Welcome to part 2 of many of our Club Management Series! While all parts of our suggested steps are very important to future club success, I think this one is especially key. Forming a plan sets out your stepping stones for what your club/team will be, so pay attention lest you become like Dr Frankenstein and create a monster you aren’t prepared for.
Learning MUN Basics
Something that a lot of students trying to start teams forget is that they need to learn what Model UN is first. This may seem redundant, but if you are new to the game and want to start a club, learn the basics! A newbie can absolutely start a team, but not without the proper baseline knowledge. Check out our into articles here to learn more about MUN, or use other online resources to get an idea of parliamentary procedure, debate, and other skills. Also, if you are an experienced high school delegate looking to start a college team, learn the differences. College level MUN is different and, obviously, more challenging due to the level of competition, so a refresher never hurts!
General Questions to Consider
My version of prepping to start a team is basically making a vision board for your future club. Do you want a large team with multiple rotating delegations within it, or a small group of committed MUN fanatics? Do you want to do crisis, GA, or both? What size of a leadership team will you have, and what will their positions be? Where will you travel? How will you raise money? What will your by-laws be? What are your school’s policies for club management and travel? While this is not an exhaustive list of questions, I would recommend that you sit down and do your research before deciding on any of these things.
Tough Love: The Sad Truth
Think about your school, your means, and how much time you want to put into this. You can never ask people to put more time into something than you are willing to, and you have to be able to function within the confines of the rules of your school. Be realistic when starting to answer these questions. Everyone would love (in theory) to go to 20 conferences and travel internationally, but that is not a reality for most, at least at first. I don’t want to rain on your parade, but setting goals and expectations that are too lofty will lead to failure and disappointment. Set small, achievable goals in the short term. Feel free to set out big goals, but remember you will only be around for 4-ish years. Focus on setting a strong foundation for future team leaders so they can move the club in a direction you would be proud of.
How to Answer These Questions
Research, research, research. Look at your school policies, your student government’s policies, your local circuit, Model UN guides, our podcast (self promo, baby!), travel costs, etc. Every team is different, so sadly I can’t give you all of the answers. If you haven’t already, please read our article on finding an advisor, as they will likely be able to help you with answering these questions. For other help, reach out to other teams and see what they did to start up. People on the circuit are so kind and will likely love to give you some advice about what club/team structure worked for them. College teams love to give help to high schoolers and may even give training tips or workshops for young delegates. If you are a college team, don’t feel as though the “competition” will give you the cold shoulder. Teams love to make friends and be social, and most will gladly help you out. You can also reach out to us! We will try our best to give advice based on your situation and aid in getting you to a vision for your club that you can be happy with.
Final Thoughts
Model UN teams are not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. For that reason, do your research, and make a really pretty vision board for what you are hoping to achieve realistically. Pictures are mandatory. DM us pics of any vision boards made (kidding but not really, if you make one and show us I’ll give you major props).
As always, feel free to email us at Mun01.business@gmail.com with any questions comments or concerns!
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