By: Omer Qureshi
Teenagers do not often deliberate on how to effectively address climate change. However, Hershey High School students make it look easy.
Model UN was among the many clubs who hosted a session on the first HHS Community Day on April 29, 2016. The club is popular at HHS, boasting over 40 members, and attempts to replicate the actual United Nations. At Community Day, MUN hosted a session led by club officers in an attempt to discuss solutions to climate change.
The session had 9 delegates and a presiding chair in attendance. Among the delegates was sophomore, Dante Falcucci, who provided vibrant ideas during debate such as building a dome around the Earth to prevent global warming.
When asked about why he attended the session, Falcucci said, “I wanted to talk about climate change instead of doing power yoga.”
Before the debate had started, videos created by the club were presented on proper parliamentary procedure as well as background information on the debate topic.
Various solutions were proposed over the course of the session, and the debate on climate change ranged from education to prevention to a mission to Mars. The delegates came out of the debate with a better understanding of the issues, debating, and the overall atmosphere and procedure of MUN.
MUN Co-Vice-President, Matt Jenkins, who presided over the debate, was very pleased with the results and said, “I liked seeing the less experienced members come out of their comfort zone to participate and grow.”
The session allowed those who were interested in the club to get a taste of how MUN functions, and the debate that is fostered within the club.
Club Co-President, Jason Guo, has been a dedicated member of MUN for 3 years and enjoys helping new and interested students learn about the club.
“Model UN is about debating the issues but more importantly it is about understanding contemporary issues, how they affect us, and how we can effectively address them,” said Guo.