Our RAMSMUN members travelled to Shanghai in mid-January to attend CISSMUN XIII. Representing not only our school, our Rams represented 13 different nations in 9 different MUN committees engaging in diplomatic debates and negotiations with students from around the world.

CISSMUN XIII is a renowned MUN conference gathering over 700 students from 37 schools across Asia and the Middle East. It offers a platform for young minds to discuss and deliberate global issues, simulating the workings of the United Nations. As the AISG delegation arrived at the conference venue, the atmosphere was buzzing with anticipation. Concordia’s halls were filled with students dressed in formal business attire, some nervous, others not so much.

One of our own delegates expressed her nervousness before the opening ceremony. “When I walked into the gym and saw the amount of people there were, I could not contain my heebie-jeebies.”

Engaging in intense debates, lobbying for support, and drafting resolutions is an integral part of the MUN experience. Committee sessions are marked by passionate discussions, where delegates from different backgrounds collaborate to find common ground and propose innovative solutions to pressing global issues, ranging from the Venezuelan refugee crisis to the threats of bioweaponry.

Outside of committee sessions, students had opportunities to attend workshops and interact with students from different nationalities. A delegate from Renaissance College Hong Kong described this experience as “truly enriching and eye-opening.”

CISSMUN was not the first conference of the school year. As one AISG delegate shares, “In SEOMUN, I was in a much smaller committee, chaired by one of our own delegates. It was a very eye-opening experience in the world of professional debate. I loved the aspect of being in a foreign country, and my experiences in Seoul were wonderful. On the other hand, in CISSMUN, I was in a General Assembly (GA), which was three times the size of my SEOMUN committee. It was definitely a different experience—a more relaxed setting, but not to say it wasn’t fun and professional. It was also a lot more international, and I made a lot of connections with delegates from around the world, which I hope to maintain.”

Another AISG delegate states, “SEOMUN was my first ever conference and I got to take on a leadership role. I got to engage in multiple fruitful discussions with my peers. I was extremely nervous at first, given my lack of experience in MUN. However, I was able to combat this issue by gaining confidence through AISG’s weekly MUN meetings, which largely contributed to my achievement of the title: “Honorable Mention”. In CISSMUN, I felt way more prepared and was ready to jump straight into heated and thrilling debates. This time, I once again received Honorable Mention for my active participation. I highly encourage AISG students to try out MUN, because I found myself not only enjoying the conferences per se, but also the weekly mock debates and preparation.”

AISG is set to host its own MUN conference in March! RAMSMUN invites delegations from international schools within Guangzhou. It will be the third year of RAMSMUN and our students already excited to host the event.

At AISG, we offer an array of opportunities which allow students to pursue passions ranging from robotics to yoga, and journalism to mother-tongue programs. A diversity of options is offered to students in their pursuit of engaging and exploratory activities across the AISG curriculum. Click here to learn more about AISG activities.