Project DescriptionIn this project, we explored international relations in the modern world, specifically investigating the real life issues in committees used in the United Nations. We did this by standing as a country and debating with their values and beliefs. I was in unicef 1 debating about war torn child refugees posing as France.
Essential Questions
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My Position Paper |
See my position paper here. We wrote our papers within a week but made three drafts along the way with critique. After the first round of critique, I changed some words into synonyms and moved phrases into different paragraphs. Then in the next draft people said I wasn't very specific on what some refugees laws were, so I added depth to them and wrote a better transition to my conclusion. In the final paper I put my links in MLA format. I am proud of this piece because I won a research award for it.
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My Opening Speech |
See my opening speech here. When writing my opening speech, I paraphrased my position paper and used the most important information other countries might want to hear to become my ally. When I received critique on this, the biggest problem was my timing, so I had to shorten it. If I didn't shorten it, it may cause the chairs to cut me off if my time expires during the speech. After the final draft, I was satisfied, and my proposal was clear. I wouldn't change anything even if I could.
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Important Research |
One of the most useful links I used for this project was: After Attacks, France Increases Its Commitment To Refugees. It was the most beneficial to my research because it told me the information about how many more refugees France is willing to accept and invest in. This is important to know because it gives a general idea of where France stands in this crisis. Another site I used to find how many refugees they have accepted in total is from the UNHCR, which is always a good source because it comes from the UN.
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Reflection and Golden Moments |
Our committee was about helping war torn child refugees. Almost all of the countries agreed with each other because everyone wants what's best for children, so there wasn't that much conflict, which made the debate one sided. This wasn't as fun as it could be, but it enabled us to pass many resolutions. There was a funny moment when everyone was trying to find a punishment for rapists in refugee camps. All of a sudden Egypt volunteered to pay for the deportation of all of them to their country. This resolution failed, but it sure made everyone laugh because it was so unrealistic.
I am personally most proud of achieving an award for a great position paper, as well as 4 of my other friends. My committee is most proud of passing 7 of 8 resolutions within the two days of conference. If I were doing this again, I would probably try to talk more so I would qualify for an outstanding delegate or best delegate. I recommend that students next year get more time to research because this project was only about 2 weeks long, even though we went through a refugee project prior. I also think that students should get to choose their country and committee. |