Author: munityeast

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Work on the Approval Panel

Written by: Isabella Wood

Edited by: Hyoree Kim

Photographs by: Dorian Chen

The room is filled with vibrant energy, as MUN directors and delegates from various schools gather together to discuss resolutions. 

The approval panel is where resolutions are taken from a collaboration of ideas and clauses to a resolution ready for an upcoming debate. Delegates work within their respective schools on resolutions and then bring them together with like-minded delegates to form one or two resolutions from the bunch. They wait in anticipation, and their sighs of relief fill the air when their resolution is approved.  Working at the approval panel is a collaborative effort, where the process is overlooked by Frances Laughlin, the Co-Chair of the THIMUN Foundation.

Laughlin works very closely with the approval panel staff. She describes her role as a “[supervisor] of what goes in and what comes out.” Resolutions are approved not only by the supervisors but are also aided by computers. The approval panel utilises a system specially developed by Jochen Vermeulen for THIMUN in The Hague. The programme is designed to streamline the justification and formatting of the resolution. On the other hand, MUN directors look at the resolution after it has gone through the electronic system with a delegate. They have to ensure that they only edit grammatical errors and not the content. This process enables MUN directors to look thoroughly through the resolution with the main submitter, and ask any questions or ask the delegate to elaborate on clauses. Once everything in a resolution has been approved, it is printed off and taken back to the chairs of the delegate’s committee. The work completed in the approval panel is hectic but is all worth the end result of an engaging resolution. It’s a hard afternoon of work in the approval panel, with the beginning of debates in sight!

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Are You Ready to Dance?

Written by: Priyanka Krishna

Edited by: Aastha Gokani

Are you ready for the gala night? After three days of constant debating and lobbying, the Dinner and Dance Night coming up on Thursday offers a great opportunity for participants to relax. Participants indulge in the great ambience, flashing lights, an extensive display of delicacies, and bottomless drinks as they dance the night away. This year, with around 950 participants from around the world, many returning participants and first-timers are excited about the upcoming event.

Cheryl Lim (Ambassador of Benin of GA3, Australian International School of Malaysia), attends her third THIMUN Singapore conference this year and has high expectations for this event. “I look forward to the dancing where the delegates manage to let loose…  as opposed to how stringent and work-oriented they are during the conference,” said Cheryl Lim. She further elaborated that, “everyone is equal [unlike during debates], and [most importantly], they are all having fun”. Similarly, Ahaan Bhansali (Ambassador of New Zealand of GA1, Dhirubhai Ambani International School), and Niel Biji Samuel (Ambassador of Afghanistan of GA1, Birla Public School) both look forward to the dance, as they await their first-ever THIMUN Singapore Dinner and Dance night. Particularly, Bhansali looks forward to Samuel’s great Salsa dancing during the event. Samuel jokingly added, “We think the food will be pretty good, but we won’t be eating it because we will be doing salsa”. Anagha Chakravarti (Ambassador of Indonesia of GA4, International School of Manila), believes that “the best part [of the night] is the dancing, and the socialising”, and she looks forward to “having fun meeting [with friends], after long hours of debate”. On the other hand, Jiale Lim (Delegate of Germany of GA4, Australian International School of Malaysia), is highly excited for the choice of music this year, as he is hopeful that his song suggestion (a particular instrumental rap by a member of the black-eyed peas) will be accepted. 

Whilst Jiale Lim greatly looks forward to the music choices, many delegates do not. In fact, Cheryl Lim stated, “I think the huge issue with the Dinner and Dance is the ambience and the song choices”. Similarly, Chakravarti agreed that there are many outdated songs, despite admitting that the music was quite diverse. However, Chakravarti does hope for Old Town Road to be played this year. Jiale Lim also expressed his hope for change, as he said, “I hope to see the food change, to include more pickup locations, as the lines were long [last year]”.

In any case, the Dinner and Dance night provides a great outlet for them to enjoy themselves outside of the restless week of the conference. As, Bhansali and Samuel stated, “We are looking forward [to the night], and we hope to have fun!”

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The Stress Room

Written by: Jade Henry

Edited by: Hyoree Kim

Photographs by: Zara Yap

The press room is filled with budding, young, digital journalists, responsible for catching the juiciest gossip of THIMUN and finding scoops to write about. They are also responsible for the newspapers released every day, a result of the intricate process in the press room. 

MUNITY EAST is split into six different groups: reporters, text editors, photographers, layout designers, artists, and most importantly, the Editors-in-Chief. 

The first of the group, the reporters, produce eloquently written articles. Despite the time crunch, reporters can be seen conducting interviews all over campus. When Isabella Wood (Reporter, Australian International School of Malaysia) was asked about the best aspects of being a reporter, she said that it was ”being able to work with everyone despite being seated at different tables.” On the other hand, she mentioned that the hard part of being a reporter was “making interviewing questions on the spot and trying to find [the interviewees] again.”

Then come the text editors. They read and correct all the reporters’ articles while also writing their own articles. Aastha Gokani (Text editor, Lycée Français de Singapour) explained that the best part of being an editor was that they get to “explore everyone’s articles and ideas to have a look at different points of views.” Since they are going under the same process as the reporters along with all the editing going on, it is very stressful. In support of this, Gokani says that “it is hard to finish writing [her] articles while also editing everything.”

The photographers are always moving around trying to capture the perfect moment and angle of the participants in heated debate. The best part of being a photographer for Zara Yap (photographer, Australian International School Malaysia) is capturing that “one moment in time where you can get that exact and perfect shot.” However, Jerry Lin (Pacific American School) stated that being a photographer entails “standing in front of everyone [and] holding a camera”, which at times is “very awkward.”

The artwork and layout team have to fit everyone’s articles, ideas, and photos on one or two pages. Jessie Liao (Pacific American School) thoroughly enjoys the process of making layout designs, as she gets to “practice [her] skills through the MUN” and “work with other people.” But for Ishwarya Devi Krishna, being on the layout team also means “waiting for an article with a computer that glitches and sitting around.” 

Our editors in chief (EIC) have one of the most stressful jobs keeping everyone on track and making sure that deadlines are met. Ray Chen (Pacific American School) believes that the best part as the EIC is when “you get the final product of day and a tangible product of our hard work” that highlights the day. “Trying to meet all the deadlines” is tough but “important because they make sure we get back in time to the hotel.”

The videographers also create a new vision of the whole THIMUN experience, putting all of our hard work into a physical product for all to view. For Nicolas Paccaud (Brillantmont International School), the most rewarding part of being a videographer is having multiple functions, having “All of journalism combined” and for Tijn van den Dikkenberg (Green School) it’s “The freedom [they have], having something physical to show without having to write.” The hardest part is that “There’s a lot of work and editing takes a long time but overall, it’s very positive.”

Summarizing the press room overall, you build very deep connections with your teammates and use your skills to improve as a journalist. 

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Not “Just Water Bottles”

Written by: Ella Hirmsato 

Edited by: Aastha Gokani

Photographs by: Zara Yap

The date is the 19th of November 2019, the day has finally come- the first day of the annual THIMUN Singapore conference. Each and every delegate, chair, admin and press member is full of excitement as they walk towards the SALT centre and they see the array of multicoloured objects impressively stacked to perfection- the THIMUN water bottles. One may think that these are simply “just water bottles” but this is far from the truth. 

It is important to appreciate the environmental benefits of the THIMUN water bottles. We buy about 1 million single use plastic bottles every minute. These bottles contribute to 80 percent of microplastic pollution. But fear no more, as now we are defying this trend by using the reusable THIMUN water bottles. We can all grip our water bottles tight with pride and comfort knowing we are playing our part in ensuring a sustainable future for a planet suffocating in single-use plastic.

Furthermore, there is a certain beauty behind how participants choose the colour of their water bottles— whether neon pink, sea blue, or lavender. When asked to justify their choice, participants like Jade Henry (MUNITY reporter, Lycée Français de Singapour) explained that she just had to get her blue water bottle the moment she saw it. The water bottles to Henry are a way of expressing herself, and by choosing the blue one, she shows that she is different and strives to be unique. But sometimes this choice doesn’t go to such a philosophical extent. Ella Lamdan (delegation of Chile in HRC,  Lycée Français de Singapour) explained that red was a “cool color,” and that she already got the blue and purple ones from the past years at THIMUN Singapore. 

Evidently these are not “just water bottles” but rather an opportunity for participants to be unique and promote a sustainable future.

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What Your Directors Want You to Get Out of the Week

Written by: Joshua Tang

Edited by: Priyanka Krishna

Photographs by: Jerry Lin

The directors of MUN are very excited for this year’s THIMUN Singapore conference. The annual gathering of delegates and chairs brings together a wide range of personas. From China to France, pupils, and teachers from all around the world travel to the Lion City to participate in this highly esteemed conference.

The directors believe that THIMUN Singapore offers new opportunities and experiences to all of its participants. The director of Harrow International School Hong Kong states that, “I hope that by participating in the conference [the students] will be more confident, perhaps participating in something bigger in the future.” This is an expectation set by many directors, and has been encouraged onto their students, in light of them having to present why they agree or disagree to a certain point or amendment to the rest of the room. When asked why they brought their students to this specific conference, a common answer from the directors was the hope that they will network for the future, as seen from the director of Jakarta Intercultural school. She stated, “I want them all coming out of it having made some new connections, some new friends.”  Another common expectation set by the directors is the hope that it will reinforce their virtues, such as kindness and respect. The director of the British School of Manila said that “Hopefully it reinforces the value that they bring; like working with other people in a civilized fashion”. 

As shown from all of these examples, directors from schools around the world see THIMUN not as a competition, but rather as a place where you can learn from your mistakes and acquire a variety of different skills. 

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“How Do You Do, Fellow Kids?” – the THIMUN Admin Meme Account

Written by: Joey Lin

Edited by: Priyanka Krishna

The THIMUN meme page became a tradition since 2015, and has amused admins, delegates, and chairs alike throughout the lengthy conference for years. On the Instagram account, “thimunadmeme.xv,” admins and delegates share memes about the conference as well as those from their daily life. While admins have access to the account at all times, delegates typically check the page during lunch, allowing them to meet people with the same taste in memes. As of now, the account has 229 followers, but only 6 posts. That number is likely to increase when THIMUN participants take a break from their toil tonight.

Justin Jen (Admin director of the General Assembly, Hwa Chong Institution) and Joel Lim (Head of Secretariat, Hwa Chong Institution) commended the meme page as a source of delight in the otherwise stressful day for admins. However, the directors would be relieved to know that memes do not distract the participants from their responsibilities. As they were checking out memes on their phones, Jen and Lim quickly responded to a call on the walkie talkie, proving that although the memes may be absorbing, the admins always let their responsibilities come first.

Anngu Chang (delegate of China of SC, Pacific American School), one of the contributors of the meme page, remarked that the memes “keep MUN light-hearted and fun,” introduce delegates to others with similar interests, and provide topics worth talking about. “You can also check out what’s for lunch today,” Chang said, pointing at pictures of lunch posted on the account. 
Followers of the account can message the account with the meme they want to post and the account will display it on the page promptly. Everyone is allowed to follow the Instagram page “thimunadmeme.xv,” so show your support and appreciation for humor!

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Lobbying for an Ideal Plan of Action

Written by: Ping Tsai

Edited by: Hyoree Kim

Before resolutions could be debated upon, delegates must lobby with one another: a stage that requires delegates to diplomatically reach out to and negotiate with other delegates. 

During lobbying, delegates merge their carefully-crafted clauses with those of other delegates. Yet, not all delegates would share the same stance on their interested issues. For example, Aidan Michaud’s (Delegate of Ecuador, GA6, Jakarta Intercultural School) bloc saw a number of delegates who eagerly expounded on the significance of their clauses, which conflicted with one another. Nevertheless, his bloc was “successful in its endeavor” to tackle the question of the long-lasting conflict regarding Diaoyutai Islands. Michaud also communicated his ambitions to be the leader of his committee’s debate, as he “wanted to become the main submitter” for his lobbying bloc. Seeing other delegates who are equally zealous about the committee issues, Michaud feels pumped to proceed to debate.

Ellen Ryoo (Delegate of Qatar, GA3, International Bilingual School in Hsinchu) remarked about HRC delegates’ intense passion for MUN, as many of them sought after the leadership position of their lobbying groups: “There was a group with two delegates who both want the main submitter position very badly, and the chairs had to come over to stop them from ‘fighting.’” Having witnessed how much the delegates of HRC coveted the main submitter position, an act that showcased delegates’ passion for debating, Ryoo looks forward to listening to novel ideas generated by those heated discussions.

Building onto Ryoo’s point about the love for debating THIMUN delegates share, Brandon Hsu (Delegate of Cambodia, GA1, Pacific American School) expressed that he was expecting delegates to be “peacefully discussing different issues” during lobbying. However, he realized that for a group to put together a highly debatable resolution, it wouldn’t be surprising if “delegates are having a major disagreement” over what aspect of the issue should their resolution aim to solve and how the issue should be resolved. 

Transitioning from lobbying to debating, delegates of THIMUN Singapore await their resolutions to be passed with an overwhelming majority.