‘Model UN’ seeks to hone students’ leadership skills

Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Northwestern University in Qatar and The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) Qatar will jointly hold the first- ever Qatar MUN and Film Leadership Co4nference from today. The three-day event is expected to attract over 350 high school students and their advisors from across the GCC and the wider world, including some from the US and Europe. The conference is designed to give participants a chance to develop leadership skills and learn the importance of mutual collaboration and support. Students will take part in various sessions, on the theme of leadership, entitled: ‘Student engagement in the classroom and beyond,’ and ‘Organisation: Peace begins at home.’ Dr Sandra Richards, director of the Liberal Arts Programme at Northwestern University in Qatar, will be the keynote speaker at the opening today. Her address will explore the meaning and importance of global citizenship in times of turmoil. The conference will also focus on film and media studies, focusing on topics such as videography, photography, new technology in film and video and will also include a screening of the award winning movies from the 2012 THIMUN Qatar Northwestern Film Festival. Ryan Villanueva, the founder and CEO of Best Delegate will be speaking tomorrow at the session titled: ‘What should Model UN teach?’ Best Delegate is a company that ‘helps students exceed at Model United Nations and beyond’. Lisa Martin, the founder of O-MUN, the first and only online MUN programme, will be discussing the topic of online debates. THIMUN Qatar, a partnership between Qatar Academy and the THIMUN Foundation, supports Model United Nations programmes and conferences in schools around the region. Besides the leadership conference, THIMUN Qatar also co-hosts an international film festival with Northwestern University in Qatar. The THIMUN Qatar office works with schools throughout the region to support the development of national programmes, to provide leadership training seminars, and access to educational materials. From GT