One month has passed since the first-ever Dawson College Model United Nations (DCMUN) conference, which took place Jan. 17-19. The DCMUN team had fun at what is now the biggest CEGEP conference in the world. Participants Anaya Ray and Bassma Al Atrache were two volunteers for the event, which hosted more than 100 participants.
Anaya and Bassma were dedicated to the conference, with Anaya taking hours of her time to ensure the Drake v. Kendrick committee went smoothly, and Bassma training the delegation of École secondaire Mont-Royal to ensure they would enjoy the event to the fullest. A few days after the closing ceremony of DCMUN, they shared their experience of the event, from hosting the conference on campus to their biggest takeaways.
Using the College's beautiful premises to hold the conference was seen very positively by both the conference's delegates and volunteers. Indeed, the best thing about hosting the conference at Dawson for Anaya was to see first-hand the creativity and innovation of the participating delegates. Indeed, for her, it was fun to engage with the delegates' creative arcs. Additionally, Bassma overheard a lot of conversations of high school students wishing to attend Dawson and talking about how beautiful the school looks. Hearing these words made her happy, and strengthened her Dawson pride.
Even if hosting the conference on campus was impactful for both Anaya and Bassma, it was not the biggest takeaway they had from this Model UN experience. For Anaya, it was all about the reward. For her, it was very rewarding to be able to share and take part in the conference, as it really demonstrated how effort goes a long way.
She stated that she was "honoured to have been able to staff Dawson's first conference, whether it be answering the delegates' creative and sometimes crazy crisis notes or meeting all the new people." Through observing other delegates, Bassma stated that her biggest takeaway was "that you can be the best-dressed delegate or even the most experienced delegate, but if you're not bidding on yourself, no one is going to bid on you." She strongly believes in self-belief and self-trust, as "most of the time, in conferences, other delegates are just as lost as you are [ ] it's better to just go with the flow and to never doubt your abilities."
It is important to note that Model United Nations goes beyond debate. It's a fantastic and creative way to tackle some of the biggest issues in society right now and develop so many important skills from public speaking to diplomacy. It is also about community.
DCMUN has also created such a lovely community that really helps people such as Anaya and Bassma to expand on many passions. Indeed, Bassma participates in Model UN activities "because MUN made [me] realize that sometimes, we think we know so much about a subject until another delegate asks us a question that makes us doubt our knowledge. Doubt in Model UN helped [me] develop better research skills, not only to be confident in my knowledge but also because [I believe] that the more the younger generation is educated, the better it will be at safeguarding its future. Moreover, as a health science student, [I do not] necessarily get the chance to engage in lively debates. Therefore, having a space where [I get] to demonstrate and practice my diplomatic abilities while also pursuing a scientific path of studies has truly altered [my] CEGEP experience and has shaped it into one of the most enriching ones."
Overall, the first-ever Dawson College Model United Nations conference was a success, and its second iteration will come next year. In order to help make it accessible, donations can be made to the club through the Dawson Foundation (https://www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/dawson-foundation/; to ensure your donation goes to DCMUN, you need to indicate that in the gift note for an online donation or in the memo line of a cheque).
For more details about the conference, please keep an eye on the Dawson College Model UN website: https://www.dawsoncollegemun.ca, and the DCMUN conference Instagram account: @dcmun.conference.
