INTERNACIONALIDADE

INTERNACIONALIDADE

SIMULADO DA ONU

Os alunos do III e IV ano do Liceo durante o simulado da ONU na Montale

MUN TALE: Model United Nations at Montale It has already become a tradition that every year in April or May, the students of the 3rd and 4th years of the Liceo spend three whole and consecutive days at a MUN discussing crucial issues for the world at large. Naturally, there arises the question: “what is a MUN?”

MUN, Model United Nations, is an educational simulation and academic activity in which students learn about diplomacy and international relations by roleplaying delegates and simulating conferences at the United Nations. Each delegate represents a country in one of the many UN Councils and Committees and has to defend their country’s policies and negotiate resolutions that will benefit their nations and the whole world.

Out of the many skills involved in an activity like this, students have the opportunity to exercise their English, as English is the working language of this project, and their debating skills, as it requires a lot of practice and energy to defend an idea that is not necessarily your own. Nonetheless, several other second ary skills are practised, such as public speaking, leadership abilities, team work, critical thinking, researching skills, international relations and di plomacy, to name but a few.

Above all, however, this is an exer cise on citizenship - by developing a deeper understanding of current world issues and trying to reach reasonable and positive resolutions, students will make UN principles of “peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet” their own.

This experience started for the Montale in 2017, when our students were invited to take part in the first edition of POSMUN, Model United Nations at Colégio Porto Seguro – Morumbi. Their performance was so outstanding that, while there, the students were invited to join HUMUNITED, Model United Nations at Colégio Humboldt. Invitations to SMUN, Model United Nations at Colégio Suíço-Brasileiro - Curitiba, and to IIMUN, India’s International Movement to Unite Nations, followed. Apart from that, in 2018 students of the 4th Liceo organised our own Model United Nations, MUNtale.

This can only be proof that we are on the right track, that if we want a better world, we have to make it a reality in our own lives first, and there is no better place to start than inside our own school. We, from La Montale, hope that each opportunity our students have of taking part in a MUN is an opportunity to grow as a human being, to become more capable, more skilled citizens of a healthier, happier and United World.

For further information on Model United Nations at Scuola Italiana Eugenio Montale, please, refer to our video available on Youtube: “VIDEO MUNTALE - Projeto ONU”, where our own students explain in more depth what a Model United Nations is and express their own views and opinions on the experience as a whole.

VIDEO MUNTALE - Projeto ONU

Claudia Affonso

Teacher of English Language and Literature