THIMUN: The Untold Story

By Grace Leo and Tiffany Sung Why do we attend THIMUN-Singapore? Most of you will be able to list the reasons, be it the impressive addition it makes for university applications, the chance to travel and shop or to learn about the world and deal with issues of global significance. However, it begs the question, why are teachers and directors involved in THIMUN-Singapore? What motivates them? To seek these answers, Munity-East talked to three important contributors to the conference-Mr. Boyle-Woods, Mr. Burchell, and Mr. David Taylor. Mr. Dennis Boyle-Woods is a Social Studies teacher at the American School of Doha and supervisor of the Approval Panel, Youth Assembly and the Security Council. His role at this year’s conference is centered around observing the students in action. Mr. Boyle Woods ensures there is not too much ‘coaching’ or disrespectful behavior. He speaks with enthusiasm about the conference as a “Stepping stone to greatness.”Mr Boyle-Woods regaled us with stories of successful THIMUN attendants. We heard of Michael O’Mary, a THIMUN participant of the 90’s and Harvard University student. When Hilary Clinton requested a tour of Harvard and Boston, Michael was chosen. Despite being nervous about knowing very little of Boston, he purchased a tour book and quickly read and memorized it overnight. The eloquence and confidence that Michael displayed impressed Hilary so much that she asked him to become her speechwriter. Michael quickly became President Clinton’s head researcher at the age of 19. So where did Michael develop such talent? Michael’s experience at THIMUN taught him to represent himself, take chances with confidence and expand his horizons. However, it is not just students who may benefit. “Teachers are also nervous. They need to learn to be risk-takers and take a chance on their students.” For Mr. Boyle-Woods, MUN allows him to watch an amazing revolution transform both students and teachers. For Mr. Ean Burchell, becoming a coordinator for the International Court of Justice came as a surprise. At first he was just involved as a teacher helping out with debate at a school in Tokyo. However through a series of events, he became more and more involved to the point that he now sees THIMUN as a large part of his life. Though he gains pleasure from seeing his students playing active roles in various areas, his most treasured experience was this morning when he walked into the Advisory Panel and saw over a third of the panel comprised of his own students. Mr. Burchell admits that his role is not always fun and preparations such as booking hotels and dealing with various staff may be taxing. To Mr. Burchell, one of the best aspects of THIMUN is the tight community that forms over the week and the opportunity to learn and meet a whole variety of people. As a History teacher at the Overseas Family School and Director of Development for the conference, David Taylor sees THIMUN Singapore as an opportunity for students to apply the skills learnt in the class room and “make a meaningful impact in the world.” He hopes that in this conference and those of the future, the quality will keep on improving; “I want school students to learn to really represent their country and discuss issues.” He values the way in which students become involved and enthused about MUN to the point that one delegate became so excited about passing her resolution in the GA that she hugged her rather surprised principal. When questioned why he became involved in THIMUN-Singapore, Mr. Taylor expressed his gratefulness to his school for allowing him to work with THIMUN and commended the unique experience that students receive in attending the conference, stating, “In too many places, people cannot talk. At MUN events, people are exposed to someone else’s point of view. The experience is internalized and they take it home with them.” The topic of this year’s conference, Gender equality, is one Mr. Taylor sees as particularly relevant as progress is being made and women are emerging as political candidates in places such as America and Argentina. Talking to these teachers and all of the advisors for THIMUN-Singapore, it is easy to appreciate the vision they have for their students and for the conference. Being observers is not always an easy task, but these gentleman are, as always, prepared to do what is best for their students and make the conference an experience which truly develops a range of life-skills including public speaking, co-operating, making compromises and being positive contributors to our society.