Aranzazu de la Linde, Emma Olde, Rosie Rainer, Lucia Rodriguez, Soler Schroder and Valeria Sinisi, after receiving a special invitation, participated in The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) , where they demonstrated Aloha’s core values in abundance.
“A once in a lifetime experience” is how the students who travelled to Holland for THIMUN conference summed up the week. The theme for this year’s conference was Borders in a Globalised World and sharing the experience with 3000 students from other international schools from as far afield as Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Ecuador and Singapore was a key factor in making the conference memorable. Added to this, the standard of debating was very high, the World Forum Centre where the event took place was imposing, and the formal atmosphere created by the professionalism and rigour of the chairs of each committee, meant that it felt like we were participating in a real UN session. “Our minds were opened to the problems of today and we worked intensively together to find ways to solve them by debating and creating resolutions” said Rosie.
Fortunately some time was set aside for more informal contact between the delegates both in the lobbying sessions and over lunch, and our students quickly made new friends. One movie night was organized when a BBC documentary was screened showing the journey of some refugees from their homes in the conflict zones of the Middle East across Europe to find safety and a new life. One of those featured in the film was present and provided further insight into his experiences at a Q and A session afterwards. They were able to see a bit of the imposing city and its beautiful buildings on our tram ride to the conference every day and in the evenings when they ventured out to sample some of the night life.
Valeria, who was attending her first conference, stated “I never thought it would be such a life changing experience”, while our most experienced delegate, Aranzazu, said the week was “an unforgettable ending to my MUN journey”, adding that being part of the MUN club at Aloha was instrumental in her decision to study International Relations at university.
Mrs del Aguila, who accompanied the group, said she could not have been prouder of the students, each of whom exceeded expectations in their participation, demonstrating responsibility and enthusiasm throughout the week.
Meanwhile, the next group are preparing the topics for their conference in Barcelona in April and will be practising putting their ideas forward at our weekly sessions, energised and encouraged by the THIMUN participants who are sharing their successes and experiences.
