be globally-minded and caring - after all, isn’t what the International Diploma is about? But what does that even mean? With VISMUN, we reflected on our responsibility toward this world and this society. By linking MUN with CAS, we came one step closer to the famous adage, “Don’t talk. Act. Don’t say. Show. Don’t promise. Prove”.
Her Excellency opening VISMUN 2019
VISMUN 2019 - Peacebuilding:
Promoting Sustainable Conflict Resolution