By Sofiia Shamonina, Community Coordinator of TEIMUN Society Committee 2020/2021
First things first, let’s ponder on how does one define a society? One definition suggests that society is constituted of a group of people who interact with each other persistently. But is there perhaps more to this concept? TEIMUN Society and all of its members gather together every week to jointly demonstrate that there is a whole new dimension to it.
As you may already know, TEIMUN Foundation has its own committee which consists of four talented trainers, two experienced co-chairs and one dedicated community coordinator. We make a concerted effort to bring like-minded people together and expand the limits of each other’s international political perspectives.
In the year 2020/2021, we have gained a unique opportunity to bring TEIMUN Society to the digital realm. Every week we host open training sessions on the Zoom platform, where we help our participants delve deeper into the debating and public-speaking realities of Model United Nations conferences. The sessions are free of charge and ready to welcome any willing individual based in Groningen or internationally to our iconic and intelligent community. Our latest and most prodigious point of interest is the GrunnMUN conference which will take place online on the 11th of March.
TEIMUN Society trainers can prove to you that practice makes perfect and that every willing participant has a great potential to become a superlative GrunnMUN speaker. We deploy a practical approach as opposed to hours of routine online lecturing. After all, our interest lies in maintaining high levels of effective comprehension and active engagement among participants. Every weekly open session begins with a concise 15-20 long minute technical briefing (for example, regarding procedural details of the GrunnMUN conference) followed by a multitude of interactive debating exercises and negotiation games. Whether you work better alone or in a group, our activities are designed to fit all. For example, trainers come up with a relevant political issue in a form of a statement which is likely to come up in a discussion during the conference, prepare a list of countries with short descriptions and assign one to you. You are then placed into a group with your opponent (one-on-one debate) or with several people (forming a team). During the negotiation games, trainers moderate the process, carefully observe your strategy, and later provide you with feedback. The TEIMUN Society committee is always happy to include any incoming topic suggestions. We encourage you to be curious and thoughtful about international affairs and share your preferred discussion themes with us.
TEIMUN Society considers its members a big family, more than just a group of strangers brought together by the need to dispute and learn. All members feel free to remain themselves because together we aim to create a safe and supportive social environment. Current coronavirus regulations in many countries make it challenging for young people to absorb information quickly and efficiently which you have probably experienced yourself. In that case, we have great news: our sessions are an anxiety-free zone where nobody is criticized for making a mistake or getting something on the second try.
Everyone knows that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (in our case, Jack aspires to become a successful MUN delegate), which is why the TEIMUN Society also hosts monthly socials. Our cheerful lot likes to play Cards Against Humanity, Mafia, Never Have I Ever, and organize some typical Dutch social activities (don’t forget to bring a beer and your sense of humor with you).
During the socials we give you an opportunity to form personal bonds with other participants while talking about world affairs in a casual manner. The author’s personal experience shows that strong friendships are often formed in events like that.
Join TEIMUN Society to shine during GrunnMUN, elevate your debating skills and acquire new friends for life!