Poster idea, perhaps?
Whether you’re a teacher at a high school who feels that there’s a lack of debate-centric extracurriculars or a college student who is frustrated by a lack of MUN at their chosen institution, starting a MUN Club or Team is a great idea which helps both kids and advisors learn many valuable new skills. Unfortunately, it’s often very difficult to turn this idea into a reality, especially if you don’t know where to start. If you know which steps to take, however, and what goals to set, getting a MUN program started can be a breeze!
- Gauge interest. You aren’t going to get anywhere if the students where you want to start a MUN club just aren’t interested. Ask around, if you can. This can be understandably harder for college students or those not in a position of authority, but you can always send emails to professors asking if they think students would be responsive to a debate-type club. If you don’t feel you can muster even a small delegation, it may be worth it to just wait a year or two until some more MUN-oriented students come in.
2. Get high-level administrative support. Wanting to start a MUN club is an admirable goal, but it will generally be impossible to accomplish without first talking to, and getting support from, the administration at your chosen high school school. If you’re a college student, this again may be a bit more difficult, but your best bet will be to try and find a liaison between your college and the high school you want to start a club at. No matter how you get around it, make sure to set up a meeting with the highest level of administration you can (principals are usually ideal), bring a well-prepared and cohesive pitch, and emphasize the benefits MUN has had on students internationally. Don’t do this when your idea is still in its early stages; do it when you have a more concrete vision of when you’ll be meeting, where you’ll be meeting, how you’re going to advertise, and more details that administrations will want to know. Specific detail is crucial when it comes to gaining the key support of these high school administrations, especially if the people you’re talking to are not already familiar with MUN programs.
3. Advertise. Once you’ve gotten word that students would be interested and have administrative support, advertising is the critical next step. Don’t hesitate to go all out: PA announcements, posters, word of mouth… if you don’t advertise, you run the risk of your project effectively being shut down before it even begins. A great way to do this is to approach individual students who you think would be interested in a MUN program or ask teachers to do that same thing for you; or, if you can manage it, another good strategy is to hold an optional meeting at the high school where you can explain in a bit more detail to interested students what MUN entails or even play a few MUN- or debate-themed games. The key here is to paint MUN as an activity that is focused on individual growth and an opportunity to foster useful lifelong skills as opposed to making it sound like a nationwide public speaking and writing competition (trust me, one of those options is much less appealing than the others).
4. Depending on initial turnout, decide which direction you’re going to take the team. So you’ve gotten a healthy turnout. Congratulations! Depending on the age and number of the kids that want to participate, you can decide on what you want to focus on. If you have a smaller, younger delegation, it would probably be best to focus primarily on learning debate and procedure, whereas with a larger, older group, you can even start planning on hosting smaller regional conferences. Make sure that your first few meetings aren’t all about the parliamentary procedure side of things, though – even though these drier topics are important too, you’ll do much better at drawing kids in if the first few meetings are more public speaking- and activity-based. Remember, your job isn’t nearly over once the club has started; it’s only just begun!
Starting a MUN club at your local high school is a lofty goal, but if you can manage to get the ball rolling, you can create a legacy that will last long after you retire from teaching or graduate college. Every high schooler deserves at least a chance to participate in this wonderful program; don’t be afraid to take the first steps to introducing it in your community!