UNexpected to UNstoppable

Our journey of character, excellence, service, and diplomacy that led to the eventual formation of our Model UN academic varsity to what it is today began unexpectedly with an unlikely invitation coming from one of the premier high schools in the country, Philippine Science High School. The invitation is for our school to send delegates from our school to join their pioneer Model United Nations conference which was held on their main campus in January 2018. Eleven students from various grade levels took the challenge of trying out this new educational experience which challenged their intellect and skill. But despite the hurdles that they had to endure, this sparked the passion of New Lifers for the art of diplomacy. Who would have thought that after this first conference, with the initiative of our ever-first delegates led by Roswell Ryan Siy, our school would be sending a delegation to join the Singapore Model United Nations in June of the same year? 

From there on, the school has formalized the Model United Nations delegation as an academic varsity. Passionate delegates started scouting for conferences to attend and have started building connections to different Model United Nations clubs and organizations while they also honed their skills in public speaking, position paper writing, and diplomacy. Slowly but surely, MGCNL delegates started receiving recognition through various awards at different conferences. Alongside this, the varsity began structuring itself to be student-led with both Mr. Kenno Jan Caballero and Mrs. Karen Fulgencio as their advisers. The first set of secretariat members were chosen by the advisers based on their commitment and skills and were designated to facilitate the operation of the varsity itself. 

Through the leadership of the first full-fledged secretariat team; Faith Samuelle Solis, Natassja Rayne Lao, and Jaye Brianna Yap, various training sessions were held to help delegates to prepare for and to perform well in conferences. The recruitment process was also organized to ensure that the varsity will have delegates who are not only qualified but also committed and passionate about diplomacy.

The next set of secretariat members led by Secretary-Generals: Samantha Germiane Tongco and Francine Dominique Ty, respectively, ushered in more development in delegate training– honing the skills of delegates in proper research, better writing, public speaking, and different rules of procedures. With all the training, delegates were able to put them all into practice by participating the second time around in the Singapore Model United Nations Conference in June 2019. While participating in a local conference, the Taal volcano started erupting and so began an interesting year not only for the varsity but for the world. Who would have guessed that after successfully concluding our participation in the Ateneo Model UN conference it would be the last face-to-face conference for a long time? As soon as the world plunged into the new respiratory virus, physical distancing became the norm which led almost everything to be done in the digital world. And yet, the online setup during the pandemic did not hinder the improvements made in the varsity through the dedication of both secretariat and varsity members. During the infamous lockdowns that the country had during the Covid-19 pandemic, delegates were still able to attend conferences online both locally and internationally which allowed them to continue interacting with fellow delegates; building and maintaining connections, improving skills and allowed delegates to face difficulties brought by the pandemic together online. With vaccines becoming available to more people and the relaxing of the lockdown, the end of the pandemic is now in sight.

As the world slowly recovers from the havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic, more challenges await as a shift begins from online to face-to-face. Secretary-General Steffi Nadine Chu has led the varsity during this unprecedented time ensuring diplomacy and cooperation will continue to play a vital role in the MGCNL community. From the beginning of the school year 2022-2023, the varsity has already participated in multiple face-to-face training sessions, crosstrainings, and conferences, including our very first international Model UN conference after two years in South Korea. The school’s delegation was able to successfully bring home two major awards, all these by the grace of God. 

Of course, success does not mean that the work stops, immediately after this, planning commenced for the ever-first Model United Nations conference to be hosted by MGC New Life Christian Academy with the theme: Upholding Diplomatic Relations Amidst the Fragile Balance of Peace and Conflict in a War-torn world” which featured three committees namely: the United Nations Security Council (Advanced), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization or UNESCO (Intermediate) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization which is known as UNWTO (Beginner). The invited speaker for the 1st LIFEMUN, Mr. Ariz Severino V. Convalecer, the Director of the Financial Planning Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs helped delegates understand the intricacies and importance of diplomacy to the country. It also featured dais members who were alumni delegates of MGCNLMUN.

With the success of the 1st LIFEMUN, its second iteration was immediately planned by the new set of secretariat members led by Secretary-General Amanda Dana Chiong. For the 2nd LIFEMUN, the varsity chose the theme: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Present, Igniting the Future as its theme and guide for the conference. And now, it features four committees: the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for beginners, the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) and the African Union (AU) for intermediate level, and the League of Nations for the Advanced Committee. For the keynote speaker, the 2nd LIFEMUN featured an expert in international relations coming from the private sector and has been serving as a Congressional Research Fellow, an Assistant Professor of Political Economy at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and the president and CEO of the WR Advisory Group— Dr. Robin Garcia. The two-day conference, marked by engaging topics, meaningful discussions, and great connection made it a great experience for both organizers and participants. Having positive feedback regarding LIFEMUN from delegates has inspired MGCNL Model United Nations to make the 3rd iteration of LIFEMUN to be a better experience for our future delegates.

LIFEMUN is the result of all the hard work and dedication of the Secretariat, together with all the delegates from the varsity and the staff of Lifenews, the official school publication of MGC New Life Christian Academy.

God has indeed been faithful from the beginning of the Model United Nations Academic Varsity until now that we are already hosting our very own conference. With certainty, the MGC New Life Model United Nations Academic Varsity has come a long way from being something UNexpected to becoming UNstoppable in its commitment to always strive for both character and excellence. To God be all the glory and honor!

- Mr. Kenno Jan Caballero, MGCNL MUN Academic Varsity Adviser, GAS&HUMSS Strand Coordinator, HUMSS teacher, and an avid fan of IU​