Wynter Ross took a glance at her fellow delegates at Dutchess BOCES’ Model United Nations in the Villard Room at Vassar College and shared what she sees for the future.
“I have so much fun doing this,” the John Jay High School senior said. “I love being able to converse with my fellow delegates. I love the culture of learning and the culture of academia that it fosters with peaceful dialogue.
“When I look in this room, I see future politicians; I see future lawyers, and what I see is the potential for peaceful and respectful dialogue across political and sociopolitical aisles for years to come.”
Students from seven Dutchess County high schools – Arlington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John Jay, Poughkeepsie, Roy C. Ketcham, Spackenkill and Webutuck – served as delegates from nations around the world to come up with a resolution to “The Republic of Sudan: Civil War & Conflict in the Darfur Region” at the simulated event organized by Dutchess BOCES’ Educational Resources.
Ross, who is a Student Representative on the Wappingers Central School District Board of Education, was participating for a third year in a Dutchess BOCES Model UN.
“It gives me the ability to negotiate diplomacy and to make sure everyone has their voices heard and expressed in a very polite manner,” she said.
Students received information to read prior to the event pertaining to their role. Students stepped to the podium to express the views of the nation they were representing. There were motions to suspend the meeting, giving delegates from the different nations time to interact and work toward a solution.
“I think it’s going really well,” said Cara Braun, a Professional Development Specialist at Dutchess BOCES. “One thing that we did differently for today’s simulation was we made sure each country had representatives from four different schools. Students were working with others who were not from their particular school building so it really forces them to get out of their comfort zone and really hone those negotiation skills which are critical in trying to get a resolution to be passed.” Braun added, “Model UN is a great opportunity for all students, no matter what level they’re at. This does not have to be students who are high achievers or are taking AP classes. It’s really open to all students to build those skills like negotiation, collaboration, public speaking that really help to develop their resume of things that they can do moving forward after high school.”
The final resolution was introduced by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and included a ceasefire, humanitarian support and UN peacekeeping troops and African union troops in civilian cities and contested territories.
Theodora Viles, a sophomore at Arlington who represented Ukraine, was participating in her second Model UN organized by Dutchess BOCES. She was hoping to use this Model UN to prepare for a national Model UN being held next month at Harvard University. Viles explained what she likes about Model UNs.
“I meet people from all these different schools and we’re all in character,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to see and work with people who want to do this and we’re all striving for one goal.”
