Starting Young

The students MUN journey at ASF starts from Middle School. A Model UN elective is open to eighth graders each year to give them the opportunity to get involved in debate. A group of twenty-four select students learn the basics of MUN: from position papers, to opening speeches, to writing resolutions, to understanding the functions and procedures of a real life conference. Throughout the year, this group is given the chance to develop a mastery of the “MUN toolkit.”

Students have a chance to actively collaborate with their peers, applying said toolkit throughout the year, both in local conferences and on the international stage. Some models they have attended include:

 - New York for the Global Classrooms International/Lebanese American University Model (where they got to step foot inside the General Assembly for the closing ceremony)

- Boston's International Conference (discussing controversial topics from Middle East female education to environmental issues).

 ASF’s MUN eighth graders have gained international recognition as a result of their outstanding performance as delegates, winning multiple awards that recognize their veracity and leadership skills. 

Starting in 2017, the eighth graders have organized and executed ASFMUN Jr. -- a middle school-level inter-scholar conference where students get to apply their skillset on the other side of the podium for the first time. 

Young Delegates at the MUN class expand their comprehensive overview of the world and specifically the model's structure. The focus being the development of public speaking skill but also fostering their passions which will follow them to their high school and even college career. .

Additionally, the creation of the MS MUN Club made it possible for even younger delegates to join the cause. Students from sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grades can continue to discuss world issues on an everyday basis. The club is sometimes included in MUN trips, conferences and lectures. The cultivation of the MUN values is continually promoted on every student at ASF, with no regard to their age!

MUN Class

The senior MUN class consists of students who are passionate about the UN and international relations. The class serves to teach its student's how to effectively discuss important world issues as well as how to run and chair an international MUN conference. 

One of ASF’s longest-standing traditions, the MUN Class incorporates the elements of an academic setting with the challenges of a diplomatic organization, awarding students academic credit for developing a Model UN skillset.

The MUN Class’s main focus is building and executing the annual ASF MUN Conference, where each class member heads a committee. The objective of this conference is to engage students in two thrilling days of debate, where students get to step outside their traditional classroom dynamics and engage with pressing global issues in a more active role. This conference has been one of ASF’s longest-standing and most iconic traditions— all thanks to the generations of seniors that worked hard to make it possible.

MUN Club

The US MUN Club emerged in the fall of 2016, created by alumni of the eighth grade MUN Class. The club gradually strengthened throughout 2017, steadily becoming one of ASF’s highest-achieving and most popular clubs.

The MUN Club consists of students from all grades of high school, coming together to learn more about MUN and travel to conferences as representatives of ASF. The Club has risen to be one of the strongest participants in the region, with delegates who consistently win the best delegate and honorable mention awards in their respective committees.

Earlier this year, the MUN Club expanded internationally. A delegation of almost 20 students attended the University of British Columbia’s model, elevating their competition level beyond high school. Even among college students, the Club managed to excel: Club members took home three awards, including Outstanding Delegation, Honorable Mention, and Best Position Paper. In 2020, the Club —along with the class— will be traveling to NAIMUN, at the University of Georgetown.

In October of 2018, the Club had the initiative to organize ASF’s first inter-scholar conference in decades, with over 100 students from 5+ schools filling the distinct committees that Club members chose, chaired, and structured. The conference also helped to broaden the Club’s horizons. In the past, club members simply participated as delegates, but thanks to the conference, they learned what it was like to be a dias and part of a logistics team, making for a comprehensive MUN experience.

Today

2019 marks the first year that the Class and the Club will join forces to bring ASF’s first-ever international conference to life.

Composed of 18 students, our leadership team has combined the Club’s initiative with the Class’s logistic capacities to open the doors of an immersive, student-run conference to students from all over the world. This is the first year that the Leadership Team will undertake such an endeavor, but certainly not the last for years to come.

Now, better than ever, ASF’s MUN team reflects our school’s aims and principles by integrating students from all cultural backgrounds into a forum for dialogue, cooperation, and friendship. After all, ASF’s motto is to “educate global citizens for a changing world,” and the MUN team is firmly convinced that the best way to do this is to draw global connections by bringing international students together.