MFS Hosts Second Annual Quaker Model UN Conference

On Saturday, October 13, Moorestown Friends welcomed nearly 70 participants to the second annual Quaker Model United Nations Conference (QMUNC). Visitors from Abington Friends and Penn Charter joined the MFS delegation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a full day of debate and discussion.

Anna Goula ’18 created the QMUNC last year as her senior capstone project, and Mariana Goldlust ’19 and Jordan Brunner ’19 served as this year’s Co-Secretaries General. In the weeks leading up to the 2018 conference, Model UN students brainstormed about topics that could tie in to the six Quaker testimonies, or SPICES. The final committees, listed below, simultaneously reflect crucial world issues and the ways in which Quaker values can be used to address them.

Clark Thomson, History Department Chair and Model UN Advisor, was impressed by the delegates’ performance, planning, and outreach to the newest committee members. “When novices are thrown into a regular conference, there’s no one to stop the committee and say, ‘Let’s learn the new parliamentary probe procedure,’” Thomson explains. “One of the focuses of Jordan and Mariana was to say ‘This is how we’re going to make people feel comfortable and this is how we’re going to teach them.’”

QMUNC Committees, Chairs, and Awards

Simplicity – United Nations Environment Programme

Chairs: Shelby Deibler ’20 & Josh Strauss ’20

Outstanding Delegate: Miles Oglesby ’20

Peace – Disarmament and International Security Committee

Chairs: Ethan Barr ’19 & Aaron Klein ’20

Honorable Mention: Roma Jha ’22

Best Delegate: Aani Desai ’22

Integrity – FIFA

Chairs: Jalen Pate ’20 & Samantha Bastien ’20

Outstanding Delegate: Justin Patel ’20

Best Delegate: Aaron Clark ’20

Community – Historical General Assembly

Chairs: Ali Chesnick ’19 & Liam Schenk ’19

Outstanding Delegate: Lauren Kenny ’21

Best Delegate: Kayla Patel ’21

Equality – The Special Political and Decolonization Committee

Chairs: Calvin Bell ’20 & Bailey Butterworth ’20

Outstanding Delegate: Joaquin Estevez ’20

Stewardship – Food and Agriculture Organization

Chairs: Evan Fenska ’19 & Cameron Stirner ’19

Honorable Mention: Christine Chandran ’21

Outstanding Delegate: Om Patil ’21