Concord Students To Convene for Model UN Conference

The Contra Costa County Model United Nations Conference convenes on Friday in Pleasant Hill, California for a two-day event in which students will debate freedom of religion, elections monitoring and other internationally relevant topics. 

High school students from all over the Bay Area will travel to Diablo Valley College to increase their knowledge of cultures and political practices of other countries. Upon arrival, they will form 10 committees and put on the cloak of a delegate to discuss issues on behalf of a nation. The negotiations in which they will participate are designed to teach them how to peacefully resolve disputes and improve their interpersonal skills. Some of their committees will include the United Nations Women, United Nations Children’s Fund, and Disarmament and International Security Committees.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education produced the 22nd annual event with the Model United Nations Club at U.C. Davis, and Kevin Chan, co-founder of Best Delegate.

Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D, Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools, said he is pleased to see so many high school students taking advantage of the Model UN program.

“Model UN is an excellent opportunity for students to display all the hard work and preparation they have put in, as they successfully discuss, persuade, and work with fellow committee members on real-world problems and complex international relations,” Ovick said. “The skills they are currently refining will certainly be the very same ones they will use in college and/or in their future careers!”

More than 350 students from the following high schools will be in attendance, representing 71 countries:

De La Salle High (Concord), Carondelet High (Concord), Deer Valley High (Antioch), Campolindo High (Moraga), Acalanes High (Lafayette), Athenian High (Danville), California High (San Ramon), Dougherty Valley High (San Ramon), Foothill High (Pleasanton), Heritage High (Brentwood), Leland High (San Jose), Livermore Valley Charter High (Livermore), Lycée de Francais San Francisco (San Francisco), Miramonte High (Orinda), and Olive Children (Fremont).

The Model UN program differs from Mock Trial and Academic Decathlon events in a few ways, according to Jonathan B. Lance, communications specialist for the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

“They must practice writing and speaking skills in order to persuade delegates from other attending schools,” Lance said. “It is not so much a competition as it is an event. Participants are commended for outstanding committee work and trophies are awarded to committee rapporteurs,” he said.

Delegates will be publicly recognized for their leadership skills, knowledge of issues, and presentation of key resolutions during a closing ceremony.  
 
To learn more about the event, visit The Contra Costa County Office of Education’s  Model UN website.