Taking the Lead with GMUN

April 24, 2020

Academics

GNS

Our students are taking the lead once again as they start to prepare for the GMUN 2020 conference. In what will be the fourth Model United Nations conference held at GNS, the Secretariat has been selected and they are eager to get started.

“All the students have been given a role that we think suits their skill set,” said Mrs. Rebecca Nielson. “It’s neat that it passes down from one group of leaders in Grade 12 to the next, and they can have a say in who they think would be good.”

The previous Secretariat (Melody, Lam and Abi) picked the incoming group. This year was a little different from the previous ones, as the applications were done online, but the GNS students were able to adapt. Once students were chosen for their positions, Mrs. Nielson and Mr. Alejandro Morales Gil reached out to the candidates.

“They are all very passionate about Model UN, and they love to work together on it,” said Mrs. Nielson. “These students are committed to planning, organizing and preparing for an event that will bring other people together to talk about important global issues.”

The GMUN 2020 Secretariat includes Ava Dryden as Director-General, Gabby MacPherson as Secretary-General, Stefanie Chan as USG Tech; Media and Marketing, Anders Woodruff and Riya Gandhi as Co-USG Committees, and Shreya Gandhi as USG Logistics and Finance.

“The Secretariat team has excitedly begun the first stages of organizing the GMUN 2020 conference,” said Ava ’21. “This year, we have a great team of six experienced GNS students who are all dedicated to the development and creation of a conference that is sure to be one to remember. So far, we have all been working well together, becoming one cohesive group, listening to each other’s ideas and opinions, and coming together to develop an opportunity for students to actively participate in a student-lead conference.”

The team has been busy discussing the details of the conference, including reaching out to staff, developing a theme, considering guest speakers, roles and much more. The students have even been talking about ways that would allow for GMUN to be held online just in case the situation with COVID-19 calls for it.

With all the hard work they have already put into the conference, Ava says the team is looking forward to it.

“The Secretariat team has been amazing at diving into every part of the conference,” she said. “Each member of the team truly loves Model United Nations and we all want to make this conference one to remember, not only for ourselves, but also for all the conference staff, teachers, and of course each delegate. I think that this team has a great sense of community, spirit, and hard-work which has so far made the planning smooth and fun.”

The members of the Secretariat have experience when it comes to GMUN. Ava was part of the secretariat last year, as she and Gabby ’21 were Co-USG of committees. Gabby is now the Secretary-General for the 2020 conference.

“Last year our job was overseeing all the committees, training directors, and assigning delegates,” explained Gabby. “I am truly honoured to be Secretary-General this year and cannot wait to work with all the staff and Secretariat. Running a Model United Nations conference has always been a dream, and getting to have this experience in my Grade 12 year will be so memorable and impactful.”

The team is encouraging anyone who has questions, might be interested, or wants to volunteer to connect with them about MUN.

“I was [brought] into my first MUN meeting in Grade 8 and have been hooked ever since,” said Gabby. “If anyone has questions about volunteering, staff opportunities, or MUN, in general, please feel free to reach out to me! We would love to have anyone who is interested and cannot wait to see everyone next year!”