Hackley Hosts Third Model United Nations Conference

In addition, 10+ of our own fantastic Hackley students volunteered their weekend to staff this extraordinary event, and 6 participated as delegates.

These participants spent the day in one of three conferences: 

• A committee addressing the contemporary socio-economic & political crises of Venezuela.
• A war simulation committee on the Wars of the Diadochi, a war between the successors of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire.
• A crisis committee on the Russian Civil War, in which the delegates took on the positions and the intricate dynamics of the Soviet Red Army.

A team of Hackley Upper School students, consisting of Zachary Couzens and Daniel Cai as the Secretaries-General, and Charlie Rudge, Advith Sharma, and Tibet Yakut as the Under-Secretaries-General, spent the month leading up to the event working tirelessly to put the conference together. From designing how the committee was going to work to writing background guides and historical research, as well as adapting Model UN (a staple high school experience that is contingent on being in-person) to the virtual format, the team of students achieved the success of a college-level conference.

A faculty advisor from a participating school noted in an email to the HackMUN secretariat that their delegates “enjoyed their committees and had a truly worthwhile experience,” and congratulated the students on an extremely well-organized conference.

One staff member Steven Yu remarked: “I feel like Hackley’s Model UN conference was a really fun event to be a part of! In our committee, we had lots of events going on and we all had a great time!”

Indeed, the point of Model UN for many Hackley students is to enjoy themselves as much as possible whilst interacting with an engaging and passionate community. The overwhelming phrase we heard in feedback for the event was: “inspiring.”

Hackley’s student-led Model UN team will keep on working to bring more opportunities to the Hackley Upper School student body, and hopefully develop a stronger Model UN culture in not only Hackley, but also the surrounding Westchester County community! 

Stay tuned for next year’s HackMUN IV!