The Dawson College Model UN (DCMUN) team had a great experience at the Secondary Schools’ United Nations Symposium (SSUNS) conference hosted by McGill University Nov. 9-12.

Gaveling is the highest award in the Model UN world and three Dawson students gaveled and others received honourable mentions:

• Olivier Lamoureux (Law, Society & Justice – Social Science): Gaveled
• Lucas Quintero Hernandez (Social Change & Solidarity – Social Science): Gaveled
• Alex Hadley (General Social Science): Gaveled-Diplomacy at the Barrel of a Musket (Advanced)
• Emma Quynh Lien Wong (Law, Society & Justice – Social Science): Honourable Mention
• Alexandra Williams (Social Change & Solidarity – Social Science): Honourable Mention

First-year DCMUN participant Shannan Aktas, a student in Liberal Arts, was part of the 65-member DCMUN delegation, one of the largest at SSUNS this year. This was Shannan’s first Model United Nations conference, and she shared her experience in an interview with the Communications Office.

Shannan wasn’t sure she would like Model UN but has gotten a lot out of it so far: “Model UN teaches you how to think on your feet. Sure, you have to research the country/person you are assigned and the committee that you are in, but when it comes to answering questions posed by other delegates, you have to be quick. Your critical thinking skills become developed along with your public speaking skills, especially if you are in a General Assembly and have to speak in front of 200-400 people.”

Shannan really enjoyed SSUNS: “I really loved how diverse it was. I expected the other participants to be from schools in Montreal, or in Canada even. I was surprised when I met people that flew in from international countries. I remember being shocked when a girl told me she flew in from the Caribbean to participate in the conference, and I was even more surprised when I met people from Australia. The diversity at SSUNS was incredible, and I was really happy to be able to meet new people. Plus, most of the delegates (that I met) were very kind, and super fun to work with.”

This year the DCMUN faculty advisors are Julian Nemeth (History, Humanities) and Nancy Rebelo (History).

DCMUN will continue in the winter semester. “We are going to the McGill and Concordia University conferences, as well as the John Abbott and Vanier conferences,” Nancy said. “The big one is the Harvard conference in Boston that we’ll be going to in February 2024.”

DCMUN is a high-impact para academic activity. Funding is needed to help make it accessible. Donations can be made to the Dawson Foundation here.