About Model United Nations Podcast by Best Delegate
On the Model United Nations Podcast, host Ryan Villanueva asks students to share how they got started in Model UN, why they do Model UN, and how Model UN inspires them to prepare for college and their future careers.
Best Delegate is the world's leading K-12 education company for helping students and schools get started in Model United Nations. Best Delegate Co-Founder and Chief Education Officer Ryan Villanueva has been involved in Model UN for 20+ years.
Want to get started on your Model UN journey? Start today at learnmodelun.com!
Global Citizenship: How Model UN Creates Global Citizens (Felix Knoebel, Part 3)
What is global citizenship? In this episode of the Model United Nations podcast, Ryan concludes his interview with Felix Knoebel (@FelixKnoebel), a MUN Mentor at Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute and the former Head Delegate of Cornell's Model UN Team.
Ryan and Felix discuss the concept of global citizenship and its importance in today's interconnected world. Global citizenship is about having knowledge of global issues, skills for communicating and understanding different perspectives, and values and behaviors that help to make the world a better place. Ryan also shares how Best Delegate became a Certified B Corp (https://bestdelegate.com/leading-by-example-best-delegate-is-now-a-certified-b-corp/) in order to be a business example of global citizenship.
The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
3 Jan 2023
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: How Model UN Creates Safe Spaces for Students (Felix Knoebel, Part 2)
In this episode, Ryan continues his interview with Felix Knoebel (@FelixKnoebel), a MUN Mentor at Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute (//learnmodelun.com) and the former Head Delegate of Cornell's Model UN Team. Ryan and Felix discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion at Model UN conferences. They examine Model UN's past as a privileged activity, where students and schools with financial means could travel to multi-day, hotel-based Model UN conferences, but also the progress that's been made to make Model UN more accessible to more students at lower cost. Felix dives into how modern-day MUN conferences are striving to be more inclusive and create safe spaces for students, but how there's still much more work to do. Join us as we explore this crucial issue and learn about the exciting progress being made towards a more diverse and equitable Model UN community.
The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
13 Dec 2022
Dungeons & Dragons: Model UN is LARPing in Suits (Felix Knoebel, Part 1)
Felix Knoebel (@FelixKnoebel) is a 23-year old from Sarasota, FL, who's been involved in Model UN for 10+ years, including serving as Head Delegate of Cornell's Model UN Team and Secretary-General of the Cornell International Affairs Conference (https://www.ciaconline.org/). Felix is also one of the most fun and engaging Mentors we've had at Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute (https://learnmodelun.com/)!
In this episode, we talk about how Felix got started in Model UN as a high school freshman and overcame his fear of public speaking. We also discuss how Model UN sometimes gets compared to Dungeon & Dragons because they're both role-playing activities. We talk about the similarities and differences between MUN and D&D, and what students can learn from stepping into someone else's shoes.
The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
5 Dec 2022
Point of Order: The Different Styles of Model UN Around the World (John Remmell, Part 4)
Caucusing, lobbying, informal consultations -- what's the difference? Well, it depends on where you do Model United Nations: the United States, Europe, or the real United Nations.
Ryan concludes his interview with John Remmell, the MUN Director at Santa Margarita Catholic High School (https://www.smhs.org/campus-life/campus-life-programs/mun), by discussing:
The different styles of Model UN around the world
How Model UN differs from the real UN
A conference that Best Delegate helped organize with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (https://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/en/news/2018/05/unodcs-model-un-guide-tested-and-praised-in-first-training-exercise.html)
The Simpsons Model UN episode! (https://youtu.be/jpVagGj6ct0)
The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
29 Nov 2022
Should We Have Awards in Model United Nations? (John Remmell, Part 3)
Most Model UN conferences in the United States give out awards. Most MUN conferences internationally do not. In SoCal's competitive high school MUN circuit, students receive extra credit for winning awards. Should we have awards in Model United Nations? In this episode, Ryan continues his interview with John Remmell, the MUN Director at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, by debating the hotly contested subject of whether we should have awards in Model United Nations.
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
21 Nov 2022
Santa Margarita Catholic High School: How Their Model UN Program Leaves a Lasting Impact on Students (John Remmell, Part 2)
In this episode, Ryan continues his interview with John Remmell (@munsm), the MUN Director at Santa Margarita Catholic High School (https://www.smhs.org/). Ryan and John talk about SOCOMUN (http://socomun.org/), Santa Margarita's one-day MUN conference every September that is attended by 1,400+ students a year. SOCOMUN is the first MUN conference of the year -- and their first MUN conference, period -- for many students in Southern California.
Ryan also asks John why he continues to be an MUN Advisor, after 26 years. John shares some of his favorite stories about students who've been through Santa Margarita's MUN program, and the lasting impact that MUN has left on them years later.
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
17 Nov 2022
A Shout Out to Southern California's MUN Advisors: How This 20-Year Teacher Got Started in Model United Nations (John Remmell, Part 1)
John Remmell (@munsm) is a social studies teacher and the MUN Director at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Orange County, California. They host SOCOMUN (https://socomun.org/) every September, which is the first MUN conference of the year for many students in Southern California -- including Ryan! It was the first MUN conference he attended over 20 years ago as a high school freshman growing up in SoCal.
In this episode, Ryan and John talk about Southern California MUN: its intensity, competitiveness, and impact. They give a "shout out" to many of the MUN Advisors over the years who have shaped MUN in this part of the country: Lynn Aase, Laurie Elowe, Linda Levine, Bob Timberlake, and others (sorry we didn't have enough airtime to recognize everyone!). And John shares how he got started as a MUN advisor, and his own MUN journey, from not knowing anything about Model United Nations, to the present day, where he leads one of the biggest MUN programs in the world.
The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
14 Nov 2022
Gender Imbalance in MUN: What Model UN Conferences Can Do to Be More Inclusive (Geo, Part 3)
In this episode, Ryan concludes his interview with Georgina (Geo) by discussing gender imbalances at Model UN conferences. Geo shares her experience going into committees with way more boys than girls, especially military-themed committees, and the challenges she encounters. Ryan and Geo describe what MUN conferences are doing to be more inclusive.
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
10 Nov 2022
MUN is FUN: Teaching Model UN in India, the Peace Corps, and a Pandemic (Geo, Part 2)
In this episode, Georgina (Geo) shares her experiences teaching Model UN after she graduates from Georgetown University. She teaches Model UN in India with a company called Worldview Education (https://www.worldview.global/) and their "MUN for India" initiative. Afterwards, Geo joins the Peace Corps, where she's stationed in Thailand and starts teaching Model UN to local students there -- until the 2020 covid pandemic begins, and she promptly returns stateside. But Geo joins the team at Best Delegate (https://bestdelegate.com/), and her energy and enthusiasm for Model UN quickly makes her one of our most beloved MUN Mentors. Today, Geo is studying to be a teacher at New York University.
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
7 Nov 2022
Everybody Loves NAIMUN: How Model UN Got Georgina into Georgetown (Geo, Part 1)
Georgina Kenchington, affectionately known by her students as "Geo," is a 26-year old from New York City who has participated in Model UN for over 12 years. She graduated from Georgetown University, where she was Head Delegate. She's currently studying international education at New York University. And she's a Mentor for Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute (https://learnmodelun.com/).
In this episode, Ryan asks Geo how she got started in Model UN, and why MUN is the reason she attended Georgetown University. She attended Georgetown's high school Model UN conference, NAIMUN, (https://naimun.modelun.org/) which is how she first learned about the university. Making friends with NAIMUN chairs and staffers is what made her believe that Georgetown was the right school for her. Geo wrote about Model UN and international relations in her college application and personal essays. She would go on to attend Georgetown and lead their Model UN program.
If you're curious about how Model UN helps students get into college, this is a great episode for finding out how!
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
3 Nov 2022
Be the Change: How Model UN Gets a 13-Year Old to Reflect on His Role in the World (Miles Nabritt, Part 3)
Miles shares his experience attending Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute summer programs, including what he learned from his MUN Mentors, and how the MUN Institute helped him grow as a student and as a person. At the end of the interview, Ryan pulls up an essay that Miles wrote as a 13-year old high school freshman, about how Model UN inspires him to change the world.
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
31 Oct 2022
Fight or Flight: How Model UN Helps Students Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking (Miles Nabritt, Part 2)
In this episode, Ryan continues his interview with Miles, who shares his experience attending his first Model UN conference and delivering his first speech. Miles feels the fear of public speaking -- but after giving his speech, realizes that public speaking is not so bad. Miles dedicates himself to improving at Model UN -- and ends up winning an award at one of the biggest Model UN conferences in the United States.
If you're new to Model UN and afraid of public speaking, then something in Miles' story might help you overcome that fear. Please enjoy!
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (http://learnmodelun.com/)
27 Oct 2022
Travel, People, Friends: How to Sell Model UN to a High School Freshman (Miles Nabritt, Part 1)
Miles Nabritt is a 23-year old young professional from Booklyn, New York. Miles started doing Model UN in high school, and he attended Best Delegate's Model United Nations Institute summer programs for 3 years. He went Bates College, where he led their Model UN program, and this past summer, Miles came back to the Model United Nations Institute as a MUN Mentor.
In this episode, Ryan asks Miles, "What convinced you to join your high school's Model UN club?" Miles' answer is beautifully simple: travel, people, friends. Miles shares how these 3 reasons were enough to get him to attend his first MUN club meeting and ultimately keep doing Model UN throughout high school and college.
If you're an MUN club leader or advisor, this episode might give you a few good ideas for how to explain Model UN to someone who's completely new to it, and how to recruit them to join your Model UN club!
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The Model United Nations Podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate -- we make it easy to learn Model UN! Start your MUN journey today at learnmodelun.com (https://learnmodelun.com/)
23 Oct 2022
Game Theory: How Model UN Inspires High Schoolers to Plan for College and Career (Natalie, Part 3)
Ryan concludes his interview with Natalie by asking her, "What are your favorite topics in Model UN? And is that something you're interested in studying in college, or pursuing a career in?" Ryan is mind-blown by Natalie's answer, which weaves together nuclear weapons, economics, the Prisoner's Dilemma (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/prisoners-dilemma.asp#:~:text=Understanding%20the%20Prisoner), and impact investing.
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The podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate (https://bestdelegate.com/) -- we make it easy to learn Model United Nations! Start your Model UN journey today at learnmodelun.com (https://learnmodelun.com/)
23 Oct 2022
The Last Outstanding: How Model UN Builds Confidence -- and Humility (Natalie, Part 2)
Ryan continues his interview with Natalie, asking her, "What's the biggest challenge you've faced so far in Model UN?" Natalie shares her story of competing at NAIMUN (https://naimun.modelun.org/), the Model UN conference hosted by Georgetown University. Natalie works really hard to win the top award - Best Delegate - but not everything goes as planned. Ryan prompts her to reflect on what she learned from the experience, and what it means to really win in Model UN.
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The podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate (https://bestdelegate.com/) -- we make it easy to learn Model United Nations! Start your Model UN journey today at learnmodelun.com (https://learnmodelun.com/)
23 Oct 2022
Finding Her Voice: Why a High School Junior Teaches Model UN to 2nd Graders (Natalie, Part 1)
Natalie is a high school junior and the founder of MiniMUN (https://minimodelun.wixsite.com/minimun), a Model UN program for elementary school students. In this episode, Natalie shares how she got started in Model UN despite being extremely shy, and why she was inspired to partner with her local elementary school, start MiniMUN, and teach students as young as the 2nd grade.
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The podcast is brought to you by Best Delegate (https://bestdelegate.com/) -- we make it easy to learn Model United Nations! Start your Model UN journey today at learnmodelun.com (https://learnmodelun.com/)
17 Oct 2022
Bring Out the Best: Introducing the Model United Nations Podcast by Best Delegate (Trailer)
Welcome to the Model United Nations Podcast by Best Delegate! I'm your host, Ryan Villanueva, and my job is to show you how Model United Nations brings out the best in students around the world.
Every week, I ask students, teachers, and parents to share how they got started in Model UN -- why they do Model UN -- and how Model UN inspires them to make a difference in their lives and in their communities.
Whether you are new to Model UN and just getting started -- or you already do Model UN and are passionate about this activity -- then this podcast is for you!
I invite you to follow the Model United Nations Podcast by Best Delegate, and join me on this journey to explore how Model UN brings out the best in students around the world.
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