On Wednesday, June 7th, the Kassim Ghanim junior high school hosted its first Model UN conference. Students from the Cyber, Leadership and Values program at Brenner Junior high school in Petah Tiqva came to Maghar, where they received a warm welcome from the principal and made many new friends.
It was the first MUN for all of the delegates, and their performance throughout the day was outstanding. The committee discussed the challenges of social media, from issues of privacy and fake news to cyberbullying and freedom of speech. The mood got particularly dramatic when the three main blocs split the vote, forcing a series of votes on the resolutions along with feverish last minute negotiations.
Throughout the day the students learned a lot about diplomacy, practiced speaking English and meeting peers from other communities, and had a great time!
Diplomacy teacher Summar Farraj told Diplomacy.co.il that “participating in Model United Nations can have a significant impact on students from Maghar City as well. MUN can help these students improve their language skills, as it requires them to communicate frequently and confidently in English. Similarly, it can broaden students' horizons, exposing them to international issues and cultural diversity that they may not be familiar with in their local community.
Additionally, MUN can provide an opportunity for those students to develop their leadership skills and gain experience in diplomacy and conflict resolution, which can be valuable in any career path they choose to follow later in life. Moreover, being part of a multicultural environment can allow students to connect with peers from diverse backgrounds and share unique perspectives on global issues, creating a sense of unity that promotes peace and harmony. Overall, participating in MUN can be incredibly beneficial to the students from Maghar and from anywhere else, opening up new opportunities, broadening their horizons, and helping them become more confident and knowledgeable global citizens.”
Sigalit Levi, the Principal of Brenner Junior High School, noted that although the Brenner students had just learned about MUN two prior to the conference, their hard work preparing was reflected in an impressive performance at the conference, including several awards. She said that “we are very proud of our students, who represented our school so well.” Levi thanked Mrs. Rachel Amrani, Director of the “Chen” Young Ambassadors School, for believing in the students, and choosing Brenner Junior High to represent the city of Petah Tiqva.
Mrs. Amrani explained that the Chen School for Young Ambassadors constitutes a core pillar of the Petah Tikva Municipality's diverse activities for outstanding students, and is designed to cultivate key skills in the next generation of Israeli diplomats. In order to instill values of good citizenship and excellence in education in the future leaders, they are given the opportunity to take part in courses, simulation, tours and delegations abroad, as well as to meet different groups within Israeli society, including decision makers at the political, social and economic level.
Mrs. Amrani noted that “Given the challenges of the State of Israel in the local and international arena, the value of this program is self-evident. The school aims to provide knowledge in the fields of politics, diplomacy, advocacy, Judaism, public speaking and communication, for personal and professional skills, and the opportunity to experience advocacy activities through meetings with youth from abroad, professional and renowned lecturers, politicians and media persons. These meetings give our students a strong sense of public mission, which sees representing Israel as an important national mission.”
Steven Aiello Founder--DebateforPeace https://debateforpeace.org
Photo credit: Steven Aiello
