Model UN Development Organization (MUNDO) is a social enterprise that develops interactive educational curriculum for students about international relations and global politics. Since 2003, our organization has been devoted to bringing students the most realistic and educationally fulfilling Model UN programs available. From our committee selections, to our conference-wide interactive simulations, to our customer service and event planning experience, MUNDO has sought to give educators an international relations political simulations that is honest and realistic. We believe we are moving towards our goal with the innovations we have developed, along with others that are currently in the works.
Pictured: CIMUN Staff, December 2010
Innovations and Objectives
At its core, the goal of MUNDO is to build the most innovative and sophisticated Model United Nations educational simulations, and to deliver true experiential education. Inaugurated in 2003, Chicago International Model UN (CIMUN) was borne out of frustration and was designed to fill a void within the Model UN community.
Educational Goals:
1. To provide students with educational curriculum that develops their understanding of power and international relations, global comparative political perspectives, teamwork and leadership, and working under stress;
2. Deliver simulations that are realistic and allow committees the ability to make decisions that affect the entire environment within the parameters determined by power and events;
3. Commit to the pursuit of research and contribution to the field of experiential and international education;
4. To provide teachers with resources that enable the growth of expansion of Model UN as an educational tool, and
5. Reinvest towards the research and development of realistic Model UN conferences and other educational tools and curriculum.
21st Century Model United Nations: The traditional Model UN exists in a singular realm of one or two students in a committee working for four days on the drafting and passage of a resolution. This method allows delegates the freedom to express power they would not otherwise possess in real life, which leads to issues like delegates acting "out of character"
Fully Integrated Committees: When we first started developing CIMUN, it was unheard of to have events in committees affect a greater simulation or other committees, let alone across all the committees and in real time affecting the entire environment. Integrated committees allows the expression of power to be checked by external factors. Delegates can attempt to act out of character, though the interaction between committees, and simulations, acts as a check against unrealistic uses of power.
Simulations Department: Discussions in our Department of Simulations (or "Sims") can sometimes get heated. Sims is the research and development engine of MUNDO, and custom simulations have on a few occasions come true. This is known as the "CIMUN Curse." Honestly, we don't really believe in a curses, but we do push ourselves to build simulations to be as realistic as possible. While developing Simulations and crises, our Simulations Directors consult research, write literature reviews and simulation plans. Departments deliberate and dissect any simulations plan before approval and execution. Our Sims Directors are experienced professionals that have worked to develop specialized curriculum tailored to the needs of private clients. Our team has experience in working with students and participants as young as 8 years old and as old as 80, as well as in working in the classroom or developing a custom simulation. Because of the large amounts of manpower it takes to develop a simulations of this magnitude (that allow for up to 400 participants), up to 50% of any conference's staff is part of Sims.
Emphasis on realistic portrayal of national interest: This should not be an innovation. Unfortunately, many Model UN conferences focus primarily on what is sometimes called "consensus building," which makes the activity more about resolution writing and process than really understanding dynamics of global politics and power. A core component of our philosophy is to develop curriculum that is realistic, and encourages students to be realistic about the way they act in a committee.
Student Empowerment and Leadership: The nature of integrated simulations empowers the role of the delegate, and enhances the team aspect of Model UN at conferences. Since the scope of the simulation encompasses all the committees including large UN committees, delegations must coordinate their policy across all committees. Furthermore, the depth of the conference means coordinated delegations can express power in a multiple levels.
Professional Staff and Client Service: MUNDO seeks to provide quality customer service including professional and approachable staff. Unlike most Model UN conferences, MUNDO staff do not come from a single university, but seeks the best Model UNers and conference administrators to staff their conferences. In 2009, 24% of CIMUN's 90 staff members were current or past Secretary-Generals of other conferences, or Presidents of their respective university-level Model UN teams. MUNDO takes the professionalism of their staff very seriously, and engages in rigorous and specialized training for several days before any conference.
MUNDO annually hosts 2 conferences for general participation:
- Chicago International Model UN (CIMUN) (for high school and secondary school students) - CIMUN is our flagship conference. Inaugurated in 2003, it remains our most popular event. With an average of 20% year-on-year growth for the last 7 years, CIMUN 2010 will accommodate 800 delegates, 100 faculty and 108 staff members.
- Chicago International Political Simulation (CIPS) (for university students) - CIPS is our newest advanced conference for university-level students.
Classroom Educational Programs:
- Custom elementary school programs
- Custom middle school programs
- Custom high school programs
Private clients:
MUNDO develops private simulations and other programs for clients that can be developed to achieve specific goals and requests. MUNDO has developed several simulations on behalf of clients, including national non-profit and lobbying organizations. MUNDO does not currently license any proprietary educational methods or curriculum, and all staff must sign a non-disclosure agreement before participating.
Please feel free to explore our website and learn more about or organization! If you have any questions, queries or comments, please feel free to get in touch with us at info@modelun.net, or call 1-773-698-6328.