Caitlin Hall

Here's a lot to worry about these days: terrorist attacks, war, recession, religious riots, the Middle East, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, religious fundamentalism, the threat of nuclear warfare · the list goes on. The point is, the real world is a scary place sometimes - almost all the time, if you're paying attention.

What can we do to get away from it? Watch TV? Down Ben and Jerry's by the pint? Escape into drunken revelry? Or should we instead get our kicks doing something that doesn't require us to surrender our world consciousness, something like · Model U.N.?

If you've never heard of Model U.N. - and many of you probably haven't; they don't get a lot of publicity - here's a quick rundown of what it is. Basically, it's a club that has chapters in many high schools around Arizona and the rest of the country. Once a year, students from each chapter get together for a conference held by the Model U.N. club at the University of Arizona.

Each school has a couple of teams that represent different nations. At the conference, the teams split up into a number of committees that have designated topics of discussion. This year 1st Committee, as it's called, dealt with peacekeeping reforms and nuclear proliferation. 3rd Committee dealt with population trends and protection of cultural and religious artifacts. 6th Committee, the legal committee, discussed the proposed International Criminal Court and issues of sovereignty versus human rights.

The Economic and Social Council debated water resource management and economic policy, and the World Health Organization deliberated on pharmaceutical drug availability, especially with regard to AIDS. The Children's Fund (UNICEF) discussed the effects of military conflict on children and the relationship between education and labor. The Security Council, as with every year, set its own agenda and discussed current world issues.

I know what you're thinking - doesn't sound like much of a break from the real world, doesn't sound like much fun. But that's where you're wrong.

With the aim of doing a little investigative reporting, I went to this year's conference, where I spent most of my time in the Security Council. Soon after I entered, the Secretary General, Brendan Tarnay, came in and announced this year's crisis situation - a tradition at the conference that most students are unaware of when they come. He told a roomful of high school students that 180 Britons, including Tony Blair, had been hospitalized with headaches and stomachaches and, though doctors had said there was no need for concern, the Security Council was being informed because of the recent fear of bioterrorism.

After the predictable questions - "No really, is this really real or really fake?" - one of the delegates from the United States raised his nameplate and was called on. Climbing to his feet, he directed his condolences toward the British delegates, then proceeded to pledge troops to "end this terrible threat." Hearing this, his partner leapt up out of her seat, called for caution and retracted his statement. When they sat back down, she gave him a hard elbow under the table and hissed her disapproval.

That was one of a few such situations that occurred during the evening - times when the students' youth got the best of them. Despite that, for the most part they seemed intelligent and well-versed on their issues. The stiff competition at the conference demanded that they be totally up-to-date and well-informed on their country's issues.

That brings me to my real purpose in writing this article. The year is winding down now and the fall semester is probably the furthest thing from most people's minds. However, soon enough we'll be heading back to class in the sweltering August heat and looking for new ways to spend our time - and stack our resumˇs, for that matter.

I really got a lot out of my (brief) experience with Model U.N., and I think most other people would, too. For students interested in international relations and politics, I can't think of a more valuable organization. Not only do you get the opportunity to become better acquainted with international policy - after all, if you're running the conference, you need to know what you're talking about - but you also get the opportunity to work with dedicated, intelligent, and surprisingly entertaining high-schoolers.

So when you're looking for something to do with yourself next semester, I encourage you to look into Model U.N. It's definitely worth the effort.