Students in Wilmington Montessori School's Middle School program, along with sixth-graders in the Upper Elementary program, participate in an unforgettable capstone experience every two years - the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN). Rooted in Maria Montessori’s strong belief in peace education, the MMUN program brings students from around the world together to learn about the United Nations and its role as the world’s largest international peacekeeping and humanitarian organization.
(Learn more about the MMUN program in the video below.)
The MMUN conference is held in New York City (with other sites across the globe), where WMS students join hundreds of other Montessori students from around the world for a UN simulation experience to learn about cooperation and the art of compromise.
The students' work begins over the summer, as they research the history of the United Nations and its role in today's world. In the fall, they select delegation countries and began to research global topics from the perspective of those countries. Past topics have included cybersecurity, reduction of military budgets, climate change, food security, fair trade policies, using technology to establish fair elections, preventing the distribution of counterfeit medical products and more.
After completing their research, each student - or “delegate” - writes a paper proposing a solution for their topic. For example, if the topic is nuclear disarmament and the country’s stance is against nuclear proliferation, the proposal might address how countries can work together to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and encourage other countries not to pursue them.
The students then summarize their position papers in opening speeches, which are presented to committees at the beginning of the conference (click here to watch one from 2021's virtual conference!). Following the speeches, the delegates move on to hours of negotiations within their committees, learning about cooperation and the art of compromise. Delegates collaborate to reach acceptable solutions in line with the positions of the countries they represented. The goal for each committee is to arrive at a single solution for each of their topics, and for those solutions to be voted on by each member country in consensus.
During the closing ceremony, each committee’s resolution is presented to the larger group at the UN Headquarters. In past years, WMS delegates have even been selected by their peers to make these presentations. Enjoy the photos of their experience above!