UN Model French Simulation Conference on the topic of

“ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES: A GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN CRISIS”

On Monday 22 July, students studying VCE French had the opportunity to participate in the UN General Assembly. French teachers of participating schools register their students in teams of 3 or 4 and, as delegates, each team represents a country allocated by the UNAA.  Prior to the conference, students work as team to research, analyse and synthesise their findings on their given country and its position on asylum seekers and refugees.

Conducted entirely in the French language, the conference was engaging and prompted students to think and reflect critically on several aspects of this prominent topic: “Asylum Seekers and Refugees – a Global Humanitarian Crisis”. All teams presented their 3 minute Position Statement for their country, followed by a moderated caucus, then an unmoderated one where they could negotiate alliances with other teams to propose amendments, discuss and debate ideas to finally come to a resolution.

Overall, it was a great opportunity for students to work in teams, to practise their debating skills in the target language, to get to know each other and expand their understanding of worldwide issues in a fun, yet more formal learning environment, whilst learning the protocols of the United Nations and work as an international community.

 

Here are some comments from our attendees:

Ava: “On 22 July, three VCE French students got the opportunity to participate in a Francophone Model United Nations Conference. We represented Lebanon, where we had the opportunity to debate with other students, who were also representatives/delegates of various countries, and try to pass on a resolution on the topic ‘Refugees, a Global Humanitarian Crisis’. I had lots of fun and got to practice my French skills in a different situation. I would definitely recommend participating to any other French students.“

David: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the French UN conference. Even though it was a challenging experience, I still was able to learn more about real world issues and improve my language skills.“

Madame Peerbux

(French teacher/French Program Leader)