The Queen's School future leaders unite at QMUN 4

The Queen's School in Chester proudly hosted its 4th Model United Nations Conference (MUN), with 170 students from schools across the North West involved in simulating a diplomatic summit at the UN.

Keynote speaker Richard Walker, Director of Iceland Foods, started proceedings with his keynote address exploring the conference theme of “interconnectedness” in relation to politics, business, the environment and sustainability.

Queen’s Secretary General of QMUN, Maahi in Year 13, offered her reflections on the theme, and after her gavel had come down on the sounding block to declare QMUN 4 “open”, delegates started their committee sessions. The afternoon involved holding the first QMUN General Assembly, which all embraced with gusto. The student Press Team produced a newsletter and video of the day ready for the Closing Ceremony, and the team of runners were invaluable as always!

Dr Scherer runs MUN at Queen's and assists the students in organising the event. He said: "MUN has so many facets to it that it’s difficult to know where to begin to describe the day – but at its heart, it brings students together around a shared interest in shaping the future. Through debate on topical issues and current affairs, students of different ages interact with and learn from, one another. They support each other in honing their teamwork, communication and public speaking skills, engage in friendly and challenging debate, share some witty fun, and in the process build friendships and connections."

Old hands as well as first-timers were involved with all the different roles that helped create a conference that was, as always, almost entirely student-run from start to finish. Delegates, chairs and guest-chairs of debate, the Press Team and the runners worked in roles that overlapped and depended on each other, seeking out opportunities for stepping just outside the boundaries of their comfort zones, enabling them to grow and develop. In this way, QMUN is more than a debating conference – it is transformed into a platform for learning and personal growth.