DAIS member – Daniela from ITJ Valle Real, Guadalajara, Mexico

What was your role as a DAIS member? What sort of responsibilities did you have?

My role as a DAIS member was to monitor the committee, so I would make sure that the delegates stayed focused and weren’t going off-topic, called on the delegates who wanted to speak, and kept track of the time.

Why did you want to take part in the ISP Virtual MUN?

I really love Model United Nations. I find it so fun and a great way to learn things and meet new people. I had already been participating in my local MUN for about 5 years and had always wanted to participate in an international MUN with more people other than my classmates, so the ISP MUN was the perfect choice.

How did you prepare for your role?

To prepare for my role, I attended all the training sessions that IMUNA had for us and made sure to take notes on the most important things. The training was super helpful because all our questions were answered, and we even got to have a small “Demo” MUN which was super helpful too. I could tell that the sessions were very well organised and planned.

What are the main differences between being a DAIS member and a delegate?

The biggest difference between being a DAIS member and a delegate is that a delegate will debate and give their assigned country’s opinion while a DAIS will listen and make sure the committee stays focused. Both delegates and DAIS members should know most, if not all, of the information there is on the topic; however, a DAIS gets a “cheat sheet” with the position of every country and delegates don’t. Another big difference is that the delegates need to have a firm position on the topic whereas a DAIS should remain neutral no matter their opinion.

How challenging was it for you to be a DAIS member?

Being a DAIS member was challenging at times, especially at the beginning. I think it was easier after the first day. For example, during the first session my mind went blank because I was pretty nervous. The other DAIS member was sending me private messages telling me what I had to do but I was so embarrassed because I knew what I needed to do but I didn’t seem to remember so when the first recess came I went to the bathroom, splashed some water on my face and gave myself a strict pep talk and basically pulled it together.

What was your main struggle? How did you overcome it?

My main struggle was technology. On the first day of the conference, my internet was super slow, so I didn’t have the best connection to the Zoom meeting, and I had to leave a bunch of times because my computer was so slow. I was so embarrassed because it was the first day and I was already struggling with the internet connection! What I did was run around my whole house trying to find a spot where the internet was working until I found one and I stayed there for the whole event.

What did you learn from this experience?

I learned so many things from this experience, but I was able to take a deep dive into my committee’s discussion topic, Addressing Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries which talked about landlocked countries and how they are not really trading anything with any other country because of how expensive the transportation is to get to them. This is one of the things that I love about MUN. I had never heard of most of the topics before and the opinion of the countries but with a few days of debating and some background research, you can become an expert on it.

What are the main skills you developed as a DAIS member?

I think that the main skills that I learned were leadership skills and organization skills, specifically when I had to write down multiple things at once and I had to find a way to do it all without missing any important details.

In which committee were you? What was the discussion topic?

My committee was UNCTAD and the discussion topic was “Addressing Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries”

Describe your most memorable moment from your committee experience

I can’t really think of just one because the whole conference was memorable, but I really enjoyed seeing how the delegates stepped out of their comfort zone and suggested different ideas like implementing laws or starting a foundation to help donate money to landlocked countries.

Was there a time in the conference when you noticed one delegate or a group of delegates showing growth in their debating skills or knowledge of the world?

Absolutely! The delegate of Peru was a really strong delegate throughout the whole conference, but the delegate of Côte d’Ivoire started off kind of shy and by the end of the conference he was a whole different person; he was giving tons of ideas and making lots of suggestions.

Did you have the opportunity to teach the delegates in your committee something new about the topic?

I hope I was able to teach the delegates in my committee, but honestly the delegates didn’t ask many questions during the conference, but I am sure they learned many things.

From your experience, what are the main benefits of taking part in a MUN?

I think that the biggest benefit is that you learn A LOT and you also get to meet a lot of new people. In the case of ISP MUN, I got to meet people from all over the world. I really like meeting people from different parts of the world because I love learning about new traditions and cultures.

Considering the global pandemic, what are the benefits of doing a Virtual MUN?

One of the benefits was that I didn’t have to miss any classes, but I still would’ve loved it if it could’ve been an in-person event.

What would you say to other students thinking about taking part in the next ISP Virtual MUN?

I would say that it is 100% worth it for students to join and they shouldn’t be too nervous about their performance; the important thing is that they have fun and they learn something new.