The Chantilly Model United Nations team annually hosts the Chantilly Model United Nations, or CHMUN. During the conference, students participate in a simulation of the United Nations, taking on the roles of representing the 193 member states in the UN. About 35-40 schools participate in CHMUN, with over 800 delegates participating in the event. 

“[CHMUN] encourages individuals to research real-world topics, broadening their understanding of the world around them and how they fit into it,” sophomore MUN director Alexander Dorsey said. “It also forces them to think on their toes to create solutions and to come to agreements.” 

The conference will be held on Feb. 25 and 26 at CHS. Preparation for CHMUN starts in the summer. Participants, known as delegates, begin to work early so that as the event looms, time can be designated to plan the actual event.

“The board [MUN’s leadership] writes background guides over the summer, in addition to coming up with topics and editing the background guides after.” senior CHMUN director Valli Ramanathan said. 

Planning for the conference includes organizing more than 100 volunteers to compose the four CHMUN departments (crisis, staff, hospitality and logistics), ordering food and providing an engaging and fair experience for the competitors. Whether it be organizing volunteers to man the samosa cart or gathering alumni to judge committees, volunteering is important for CHMUN.

“CHMUN is like a clock where all of the gears have to be just so [in perfect condition], otherwise it starts to fall apart,” Dorsey said. “Luckily, we have a more-than-capable team of leaders that are willing to put in the time and effort into fitting all of those gears into place and who are flexible enough to shift gears when necessary.”

Divided into four separate committees, CHMUN has each committee tackling a separate aspect of the conference. The crisis department writes dossiers, creates and performs crisis updates and makes sure the crisis committees are engaging and stimulating. The staff department trains volunteers to oversee committees and ensure a fair, competitive environment is offered. The hospitality department provides food services and candy grams. The logistics department ensures that there are no technical issues during CHMUN, including setting up projectors and other such problems.

 “We have weekly meetings where each department explains the volunteer’s role for the conference,” junior and MUN member Sashreek Chinmar said. “Besides the four departments, the most crucial part of making CHMUN successful is the upper secretariat team and our sponsor.”

The conference is known for its network of extensive volunteers, giving students great opportunities to get service hours by helping in one of the school’s biggest annual events. Volunteers serve food, organize rooms and help run the whole event. 

“The hospitality department provides lunches, snacks, and contact tracing for our delegates this year,” Dorsey said. “This department deals with much of the fundraising that the event brings in to support our club.”     

Those who help organize CHMUN are not allowed to participate in the conference. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Yukta Ramanan or Nayana Celine Xavier.

“[CHMUN] encourages individuals to research real-world topics, broadening their understanding of the world around them and how they fit into it,” Dorsey said. “Though it’s a lot of work to hold CHMUN, it is extremely rewarding and most critically, fun.”