I) First implementation of online platforms:
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a)External conferences
With the sudden arrival of the Coronavirus, MUNs around the world have had to find a way to continue to express their voices and debate, thus enabling the younger generation to practice their skills in diplomacy. FerMUN has had the opportunity to participate in four exterior conferences, two in the USA: with Colorado’s CSSOMUN and Edison High School in California, one with BerMUN and another with MFINUE (Istanbul). We used the platform Zoom as a means to debate.
Following this, FerMUN was determined to produce an online conference of its own, as a means of letting the students continue to express their opinions through the practice of researched debate.
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b) MockMUN
After the initial confusion of confinement, members of FerMUN came together to hold debates online, via Discord and Zoom, with the desire to maintain our debating skills and exchange ideas. Committees were attributed, chairs appointed and roles given out, then those willing enough to attempt it came together for a first MockMUN on Discord. The room dedicated to solving technical problems ran at full capacity as we all were getting our heads around online debating. We later came together a second time on Zoom, better prepared, with the objective to train and prepare the delegates for the upcoming conference in January of 2021.
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c) Problems encountered
During the Mock MUN preparations, people have had multiple issues, including poor internet connection, "computer bugs" or even the absence of technological resources. However, most problems encountered at the beginning of quarantine could be solved and led us to improve over the months in a domain that we had never been confronted with before. As a result, we were able to fully prepare for the FerMUN 2021 online conference.
II) The official preparation of FerMUN
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a)Delegates
In September 2020, official preparations for the FerMUN 2021 conferences resumed at full speed. Delegates were finally able to meet in groups and resume discussions with each other. They discussed a wide range of topics in order to improve their eloquence and gain confidence in their speeches. Following the introduction of partial confinement, these debates were moved to Zoom, to guarantee the safety of the participants and also to get used to the use of the online platform.
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b) Press
Members of the press brainstormed to adapt. Indeed, with the impossibility of producing a paper magazine, we created a site dedicated to the 2021 conference so that we could continue to inform everyone about the events.
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c) Bilingualism
The bilingualism team, faced with the language barrier, practiced immediate oral and written translation to facilitate debate and understanding for all. This year, they had to be creative to continue their work on zoom.
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d) Admins
The admins, being in their first year of MUN, were introduced to the functioning of the conference and the necessary tools. They learned how to use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) especially on the debate platforms. We hope that this first experience will inspire them for years to come.
III) FerMUN
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Welcome to all participants, and we hope you have three days of enriching and productive discussions. Despite the difficult circumstances, we are sure that these will be three unforgettable days and that you will have a good time
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WRITTEN BY: Emma KUHNEN; Lise BARRIA; Alessia CERAMI; Adrienne MC NALLY
TRANSLATED BY: Ronan MARTIN; Olivier FRAYLING