Boys, together with girls from Bedford Girls’ School, ran a Model United Nations (MUN) Conference this week to debate some of the world’s most pressing issues. It was brilliant to see a wide range of pupils from both schools debating a myriad of topics.
The school’s MUN Society was set up just over a year ago by a group of boys who wanted to create more opportunities to get involved in debating international issues and policies. Since then, the society has grown in popularity, now with over 30 boys involved.
During this time, the boys have joined forces with Bedford Girls’ School’s already successful MUN Society, and together have run MUNs with other schools including Bedford Modern School and Kimbolton School, even taking part in the prestigious Oxford MUN where two boys were invited to represent Nigeria.
This week’s MUN Conference saw Lower Sixth Former Tanay Rai chairing the UNEP Committee where he was responsible for overseeing the debate following MUN procedures. He also helped the pupils with their countries’ stances and offered advice on potential strategies. Working alongside the chairs from Bedford Girls’ School, Tanay helped create a friendly and encouraging atmosphere so that everyone felt comfortable standing up and making their points. 
Tanay explained, “This experience is essential as our generation is the future; we will be the ones tasked with solving some of the world’s most pressing issues. As someone fascinated by public policy, MUN allows me to explore the world of international relations and foreign affairs. At the end of the event, Francesca Hill (an alumna of Bedford Girls’ School), shared her experiences from her illustrious career in foreign diplomacy. I was lucky enough to get to talk to her after her keynote speech and she gave me some advice about how to break into the world of public policy.”
MUN events such as these provide pupils with an exciting opportunity to play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real-world issues with the policies and perspectives of their assigned country. In doing so, they develop research skills, improve their knowledge of current global issues and gain vital presentation and public speaking skills.
