How to Get involved
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Here at McMaster, there are several different ways you can get involved with Model UN. We are an interesting club as there is no official members application process and you can engage in our activities to the level you’re comfortable with or capable of. Here’s to inclusivity! Mac students have the opportunity to apply for a position our executive team in the spring or apply for a position our staff team in the summer. All undergrad students have the opportunity to get involved as a delegate at our conference, applications are published in the fall and the conference takes place in the winter.
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The best way to learn about these opportunities as they arise throughout the year is to subscribe to our newsletter and add us on social media, especially on our club Instagram page, which essentially serves as a newsfeed for club announcements:
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Ways to Get Involved
Check out the banners below to learn more about the different types of activities we do as a club. You can join us for some of these activities, or you can join us for all of them! We hope that there is something here for everyone. Have a question or suggestion? Don't hesitate to contact us!
IN-HOUSES
MUN committee sessions/training sessions open to all McMaster students without the need for prior registration, though you can RSVP in advance in order to get a country or character assignment. These function as the kind of ‘club meetings’ you would have for other clubs and are run by conference staff and executive members. We post the topics for each in-house in advance, and these are the best events for you to attend if you'd like to familiarize yourself with the club or with MUN. We always welcome drop-ins and individuals who wish to sit and observe the session instead of participating as a delegate. These sessions are friendly, casual, and meant to ease you into MUN, our community, and the topic du jour in a comfortable environment.
MACMUN CONFERENCE
Our annual Model United Nations conference is easily the biggest event that we plan year-round, and participation is open to McMaster students as well as students from other schools. This conference takes place off-campus, over the course of one exhilarating weekend, and features formal committee sessions that cover a breadth of topics, led by chairs and crisis analysts that have been researching, training, and preparing for these sessions for the past year. With full photography, videography, and social media coverage; special conference events like club nights; renowned guest speakers; and the chance to bring home some prestigious awards (not to mention lifelong friendships!), this brief but impactful weekend commitment is one that you definitely want to make. Learn more here.
EXTERNAL CONFERENCES
In the same way that sport teams send athletes to compete at other schools, our club sends "delegations" of McMaster students to other schools' and organizations' Model United Nations conferences. Hone your MUN skills in a different environment, represent our school, meet new friends (whether they're other McMaster students, or folks from other universities!), visit any friends you might have elsewhere, add to your resume, and travel a little! McMaster has countless individual and several 'Best Delegation' awards under our belt from external conferences. To join a delegation, keep an eye out for when we announce signups for each throughout the year; there is no 'try-out' process and first-timers are welcome. You can also contact us to ask about any upcoming external conference.
SPEAKERS & SPECIAL EVENTS
As well as events centred on formal MUN debate and discussion, as a club, we also organize speaker series, workshops, professional development opportunities, and other one-time events pertinent to the 'values' of MUN and subjects that we're interested in exploring as a club, like diplomacy, teamwork, topical global issues, topics local issues, and more. These events are always an enriching way to think more critically about the topics that we're tackling in MUN simulations, and they're always a more fun and less formalized way to get involved with our community, outside of the usual 'committee' environment. You can keep an eye out for when these one-time opportunities are announced by staying tuned to our mailing list and social media; often, these events often have limited spots!
VOLUNTEER WITH US
If all of these events sound interesting to you, but you'd be more interested in the planning side rather than the participant one, then you might be perfect as a conference staff member or club executive! As well as general members, our club includes 1) conference committee chairs and crisis staff that also get involved with broader club activities like in-houses, 2) a conference media team of social media directors and news anchors, and 3) a leadership team that doubles as both a Secretariat for our conference and a Club Executive. President elections and executive hiring usually takes place near the end of second semester, with staff hiring taking place in the following summer. 1st/2nd years also have the opportunity to apply to be a 'junior executive' in September. Keep an eye out for applications here!