Does the MMUN staff host traveling workshops for students?

Yes, we often travel to different cities in Montana and host workshops. Requests for these workshops should be made at the beginning of the fall semester. However, we only put on one (1) to two (2) sessions per year.

If you are unable to attend a work shop, we have good news. In the coming weeks Secretary General Kelsi Steele will be posting a web video of this year’s training. You can watch a portion of the web video or the entire thing. The executive staff will cover a variety of topics to help students excel at the conference.
I will post a link when we post the video. Until then please send any questions to us at mtun.highschool@gmail.com.

“Diplomacy is the art of letting someone have your way.” – D. Vare

Where is the best place to start researching for the conference?

The first place to start is the MMUN topic back ground guide site. These issues briefings have all the information you will need to start your research. Delegates will find information posted about each topic to be discussed here.
The topic guides are overviews of complicated topics; they will give your students a start. However, they will have to find the information about their specific countries.
The following are great places to look.

CIA World Fact Book, Basic Country information
UN News Center, Programs and Official statements are found here
The New York Times, The international section will be helpful

Or for more official information check out these suggestions.

The Government Website of the assigned country (especially foreign ministry site)
Newspapers from the assigned country or its region (if available in English)
The country’s UN mission site (these will often have speeches and other documents). To find this site easily, Google the country’s name followed by “Permanent Mission to the UN”
These sites and other research tips can be found in Katie Peers article on the website.

“We do not covet anything from any nation except their respect.” Sir Winston Churchill

When writing the position paper is there a preferred format for citing references such as MLA?

No, we do not require citations for position papers. Students have one page (back and front), and thus should focus on information rather than sources.

If students directly quote someone they should include the person's name (i.e. Secretary General Moon recently said, "[quote].")

Hope this helps.

Next week will be a longer post. If you have questions let me know.

How can we improve our position papers?

The position paper is one of the hardest things delegates will do. The first thing to do is take a deep breath. Over 300 people are just as worried about them as your students. The most important thing to do is review the criteria.
“A position paper is a diplomatic statement of your country’s position on the issues under consideration by a committee.” The main reason we require them is to prepare students for the conference. The points associated with them are a lesser concern. A delegate should read the background guides for their committee. These topics will be the core of the position paper. Students should reflect the goals and beliefs of their country, not themselves. This is a common mistake we see in position papers.
After the research portion of the paper, take a look at the formatting requirements. As seen on the website.
· No more than two pages in length
· Printed double-sided
· 10 or 12 point font
· Single spaced within paragraphs and double spaced between paragraphs
· Heading with the official country name, the name of the school representing the country, and the name of the individual serving as a delegate for that committee
· Short introductory paragraph, followed by three paragraphs on each topic
· Topic sections divided by topic headings. Topics should appear in the order they appear on the topic list and in the committee background guides on the MMUN website. Each topic heading should be bold and centered.
· Either left alignment or justification of the body of the text is acceptable

Finally when writing the paper, keep in mind the MMUN 3 step. A brief introduction leads you into the History, Position and Proposal of your country on each topic. Those are the main points to cover for each issue addressed in the committee.
As always, check the website for more details.
Information for this FAQ was found in the Position Paper section of the MMUN website.