Local Schools Attend Model UN to Debate Slavery

By Riley Smith

December 21st, 2017 - Greenville, New York News

On Tuesday, November 14th, a total of thirty students from Greenville, Voorheesville, Albany Academics, and Fort Plain sat together for the annual Model United Nation at Carrie Institute for Global Good at the Rensselaerville Institute to debate this year's topic of slavery at the time of 1791. While representing an array of countries, students took to the podium to express their resolutions and ideas on how to deal with slavery. Tension filled the room as students calmly and appropriately argued about the issue of slavery, serfdom and other related topics that dominated the forum. Although the topics possessed their own challenges, students presented resolutions that aligned with how their countries would ideally vote on these issues at the time of 1791. Although every student did not get the chance to present their resolutions everyone has the opportunity to share their opinions and vote for others resolutions.When asked Bryce Johannes, who moderates the Model UN, stated that the Model UN offers students a safe environment to experience public speaking. As the day continued students became more involved, even going as far as to volunteer to speak at the podium in front of their peers. Johannes also explained that his Model UN was a wonderful way for students to learn history, and experience national perspectives as well as group and individual problem-solving.

After discussing eight of the originally desired twelve resolutions students concluded the afternoon with a lunch that included entreés from different countries to continue the day’s theme. While students enjoyed their meals and conversed about the day Johannes asked the group of young adults about what they had learned from the Model UN that could apply to present issues. Students agreed that communicating indefinitely is the key to resolving the many issues of the past and present that we continue to face.