Our MUN Club students wrote about their impressions of the MUN Conferences they attended this year.
TIMUN- Turkish International Model United Nations
The Saint Benoît MUN Club participated in the 30th annual session of the Turkish International Model United Nations (TIMUN), hosted by Üsküdar American Academy from November 28 to December 1, 2024. This four-day conference offered our students a dynamic experience filled with thought-provoking questions, intense debates, valuable networking opportunities, and much more.
This year’s conference centered around the theme “The Uncertain Future of Traditional Industries: Labor in the Digital Economy”. Bringing together 450 participants from 25 schools, both from Istanbul, other regions of Türkiye and even abroad, the conference provided a truly international experience. Delegates engaged in a wide range of committees, including Disarmament, Social and Humanitarian, Special Political, Environmental, Legal, and International Law. Students represented a diverse array of countries, contributing to meaningful discussions on global issues.
As the first conference on this year’s MUN conference calendar, TIMUN’24 marked an exciting beginning for our team of sixteen members. Representing a range of roles, from Student Officers to delegates, our students dedicated themselves to thorough preparation and active participation throughout the conference.
Our team included both experienced members and first-time participants, reflecting one of the core values of our club: providing equal opportunities for all students to engage in prestigious conferences like TIMUN. Now, let’s hear directly from our participants about their experiences at the conference:
“Being an advocate at TIMUN’24 was a truly enjoyable experience for me. Together with my co-advocate Selen, we represented Chile as the applicant party in the Silala River case against Bolivia. After an intense three-week preparation period and a stressful courtroom atmosphere, we won the case. This was both an educational opportunity and a chance to spend time with many of my friends, making it a truly memorable experience for me.”
Defne Y- Advocate for Chile
“After 2 years, coming back to my first ever high school MUN conference as a Student Officer was very honoring for me. This experience showed me how much I’ve grown as a person and a veteran of the Saint Benoît MUN Club. By far, out of all of my other Student Officer experiences, this one was the most rewarding in all ways. Learning to deal with diverse problems while controlling a committee with almost 30 people was hard but very instructive at the same time. I hope that I’ll be able to go again next year!”
Yaprak K – Deputy Chair of the Social and Humanitarian Committee (GA2)
MFINUE – Modèle Francophone International des Nations-Unies en Eurasie
From December 6th to 8th, members of the Saint Benoît MUN Club took part in the 14th annual session of the “Modèle Francophone International des Nations Unies en Eurasie” (“International Francophone Model United Nations in Eurasia”) (MFINUE). Hosted by Saint Joseph French High School, MFINUE is a unique conference that brings together francophone students from around the world in Türkiye to engage in meaningful debates on pressing global issues, all conducted in French and some bilingual, with English.
This year’s conference theme was “Dépasser les divisions et forger la paix à l’ère numérique” (“Overcoming Divisions and Forging Peace in the Digital Age”). A total of 11 committees tackled a wide array of global issues, including disarmament and international security, economic and financial affairs, special political and decolonization matters, legal concerns, and human rights. The conference welcomed nearly 500 students from around the world, representing a rich diversity of francophone countries and cultures.
As the only French-language conference our team attends in the first semester, MFINUE’24 holds special significance for our club, particularly for the French MUN branch of the Saint Benoît MUN Club. It offers a unique opportunity for our students to strengthen their language skills in a diplomatic setting, engaging in debate and negotiation alongside native French speakers.
Our team was made up of 14 dedicated students from our club, taking on a variety of roles, including delegates, judges, and Student Officers. Preparation for the conference began as early as the summer break before the 2024-2025 academic year, as the event demands both rigorous effort and strong language skills. Now, let’s hear firsthand from our participants about their experiences at the conference:
“Together with my co-delegate Selen, we represented the Russian Federation in the Security Council for three days. Although debating with many native French-speaking delegates seemed challenging at first, our preparation and genuine interest in the topics helped us become some of the most active participants in the negotiations. I believe we represented our school well through this experience.”
Yasemin E – Delegate in the Security Council
MFGNU – Modèle Francophone Grenoblois des Nations Unies
Our School’s MUN Club Participated in the 13th MFGNU Conference in Grenoble!
Students from our school’s MUN Club participated in the 13th edition of the MFGNU (Modèle Francophone Grenoblois des Nations Unies) Conference, held from 13 to 16 February 2025 in Grenoble, France, gaining a valuable and truly international experience.
With the participation of numerous schools from 24 different countries, the conference was conducted in both French and English. Throughout the event, our students had the opportunity to enhance their language skills while actively contributing to discussions aimed at solving global issues.
The theme of this year’s conference was:
“In a globally interdependent world, how can we prevent the escalation of violence while ensuring the safety and development of all?”
A total of 21 students represented our school at the conference: 3 as committee chairs, 1 as a judge, and 17 as delegates. Within the framework of the main theme, they served in 13 different committees, addressing a wide range of pressing global topics such as climate change, global inequality, human rights, and security policies. Representing various countries, our students delivered speeches, presented solutions, and engaged in meaningful exchanges with international participants.
Notably, our delegates in the English Security Council were awarded the “Best Delegate” prize for their outstanding performance.
Our dedicated teachers, Mr. John and Ms. Feriel, accompanied the students throughout the conference, providing crucial support, especially in terms of transportation and safety, ensuring the smooth running of the entire experience.
One of the most memorable aspects of the conference was the homestay arrangement. Instead of staying in a hotel, our students were warmly welcomed into the homes of volunteer students from the host school, Externat Notre-Dame de Grenoble. This allowed them not only to gain an academic experience but also to closely observe and immerse themselves in the daily life and cultural atmosphere of Grenoble and France.
Over the course of three days, our students significantly developed their negotiation, public speaking, and debate skills, while also further strengthening their foreign language abilities.
MFGNU proved to be an immensely productive event for our MUN Club and a meaningful step in preparing our students to become globally minded, sensitive, and solution-oriented individuals.
Here’s how our students described their experience at the conference:
“MFGNU offered me a completely different experience compared to the other conferences I’ve attended. Speaking a foreign language in another country with people from different cultures was something I had never done before.”
Deniz Ö – Delegate
“At this conference, I served as the deputy chair of the International Labour Organization Committee. It was my responsibility to lead the debates and prepare research reports for the delegates on the topics we would discuss. Over three days, I communicated in French with both my fellow chairs and the delegates in my committee — some of whom were even my schoolmates. It was a truly enriching linguistic experience. Furthermore, thanks to the French student who hosted me, I had the chance to explore a new culture, which made the experience even more unique and unforgettable.”
Yasemin E- Committee Chair
“What made MFGNU such a great experience for me wasn’t just that it was a very well-organized conference — it was also the fact that we stayed with host families. This allowed us to observe French cultural activities, cuisine, and everyday family life up close.”
Berkay K – Delegate
“This conference was very special for me, different from the others. There is one reason for that: my amazing exchange partner, Süleyman (that’s how his name is written in Turkish).
He and his family might be the kindest people I have ever met.
On the second day, I told them I had never tried a French croissant. The next morning, his father went to the bakery at 6 a.m. to buy croissants, chocolate bread, and raisin bread just for me.
That small gesture touched me a lot. It changed my way of thinking.
Süleyman has two brothers. Every evening, we played football together. We always ate as a family, and I really felt like I was part of their family.
Süleyman practices taekwondo. During my stay, he had a competition. His mother wanted me to go with him, so I did. It was a very nice experience.
To conclude, Süleyman and his family were some of the most generous people I have met. I can’t write everything here because there is still so much to say. But I want to thank them for everything they did for me.”
Can Ç – Delegate
SACMUN – Sev American College Model United Nations
Between March 6th and 9th, our school’s MUN club participated in the 9th annual SACMUN conference, organized by SEV American College and conducted in English. In this academic year, SACMUN was the most crowded conference that we attended, with a total of 40 students representing our school. Among them, 27 participated as delegates, 5 as judges in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and 7 as committee chairs. Our delegates represented the countries of the United States of America, Japan, India, and Cuba.
The conference’s overall theme was “International Governance and Cooperation: Navigating Through Global Crises and Inequalities.” Based on this theme, our delegates took part in discussions within 10 different committees, such as Disarmament, Environmental, Legal, Economic and Social, and the Security Council, where they debated current issues on the United Nations agenda from the perspectives of the countries they represented. Working as a team, they created resolutions proposing solutions to these problems. SACMUN, offering a relatively more welcoming atmosphere for beginners compared to other conferences, was many of our students’ first MUN experience. They had the opportunity to improve themselves in many aspects and benefit for the first time from the advantages of MUN conferences, such as public speaking without prior preparation, practicing a foreign language, and gaining a deeper understanding of world affairs.
Here is what students who participated in the conference have said about it :
“I had my first ICJ experience at SACMUN, and having the opportunity to actively participate and speak in this committee made the process more enjoyable for me. It was also a very pleasant conference environment overall, which increased my interest in MUN even more.”
Ozan Ş – Judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
“At SACMUN, I served as the deputy chair of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee, one of the UN General Assembly committees. We discussed three topics, and the one I was responsible for and prepared the research report on was climate-induced migration during times of decolonization. Since I was very interested in the topic, my committee went well; my co-chairs and I worked as a team and supported one another. Also, since many of my friends participated, the conference was overall a wonderful experience for me.”
Öykü D – Deputy Chair
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