Another year, another KUNA conference. Y-Club is an organization at GRC that is sponsored by the YMCA and encourages students’ civic engagement. The YMCA holds a variety of conferences each year for these students. This March, our Y-Club headed to Louisville to compete at the state level.
“KUNA is a model UN conference,” GRC KUNA president Ella Howton said. “Schools will become representatives of countries that are in the UN in real life.”
Y-Club students do a variety of activities to prepare them for the conference. Everyone works together to create the best work possible.
“To prepare for the conference we do a whole lot of research and crafting. I mean there’s nothing that we aren’t doing,” sophomore delegate Addison Taylor said. “It’s a team process and everyone works together and makes sure to do their part.”
Each student has a different role that’s important to contributing to the success of this conference.
“My role at KUNA this year was in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) where I served as a Justice on the Advisory Court,” junior Lauren McCraith said. “At KUNA, the ICJ program simulates a real international court case, of which there are two, Advisory and Contentious. Instead of writing resolutions and negotiating between countries, students are arguing a legal case and presenting it as a lawyer in court.”
This year, our students managed to have both bills passed successfully, and even brought home awards for their bills and signs.
“I was shocked and insanely overjoyed to be elected,” junior Maahi Patel said. “Since my first KUNA in 8th grade I dreamed of becoming presiding officer and knowing I’ve fulfilled that is surreal. I have loved getting to know my Presiding Officer (PO) team. Everyone is so great and I’mso excited to serve with them next year.”
Two of our students ran for positions at the state level. Patel and junior Evan Eads both secured positions as President of the United National General Assembly and Editor-in-Chief of Media Corps.
“I’m really happy with getting a PO because I’m fairly new to Y conferences, I didn’t think that I’d have the opportunity to become one.” Eads said.
Competing at these conferences provide students with an assortment of life skills that they can use later to apply throughout their life.
“Doing ICJ has really helped me think quickly on my feet,” McCraith said. “Each argument moves very fast with lots of information. As a justice you have to understand everything the advocate team is presenting and ask questions to undermine their argument in like two seconds. It’s crazy how smart everyone in the room is!”
Over the years, students have created many different memories together, making it more difficult for the seniors to say goodbye and reflect on what they have gotten out of the experience.
“Don’t be afraid to use your voice,” Howton said. “You get out of the experience what you put into it. Once you let go of that initial fear of speaking, it is so much fun to get up and share your opinions.It is one of the very few places that allows and encourages students to voice their concerns or support of different topics.”
