In pursuit of peace
Lutheran Model U.N. program inspires students in Jordan and the Holy Land By Adrainne Gray
participates simulates the real United Nations by gathering high school students of different conferences (or nations) to debate topics as delegates of an assigned country. His participation is funded in part by the companion churches and partner organizations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), an ELCA companion church and fellow member of the Lutheran World Federation.
Creating solutions, changing lives Aside from simply having something to do after school, learning conflict-resolution and communication skills are things Said and others from the conference will carry with them and use in their communities, which are often divided by conflict. Sana Abu-Amsha, director of the 2016 LMUN
conference, said “students learn not to accept the same resolutions (former U.N. decisions), but to create better solutions.” The national MUN Palestine was established
Said’s (last name withheld) participation in the Lutheran Model United Nations (LMUN) is supported by the companion churches and partner organizations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Evangelical Lutheran School’s emblem, corrects me when I ask him and the director of the Lutheran Model United Nations (LMUN) why his West Bank school participates in a program designed after the United Nations, an organization that doesn’t fully recognize Palestine. “Actually, Palestine is a U.N. member, it is what
The
is called an observer. At this time Palestine is not a voting member,” he said. “Everything has a good and a bad side, that’s just a thing in life, but when we talk about the U.N., we try to go to the positive side and try to solve things, and to look at what has happened by looking at the mistakes. The U.N. was made for maintaining peace and security.” Said (last name withheld) is sharp and confident, yet
respectful of the adults in the room. The 12th-grader is also honest and makes no apologies for what he carefully and articulately says in fluent English. “I had nothing to do after school, that’s the truth, and I saw that this [program] is a really good project which brings you many skills … but moreover, it was basically a lot of fun,” he said. The Model U.N. (MUN) program in which Said
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smiley teen, dressed in a stark white collared shirt embossed with Talitha Kumi
in 2010; four years ago the LMUN was created by the ELCJHL education office, with only Lutheran schools participating in the first two. Then it began to grow. Last year’s LMUN had 210 delegates from the participating schools, representing six committees, who discussed topics such as human rights, disarmament and the environment. Select eighth- through 10th-graders of ELCJHL
schools also attend the International MUN. In the past three years they have attended conferences in Holland, India, Slovenia, Cyprus, Germany, Turkey and the Czech Republic. “We send our students to these conferences all
over the world to gain the experience of debate and to see the world,” said Salameh Bishara, former LMUN facilitator and ELCJHL resource and curriculum development officer. To prepare for these conferences, students must
commit to at least 30 hours of training. They are each assigned a country (not their own) and study its foreign policy regarding the issue given within the theme. Students study 30 days before the conference to prepare arguments and “learn everything about a country,” Bishara said. Rani (last name withheld), another 12th-grader at
Talitha Kumi, has served as chair of committees and, most recently, as the delegate for the United States. His classmate, Said, said of Rani: “The delegate of
the U.S. is always expected to be good. All eyes are on the U.S. delegate. The conference always gives the U.S. and Russia to good delegates!” Rani grins with great dignity. Earlier he added
that he joined the program because he wants to share his opinions on politics. “Becoming part of LMUN changed my character,” he said.
Photo: Ben Gray
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