By Kai Bwor

On February 7, Granada Hills Charter (GHC) High School hosted the eighth annual Valley Regional Model United Nations conference (VRMUN). Organized by the nationally ranked GHC Model United Nations (MUN) team, the conference welcomed middle and high school students from across California for a full day of debate and collaboration. 

Founded in 2018, VRMUN was created to provide an accessible and rigorous MUN conference experience for both novice and returning delegates. Since then, it has grown into a staple event for GHC and students in the Valley. Planning for the conference begins nearly a year in advance, with more than 100 Secretariat members, chairs, and staff working to curate committees that are both academically challenging and engaging. Secretary-General and senior Tiffany Kurniawan highlighted the scale of preparation behind the scenes. 

“VRMUN is one of the most exciting events of the year for Granada’s MUN team because we get to be on the complete other side of a conference,” Kurniawan said. “Our 100-person staff works throughout the year to prepare logistics, topic content, and research so delegates can have the best experience possible.”

This year’s conference featured six General Assembly committees and four Specialized and Crisis committees, offering a plethora of topics. In the General Assembly, delegates debated on issues about the impacts of the biotechnology divide in CSTD, the degradation of cultural heritage in UNESCO, or participated in addressing the impacts of global warming on marginalized communities in UNDP, and more.  

Specialized committees brought charming topics to the debate floor as well. For instance, WHO transported delegates back to 1346 to respond to the Black Plague. The US Senate 2026 committee explored protections of the First Amendment in today’s political context. Crisis committees occupied participants with faster-paced simulations, such as the Philippine Revolution or a fictional Valorant-themed scenario. Sophomore Maddox Alva Sanoy, one of the co-chairs of the Valorant-themed crisis committee, explained the decision behind choosing it. 

“Crisis committees like ours can help delegates stay diplomatic under time-sensitive, high pressure situations such as through timed crises, in which delegates have a small period of time to collaboratively pass a solution to a pressing issue in the lore,” Sanoy said. “Crisis committees are also very good at enabling delegates to find ways to not only diplomatically solve issues but solve it in a way which benefits their character, especially given the differences in character and country dynamics between regular committees and crisis committees where crisis places more emphasis on character position and relationships.”

A highlight of VRMUN 2026 was the guest speaker, Radha Dahanukar, the Community Engagement Associate for UNICEF USA. Based in Los Angeles, Dahanukar spoke about her experiences in child rights and civic participation. As a former Model United Nations participant at Rutgers University, she previously chaired UNESCO, UNHCR, and Senate Foreign Relations committees during her time in college.

The conference ran from 9:00 AM to 5:50 PM, with registration beginning at 8:00 AM. Delegates participated in moderated and unmoderated caucuses, drafted resolutions, and defended their policy proposals in GHC’s very own classrooms. For many students, VRMUN represented an opportunity to build public speaking skills while engaging with international issues, and form connections with like-minded students who carry a shared passion for diplomacy as well. 

According to Kurniawan, VRMUN continues to grow each year, welcoming a greater number of schools and introducing relevant topics across its committees. She explained that her vision for this year’s conference was ingrained in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“This year, I envisioned a conference centered around Sustainable Development Goals 9, 12, and 17,” Kurniawan said. “I am proud to say that both our staff and delegates truly embodied those goals through collaboration and debate.”

As the final gavels fell and awards were announced, VRMUN 2026 highlighted its mission of gathering the next generation of global leaders. For novice delegates, it was a first step into their journey towards more conferences. For experienced participants, it was another opportunity to refine their skills while meeting delegates on the same wavelength.