WAU Honors College and Columbia Union Academy Students Participating in International Model United Nations Conference

Academy students from Columbia Union academies participated in The Hague International Model United Nations conference (THIMUN) which began on Monday, January 24, 2022. THIMUN is one of the oldest and largest Model United Nations conferences in the world, attracting students from more than 150 international high schools from around the world. 

 

The conference ran for five days, during which time delegates will discuss and debate global issues as they try to find solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. The theme for this year’s conference is “ONE PLANET, ONE WORLD: debate, decide, act now.”  

Students from Spencerville Adventist Academy, Pine Forge Academy, and Shenandoah Valley Academy are participating as delegates representing the countries of Sweden and Vietnam.

 

Participation at the THIMUN conference is organized by the WAU Honors College as part of WAU’s Center for Global Programs. This is the second year that students from the Columbia Union have participated in THIMUN. The Columbia Union delegation continues to be the only delegation to THIMUN that involves students from Seventh-day Adventist schools.

“I attended THIMUN in person for ten years while I was working and teaching in France, and it was a magical week for students,” said Dr. Jonathan Scriven, the Associate Director of the Honors College and Director of the Center for Global Programs. “Because the conference was virtual last year, we had an opportunity to get our own Columbia Union students involved and it proved to be an amazing experience for all involved. There was no question that we wanted to do it again this year. Next year our goal is to take a delegation of students to the Netherlands to participate in person.” 

MUN is an experiential learning simulation of the activities of the United Nations General Assembly and the UN Security Council. Students take on the role of diplomats from countries all over the world as they discuss and debate significant global events and crises.