Natasha Dardashti staff writer
On Saturday, March 31, Model United Nations (MUN) is hosting their annual Beverly Hills MUN (BHMUN) conference. Since January, the club has been preparing for the four committees they will be hosting: UN INEA, UN DESA, UN HRC and the historical committee, Napoleon’s cabinet.
“BHMUN is an exciting opportunity for high school and middle school students to explore politics, debate, ethics, and advocacy. By stepping into the shoes of delegates to the United Nations, we hope that students can find a passion in Model UN and develop practical skills in leadership, research, and debate,” club president Jonathan Artal said.
UN HRC committee chair Sam Bernstein, a first year head chair, has been advertising for the event for the past few weeks. Due to many prominent seniors graduating from the club, there has been a gap that many juniors and sophomore had to fill.
“It takes a lot of determination to plan a big event and being okay with hearing ‘no,’” Bernstein said. “[In order to advertise the event,] I’ve gone into five or six different classes to talk about it. I’ve gotten laughed at. It takes a lot of determination and passion for what you’re doing. It is very hard sometimes, but when Saturday comes, I believe all the hard work will pay off.”
After months of planning, the chairs hope to follow the tradition followed by previous BHMUN chairs by inspiring students to become more interested in politics and the MUN club.
“Middle schoolers who attend BHMUN kind of take what they got from the experience, and when they assimilate into the MUN program at the high school, it creates a welcoming environment for them. It’s always important to have that prior knowledge of the program,” Bernstein said.
Because it is his first year as a head chair, Bernstein is excited for the prospects of the event. Having joined the MUN club his freshman year, Bernstein, along with the other head chairs, are hoping to introduce his enthusiasm for the club to some younger students.
“Honestly, just hearing people’s opinions is one of my favorite parts about being a chair,” Bernstein said. “It’s inspiring in a way, because you get 15 kids in your room and they are all super smart and all talking really passionately about something very prevalent in politics. And when you’re the judge, you control how the room goes, you control the tempo, and it’s a very little taste of what working in the UN feels like.”
Information for the event can be found here.