Being a First-Timer vs. JMUN

Diving into JMUN

You’ve all heard of the world of MUN, but have you ever heard the term JMUN? JMUN stands for “Junior Model United Nations,” meaning you can enter the world of MUN while still in middle school. The earlier you enter the MUN world, the brighter your future in this community will be, and the purpose of JMUN conferences all over the world is to give you this opportunity. If you want to be one step ahead of your friends and competitors, listen to me carefully and take a step into this unique world.

 

Preparing for JMUN

Round 1: Research and Strategy

Research, research, and research. This should be your motto along the way (don’t forget to have fun, of course). The moment your country is assigned to you for the debate, you will no longer be the old you. You will be representing a country, so you can imagine yourself as a small president. What every president does is prepare his/her speech, but it is not advisable to prepare a speech in advance as your JMUN conference will be very dynamic, so you should gather as much information about your country as possible. It is very important to be able to distinguish between your friends and enemies so that you can create cooperation and alliances. If you are not sure where to find all this information, I suggest that the official website of your country, the official website of the committee you will be assigned to, and all the United Nations websites can be your guiding sources.

 

Round 2: Delegate Against Position Paper

Some JMUN conferences ask their delegates for a position paper before the conference, but what is this position paper that we hear so much about? A position paper is a document in which you write down the information you have gathered by doing background research on your assigned country, what your country has done so far to solve the problem in your assigned committee, and how it has created solutions. This paper, which must be written according to a specific format, is very important for the delegates, because in the Harvard procedure, there is an award in which only the quality of the position paper and how well it is written are taken into account. So keep your pen and paper or other technological devices ready because you are only one position paper away from your prize.

 

Round 3: Rules and Penalties

JMUN conferences are not inferior to normal MUN conferences in terms of rules. To avoid any unpleasantness in your conferences, which have strict and extremely important rules to be followed, you should devour the “Delegate Handbook” of each conference. In addition, you must read the “Rules Of Procedure” booklets of those procedures according to the type of conference you will attend (HARVARD or THIMUN). Failure to follow a rule can lead to serious consequences such as your expulsion from the conference, so never forget to follow the rules in order not to waste all your efforts! 

 

 

Round 4: Public Speaking

Public speaking skills and the persuasiveness of your speeches are vital if you want to achieve a certain level of success at JMUN conferences. You should look confident and self-assured when you start speaking because you will be representing an entire nation. You should persuade people and at the same time adopt a polite speaking style. If you use too aggressive and insulting sentences and words, it will both damage the prestige of your country and cause you to receive a warning from your committee chairman. The best way to practice at home is to make your own JMUN simulation in front of a mirror, that is, by determining a topic, discussing it with yourself and watching yourself in the mirror so that you can focus on your facial expressions. 

 

 

Rematch: During the Conference

Round 1: Opening Ceremony and First Sessions

Before each JMUN conference, the conference is officially launched with an opening ceremony. During this ceremony, some speakers are usually welcomed, and then the SG (Secretary General) gives his/her speech. After this ceremony, the first session starts, and most of the time these sessions start with some mingling games called “Fun Session” or “Chair-Delegate Meeting” to make you more comfortable. Before each session, a roll call is taken. Remember that if you miss more than one session you may face problems such as not getting a certificate, so remember to say “Present” or “Present and Voting” when the Chair calls your name.

 

 

Round 2: Committee Sessions

The heart of both JMUN and MUN beats in the committee sessions because what we actually call JMUN are debates between country representatives. In each session, there are both “motions” and, if it is a HARVARD procedure, “GSL” speeches. These time slots allow for different “Agenda Items,” i.e., debates without deviating from the main theme. You can think of the sessions as school lessons. During JMUN, you will have sessions and breaks during the day for 1 to 1.5 hours, with some exceptions. For example, JMUN conferences in different languages use English as the official language, so avoid speaking Turkish during the sessions.

 

 

Last Round: “Resolution”

Writing down all the solutions found and future strategies is the ultimate goal at JMUN. The “Resolution” paper is a formal document summarizing the committee’s proposals to address the issues at hand. Resolution papers have a specific format and can be quite challenging to write, so if you are attending as a First-Timer, you can leave the format to more experienced delegates and use your first conference to learn how to write a Resolution paper. However, even if you do not do the formatting, never hesitate to propose solutions and ensure your most active participation. If you are attending a THIMUN JMUN conference, what I just said might not make sense to you because you will write your Resolution paper in the first sessions and during the conference, you will take turns to discuss the items written in the Resolution paper. The two types of conferences are very different from each other, so as I said before, don’t forget to read the Rules Of Procedure booklets. 

 

 

End of Match

If you are going to be a First-Timer, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. As long as you follow all the rules and recommendations, there will be no problems, so it’s time to start preparing for JMUN. Remember, JMUN is for you to improve your English and have fun, so don’t forget to make new friends and enjoy every minute you spend on this pleasant adventure!

 

 

Sincerely,

Melis Köstü