VAMUN

In the year of 1819, Mr. Thomas Jefferson founded the hallowed Grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. With this public institution, our esteemed third president of the United States sought to construct an academical village and an intimate learning atmosphere where shared intellect was infused intonormal life, the beginning of a lifelong passion of learning. Building upon those ideals, it is with honor that we introduce you to the 28th anniversary of the Virginia Model United Nations Conference, VAMUN XXVIII, hosted by the International Relations Organization.

VAMUN XXVIII promises to expand minds and reach across borders to students everywhere. As one of the oldest model United Nations simulations in the United States, the experience and wisdom that VAMUN has gained across the years provides students with a prime and golden opportunity to gain a more a comprehensive understanding of the global community. Encouraging the use of intellectual, oratorical, and strategic skills, students adopt the responsibilities of actual diplomats as they engage with one another to develop and create innovative ways to handle and solve global issues.

Not only does VAMUN train students to become competent debaters and thinkers, but we also encourage the development and application of leadership skills in everyday life. Bypassing regional, ethnic, cultural, or national biases, students are challenged to adopt realistic positions and views contrary to their own based upon prior research of each country's actual foreign policy. In the process of applying history and alien viewpoints to contemporary issues, VAMUN acts as vessel for students to expand their horizons and capture a more complete picture of the way the world actually functions through the lens of another body or nation.

With this upcoming year, VAMUN boasts a twenty-six year legacy that encompasses all the spirit, the professionalism, and the innovation that provides its participants with the perfect environment for competitive debate and cooperative diplomacy of that Model United Nations should embody. VAMUN seeks to encourage to a general understanding of the international state of affairs and an appreciation for the complexities of modern-day politics through creative, simulated committee sessions, forums of challenging debate, and the performance of a committed and professional staff. Through MUN, VAMUN fosters a unique opportunity designed to stimulate individual thoughts and understanding about global politics and develop the key ability of negotiation and compromise, necessary components for effective diplomacy and thus future peace and stability in the world.

With its years of invaluable experience, the staff at VAMUN prides itself on its legacy of excellence, consequently resulting in one of the most committed, exciting, and reputable conferences in the area. VAMUN brings approximately 800 high school students from a variety of public, parochial, and private schools across the nation. Priding itself on a truly elite and motivated group of students, VAMUN attracts school attendance from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa, Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts, and California. From the area of research to guidance provided chairs and crisis directors, VAMUN offers each of the 800 delegates from a truly great experience in a dynamic, realistic, and fun environment that serves to motivate, challenge, and teach students to compromise and cooperate over differences of opinion and thought as future leaders of tomorrow.