By Julian Bayan

On Saturday, February 1, the Model United Nations (MUN) team hosted its 6th annual Valley Regional Model United Nations (VRMUN) conference with the student delegates of the Granada Hills Charter (GHC) MUN team managing the event.

The committees addressed various world issues such as the biodiversity of coral, indigenous women’s rights, the regulation of 3D printed weapons, and the effects of technology on mental health.

Students took initiative to handle the logistics by making sure that committees were being properly supported by their chairs. Communication was also vital to ensure that the conference would be a success.

Each committee represented real-life committees in the UN such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Delegates from different schools represented different countries on these committees. There were 11 committees presented at the conference.

Since the conference was established, VRMUN has directed its focus towards addressing urgent issues and current events, prompting MUN students to utilize their research skills and public speaking skills to develop impactful solutions to such issues.

Additionally, VRMUN was designed to be a student-run conference for both middle and high school students. This year, 12 students from GHC’s TK-8 campus attended the conference under the leadership of GHC TK-8 team leader and senior, Alex Lopez.

The conference, which is a day-long event, invites teams from various middle and high schools across Los Angeles, especially in the San Fernando Valley. It offers a chance for delegates to explore real-world issues, ultimately giving students a memorable experience at VRMUN.

“VRMUN is more about collaboration among students rather than chasing trophies and awards.” Deputy Secretary General Senior Stephanie Dinh said. “ I think the conference serves as a good extracurricular that encourages students to find solutions to modern-day issues.”

Since its first conference in February 2018, VRMUN has significantly grown in size. With just under 100 registrations at its debut, the day-long conference has jumped to over 500 registrations this year alone. Last year, around 15 schools attended.

Additionally, this year has seen VRMUN take a step in the direction where the conference depends on student leadership more than ever before.

“This year’s VRMUN conference has been the most student-run one yet. Especially in regards to logistics, we’ve communicated with different departments of administration to book rooms, organize technology for our committees, print awards on the day-of, and run PR and conference management aspects.” secretary General Senior Olivia Zhao said.

Leadership for VRMUN changes every year. For those managing the event, the work does not end when the conference is over. Rather, planning for next year’s VRMUN conference begins immediately as soon as this year’s meeting ends.

As the conference continues to see growth in numbers, the growing emphasis on student leadership is important to carry this trend of success for VRMUN.