Fountainhead School Model United Nations or FSMUN has always been something that has had my interest from the very beginning. It is basically a platform where students from various schools and universities represent countries and debate on global issues. I participated as a delegate in the first 2 editions, was the photographer in the third edition and this year, I was the Assistant Director-General.
As I was in the secretariat this year, I was involved in all of the decisions taken such as in the fields of transport, media, budget, etc. This being a long-term activity, it required my utmost commitment and dedication. We faced a lot of obstacles pre-event. We weren’t able to get any sponsorers due to demonetization. Also, we had a lot of competitors, we had another conference 2 weeks before, one a week before and one on the same date. This created the issue of delegates. Along with this issue was the issue of our own team members not working, which were the Organising Committee (OC) members. To overcome this obstacle we introduced OC awards which later on acted as a major incentive to work harder.
The best part of this year’s FSMUN was our team as we all knew each other quite well. This resulted in better coordination and understanding, thus leading to a major success. FSMUN for the first time hit one hundred delegates.
I achieved many learning outcomes through this project. Firstly, I identified my own strengths and develop areas for growth. I understood that I am good at organizing, but I need to work on my collaborative skills. I played in a major role in organizing the event, but there were times when my opinions clashed with others and this led to frustration. By the end of the event, I understood and learned that there will be opinion classes, but if I really am good at planning, I should also be good at convincing people.
Secondly, I undertook challenges and developed new skills. There was this one instance on the second day when the chairs/judges of one committee were late due to some reason. I took the challenge and chaired that committee. This was the first time I had done something high level without any preparation. I instantly went through the agenda and chaired the committee. I not only had a wonderful experience but also learned how to manage a group of people as well as teach them something.
Thirdly, I initiated and planned an entire CAS experience. FSMUN was always an event which has somehow become a part of my life. Like I have to be a part of FSMUN in one way or another. This year, when I got the opportunity to become the Assistant Director General, I made sure that I was a part of the team throughout the whole journey. Not just in name, but by contributions. By contributing ideas, contacting schools, editing speeches, etc. I wasn’t just a part of the planning, but also the execution. That is what made this event special to me, I actually put in work in it.
Fourthly, I demonstrated the skills and benefits of working collaboratively. I am not a group person, if I want something to be a success, I feel I have to do it alone. But, here, while working for this event, I learned how important collaborative working is and how it benefits you. The event stresses you less, your teammates can point out your mistakes before an outsider does, etc. Once you work in a group, it isn’t just work for you anymore, you enjoy yourself as well.
Lastly, I engaged myself with issues of global significance. This was done through choosing agendas for committees which needed to be discussed. I tried to cover the issues that need prime attention as to create more awareness about them. Below are our committees and agendas.
- UNSC (United Nations Security Council) – Combatting threats posed by artificial intelligence.
- DISEC(Disarmament and security council) – Disarmament of non-state actors in the middle east.
- SOCHUM (Social cultural and humanitarian council) – Preserving the freedom of speech.
- UNODC (United Nations office on drugs and crime ) – Legalization of marijuana for public safety.
Being a Global Politics student and an avid MUN-er, I was aware of all of these issues but making them as agendas for different committees which involved participants with different points of views than my own, opened a whole new page of refreshing solutions to global issues.
To conclude, organising FSMUN 2017 was an experience which will always stay with me.
