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Branksome Hall News

Learning and Leadership: Branksome’s First-Ever Model United Nations

On Saturday, November 5, Branksome Hall played host to our first-ever Model United Nations (MUN) conference, and it was a spectacular day of learning and leadership. More than 50 students from Branksome Hall and Greenwood College School attended the event, held in the Athletics and Wellness Centre, and BH MUN student leaders Anna Gage, Yara Bhaloo and Ari Wilder showed great skill in facilitating discussion, debate and mentorship. This was a "learning conference," planned and organized by these students, to help MUN members develop the confidence they need to excel at upcoming symposiums in Montreal and The Hague.
Branksome’s MUN Club has been around for many years, but has recently experienced incredible growth—the Club is up to approximately 100 members from 15–20 just a few years ago. MUN is fundamental to developing the skill set our young people need to face a complex global environment, and is wonderfully aligned with the school’s IB mission. By taking part, students develop communication, collaboration and leadership skills, while gaining a greater awareness of current events and global issues. Branksome’s MUN students attend five conferences a year in Montreal, Toronto, Oakville and even The Hague in The Netherlands. The Hague International Model United Nations takes place over four days in January each year and is the premiere event of the Model UN world. Branksome is very proud to be the only school from Canada to attend!
 
For this first-ever Model United Nations conference, special thanks goes to our faculty advisors Daniel Brownson, Brendan Narancsik and Meaghan Higginson, as well as Aramark for providing a lovely lunch, and Yoon Kang, Senior and Middle School Design Technology Specialist, for creating professional-level signage for the delegates. The Boarding community also partnered to support the event, with Boarding students participating as delegates and also acting as volunteers throughout the day. Branksome is also grateful for the support of our Annual Fund donors, who provide financial support that will continue to enable growth for the Model United Nations Club. 
 
Deputy Principal Amanda Kennedy commended the student and faculty event organizers, noting: “Model UN is an important collaborative program at Branksome, and we are appreciative for your leadership. To our student leaders Anna, Yara and Ari, your mentorship of our younger Model UN members is so important to the success of the program. Thank you for supporting their growth as well as your own through these opportunities!”
 
It was a proud day for the Branksome community—thanks to all who continue to support the school’s Model United Nations program.
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We wish to acknowledge this land on which Branksome operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and go to school on this land.

Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
 
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