LFA Hosts Impressive Model UN

Maddie Buss '18
A few Saturdays ago, on October 14th, the Little Flower Academy Model United Nations hosted the second iteration of the club’s popular LFAMUN Conference! Over 110 delegates from LFA, Vancouver College and Fraser Heights Academy came together to enjoy a day full of riveting debate and exciting discussion.
Undoubtedly, planning and preparing for this conference was no small task. Mrs. Mills, the sponsor teacher for the Model UN club, appointed a Secretariat team to take on the administrative roles. I was fortunate to be chosen as Secretary General, the equivalent of the president of the Secretariat, and the conference as well. I was honoured to have been chosen for the position, but was very nervous to take on a role of such responsibility.
 
I can confidently say that LFAMUN has been one of the most transformative and enjoyable experiences I have had the privilege to be a part of. I will not deny that it was incredibly difficult at times, juggling dozens upon dozens of emails, coordinating every detail of the conference all while staying on top of a full Grade 12 course load.

But despite it all, I gained an innumerable amount of concrete skills that I will carry with me in my future. One of the most valuable things I learned from LFAMUN was what true responsibility felt like. I learned what it meant to feel the effects of errors that were made, and the importance of detail, especially when I would be the one to be held accountable for any mistake, regardless of who made it.

And while slipping into a mindset of doubt and fear of failure seemed like the easiest thing to do (and I won’t deny that I had my doubtful moments), I knew that maintaining a positive and focused perspective was the key to ensuring the success of every aspect of the conference. It sounds stressful, but I walked away from the conference feeling sure of myself and ready to take on anything that was thrown at me.

And once 6:00 pm on October 14th rolled around, and all had been said and done, it had undoubtedly been a success. But don’t take my word for it, just ask any of our staff members! Glowing reports from secretariat members such as Lorraine Fabre '18, saying LFAMUN “was an incredibly rewarding experience… watching the delegates hone their Model UN skills while having fun made all the work I put in worthwhile” or Naomi and Nicole Shi '18, who said that “Diplomacy was certainly in the air throughout the conference” and that it was “an incredible experience to witness the spirit of enthusiasm and diplomacy filling our hallways”. Our staff and crisis staff also had great reviews, with Phoebe Cheung '18 commenting on the truly “safe environment for new delegates to gain confidence and experience” or Serena Lam '19, who  got “to experience the "power" of the gavel, but I also got to experience how much effort and preparation are needed prior to ensuring the success of such an event and what it takes to be a leader”.

LFAMUN was also very fortunate to have had guest speaker Ms. Emily Ohler come and serve as our keynote for the Opening Ceremonies. Ms. Ohler, a human-rights lawyer with past experience working with the United Nations and an alumna of LFA herself [in fact, LFA's Distinguished Alumnae recipient for 2017], spoke on the challenges we as young people face in the world today and gave us inspiration and motivation to move forward into the world ready to make change for the better.

I would like to take this last opportunity to thank everyone for all of their hard work on LFAMUN. To the staff, crisis staff, my Secretariat, and of course, Mrs.Mills. None of this would have been possible without your dedication. Congratulations on a successful LFAMUN 2017!

Maddie Buss '18 was "Secretary General" for the LFAMUN 2017. Well done, Maddie!
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