Students in SECONDE participate in S.A.I.M.U.N.
(Saint Andrew’s International MUN)
St. Andrew’s International Model United Nations conference takes place in Dublin from the Tuesday following Easter until the end of that week. This is a slightly “gentler” introduction to the sometimes awe-inspiring world of M.U.N. as it normally involves only about 900 participants. It is the ideal conference for a new delegate, as the rules it operates by are the simplest, and therefore the most accessible. It takes place over a total of five days, with three and a half days of debating – in individual Committees and then General Assembly.
Students and two members of staff fly to Dublin, where they are accommodated in host families for the duration of the conference.
Delegates will be housed by families in the area, many of which have or have had children taking part in the conference. They will travel to Dublin on the Monday by plane, and then will be taken by bus to the Royal Marine hotel in Dun Laoghaire, where they will be given their badges and lunch tickets, before engaging in the preliminary event of lobbying, and then meeting their host families at the end of the day.
For many of our students, SAIMUN has been the platform for three enjoyable and stimulating years, and has acted as inspiration for the MUN Club and FIMUN conference organised in great part by the students. It is a challenging yet fulfilling experience to look forward to in a year when students begin to plan their futures beyond education. Having in some cases proved to be highly addictive, it rewards commitment and hard work with friendships, memories and a new outlook on life which few other experiences can hope to offer.