TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 10, 2011) - For the fourth year in a row, the Tallahassee Southern Model United Nations (TSMUN) will hold its annual conference at the Florida Capitol. The conference, scheduled for Friday, February 11, will mark the 15th year of this highly successful and educational high school conference.

Friday’s opening ceremonies begin at 9 a.m.  The keynote speaker for opening ceremonies will be Her Majesty’s Consul-General of the United Kingdom, Kevin McGurgan, OBE.

Closing ceremonies, including the awards ceremony, will begin at 10 p.m.

Established by Tallahassee Community College’s Model United Nations Program, the conference provides the opportunity for middle school and high school students to participate in international dialogue by taking on the role of foreign diplomats within the United Nations.  This year, the simulated sessions have attracted 243 students from 19 Florida high schools.

“This program has served as an excellent recruitment tool to bring some of the best local high school students to TCC to participate in a program which would not be available to them anywhere else in the area,” said Rick Murgo, Chair, Political Science and Economics.

For TCC’s Model UN students, Friday’s conference is an opportunity to play a different role.  Usually on the learning end of the spectrum, TCC students will serve as conference leaders and staff.  Throughout the day, they will train high school students about the issues scheduled to be discussed at the conference, as well as the learning process in the respective high school’s Model UN program.

The conference consists of extensive background guides dealing with economic and political issues chosen and written by TCC’s Model UN students, who travel to all participating high schools to host workshops not only for students, but for the high school faculty advisers.

Committees chaired by TCC’s Model UN students, such as the UN Human Settlement Committee and Economic and Social Council Committee, will be simulated at Friday’s conference, allowing the participating high school students to debate and submit their own resolutions.  These activities will take place on the floors of Florida’s House and Senate Chambers, a most promising environment for future politicians and peacemakers.

There will also be programs held for the attending faculty, allowing them to earn continuing education credits as certified by the Florida Department of Education.

To learn more about the conference, log on to www.tsmun.org.

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