In the lead up to Hurst’s last Model United Nations (MUN) Conference of the academic year, Haileybury loomed large: the longest, largest, and most prestigious challenge to date. Haileybury has one of the finest hosting reputations for MUN conferences, and this one lasted three days, including committee debates and a short General Assembly.
Hurst attended every committee, including Niger, Mexico, South Korea, and Spain. With an attendance of 530 delegates in total, the team’s public speaking skills were put to the test more than ever. Despite the size of the committees—with some being as large as eight delegates—almost every single one of Hurst’s candidates had their resolutions passed; a real testament to the improved quality of the team’s resolution writing.
This year, Haileybury also demonstrated how far technology has come as they statistically tracked all of the candidates’ contributions. Every point of interest, amendment, or resolution that was submitted, debated, or approved was tracked in real time. Every candidate strived to ensure that their record looked as impressive as possible come the end of the weekend. Nearly every candidate had their most impressive conference yet! Credit must also be given to Haileybury’s hosting of all the candidates at a conference that the organisers described as being ‘seven months in the making’. The Sunday Chapel service, hosted in none other than the UK’s biggest dome, was a key highlight for the team, as 500+ delegates sang ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’ all together.
The team had great success, doubling their awards compared to the previous year’s conference. Special congratulations are owed to Seb L, Nathanael A, and Henry O for their impressive performances—especially Henry who was thrown in at the deep end, with Haileybury being his first ever conference!
The team is already looking forward to next year’s challenge: HurstMUN 2024, where they will take on the role of hosting other participating schools. Huge thanks must also go to Mr Nash and Ms Coogans for all of their hard work this year—the success of the MUN team would not have been possible without them!
“ Everyone showed an exemplary level of interest in those around them, and ensured that only the best work got put forward. The team threw themselves into every opportunity available to them—a key reason why we all signed up to MUN in the first place. ” Nathanael A, MUN participant.
