Y9 Model United Nations delegation attends FAMUN conference in Holland

After months of preparations, FAMUN 2016 finally arrived... and it was truly worth it!

The Park Lane FAMUN delegation arrived in The Netherlands full of excitement, nervousness, but also fully prepared for three days of hard work and fun. During our first day we spent time around Soest, a small town on the outskirts of Amersfoort, where the conference was organised. On our return to our base at Stayokay Hostel, the delegates managed to make a start on their resolutions and this gave them a lot more confidence going into the first full day at the conference.

The FAMUN organisers - all students at Farel College in Amersfoort - were an incredibly professional, but welcoming and friendly group. They ensured that first time MUN delegates such as our team of Year 9's were fully informed and supported during the committee meetings. They were also responsible for what some of our delegates called "the best party ever", or according to some teachers, "a very late night".

After lobbying for a few hours on the first day, the delegates knew very well what countries they could rely on for support during the open debates. These debates started on the second day of the conference and continued until the last day, with delegates proposing resolutions, discussing amendments and taking points of information. Our students conducted more lobbying and most importantly had lots of fun. Whenever Mr Sandiford and I went into the committee rooms, the Park Lane delegates were fully engaged in the discussions, making speeches, questioning each other and it was clear to see they were in their element.

On the final day, the General Assembly (all the committees) met to discuss the best three resolutions proposed over the last few days. Initially, resolutions proposed by two of our delegates were meant to be discussed. However, due to time constraints, only one of them was debated. We were very impressed with the overall quality of discussion, but especially by the excellent work of our team who once again stood out amongst all the others. I should also highlight that during the Closing Ceremony, Matt Rosicky (9Z) was awarded the Best Delegate in GA1 Committee Award. This is such a great achievement for Matt, but also a lot of praise should go to the other delegates (the youngest team at the conference), who not only impressed us but also the organisers.

It has been such a pleasure working with and accompanying this group of students to their (and Park Lane's) first MUN conference. Mr Sandiford and I would like to congratulate all of them for their hard work, dedication and passion for this project and we hope this was just the beginning of a long and illustrious MUN career for each of them!

Alex Anea
Geography & History Subject Leader
MUN Coordinator