STUDENT DELEGATES HEAD TO THE NETHERLANDS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE

Story by WAU Staff

Last week the Washington Adventist University Honors College led a delegation of 18 high school students to The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) conference in The Hague, Netherlands. The students are all from Columbia Union Academies and will represent Lithuania and Samoa at the conference. THIMUN, one of the oldest and largest MUN conferences in the world, attracts more than 2,000 student delegates from international schools all around the world. This is the second year that students from the Columbia Union will attend the conference and they are the only delegation from Seventh-day Adventist Schools.

‘This is a remarkable opportunity for students,’ said Dr. Jonathan Scriven, the Associate Director of the WAU Honors College, who is leading the delegation as they travel to Europe. ‘The delegates will be engaging with students from all over they world as they debate and find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues.’

This year the academy delegates come from six Columbia Union Academies: Atholton Adventist Academy, Highland View Academy, Pine Forge Academy, Shenandoah Valley Academy, Spencerville Adventist Academy, and Takoma Academy.

‘It’s absolutely exhilarating to be able to attend an event like THIMUN,’ said Cata Stiehm, a Senior at Spencerville Adventist Academy. ‘I’m very excited to be working with people my age from all around the world toward one common goal.’

The theme for THIMUN 2024 is “Peace, Law and Justice”. Delegates will participate in UN committees including the Human Rights Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Environment Sub-commission, a Special Conference on Disarmament and International Security, and more. Each committee debates 3-4 issues during the four-day conference.

To prepare for the conference, delegates met with Dr. Scriven via Zoom each Wednesday in December and January. On Friday, January, 19, the delegates met with a team of diplomats from the Embassy of Lithuania, one of the countries they will represent at THIMUN.

Participation in the THIMUN conference has been arranged by the Washington Adventist University Honors College as part of their Center for Global Programs, an academic center designed to provide global experiences for students. During their stay they will attend the THIMUN conference, visit some of the sites in Amsterdam (including the Anne Frank House), explore The Hague, and attend church services at the Seventh-day Adventist church in The Hague.

You can follow the delegation on their journey at @wauhonorscollege on Instagram.