The Spring Valley Model United Nations Team took 17 members in late November to Paris for two and a half weeks to compete in the annual Paris United Nations Conference. The trip included staying at a sponsors house for a little over a week before going to the conference held at the actual United Nations Conference center located in Paris, France. The conference, with these world traveling grizzlies discussing global diplomatic policies and means to solve our current world problems. This event lasted for three days and our Spring Valley Grizzlies worked non stop to best represent their ideas.
Ian Salzman and Lisa Ancona, the team administrative leaders, were also on the trip guiding grizzlies through this adventure in Paris. The Model United Nations team has been at Spring Valley for its third year, and is growing more and more competitively. Mr. Salzman helped start the program because when he was in high school he has was in the Model United Nations program as a high school student. He believed it was a major milestone in his progression into adulthood and believes everyone should have a chance to experience it.
Travelers need to prepare months ahead of time in order to leave the country. Club members attending the trip had to spend over ten hours in the air to reach Paris, and at the same time be able to diverse themselves to the domestic culture. Garret Nelson, the teams president, has studied french so he could be better prepared for the language barrier. Although sometimes quite difficult, Samantha Wolk overcome language barriers and said that “she made an array of friends during the duration of the conference and believes she will keep in contact with the friends she had made”.
Cindy Rivera, a Model United Nations team member, engaged herself in the cultures cuisine going to an array of cafes and restaurants. Team members were allowed a lot of leeway when it came to where they could eat and dine in Paris. Also having a sponsor that is from the country meant they could travel or go on day trips with them throughout the city or countryside. Samantha Wolk and her sponsor took a day trip to Germany spending the day driving through the German countryside.
Samantha Wolk, a second year member of the Spring Valley Model United Nations Team, when going to the conference was put in the International Court of Justice which is the most prestigious committee at the conference. Justice Wolk was asked to judge an international court case that she was required to study ahead of time. She was asked to judge fairly and to best represent herself as the rank that she was possessing. Justice Wolk hopes next year when attending PAMUN to become committee leader (chair) in the International Court of Justice.
Overall our Model United Nations Team represented themselves well within the conference receiving many mentions and awards on the trip. The team works to expand their presence within the league on not only a national level but a global level. Being only in their third year the team constantly works to try new things and always look to new innovative ways to solve the world’s problems.
