Each student is placed in a committee representing a country from the real United Nations. Each committee is assigned topics relating to global issues and crises. In advance of the conference, students are required to research both their country and their topics and write a position paper explaining their stance on each issue.
Students debate and draft resolutions within their committees and compete for awards and recognition. There is also a crisis simulation on the third day, where students have to negotiate and think on their feet to address a regional or global crisis. This academic extracurricular activity (in its fifth year at DHS) develops the following skills and content areas:
- Research and writing skills
- analysis and problem solving
- public speaking, collaboration, and consensus building
- content knowledge of current global issues and political crises
For more information on this year’s topics see the link below.

MAMUN Topics: https://www.mamunonline.com/mamun-agenda-topics

Students learn valuable leadership skills through this conference. They collaborate with students from other high schools, debate and give speeches, but then by necessity come together and collaborate with others to draft and pass a resolution.

In addition, students are preparing themselves for possible future professional careers. Students choose to join a committee and thoroughly research a topic in their area of interest. They gain skills in academic research, public policy, international diplomacy, debating, public speaking, and formal writing, to name a few. Many of the students who attend have a strong interest in careers in government, diplomacy, international affairs, and law.

It should also be noted that Model UN is considered an academic extracurricular and is viewed favorably by college admissions officers because of the amount and level of academic work involved. The school as a whole benefits from the fact that a thriving academic club such as Model UN is an option for all students.