How It Started

As the Outreach Director and Secretary-General for the San Gabriel Valley Model United Nations Conference (SGVMUN I), William Pan and Evan Chen discovered a major problem: students in the San Gabriel Valley were largely unaware of Model United Nations (MUN). 

During their initial outreach efforts, they contacted 50 schools in the area, only to discover that just 9 had MUN teams. Furthermore, of the 46 existing MUN teams they reached out to, only 17 schools responded. These alarming statistics revealed that fewer than 20% of local schools had an MUN team, and among those that did, barely one in three engaged with their outreach.

Determined to address this issue, William and Evan embraced SGVMUN's slogan, "Accessibility First," and set out to revitalize California's struggling MUN clubs. They developed a comprehensive 8-module guide complete with scripts, activities, presentations, and worksheets designed to prepare delegates for conferences. By providing fully developed materials, they eliminated the daunting task clubs faced in mastering the complex procedures and strategies of Model United Nations. Clubs simply needed to present the materials, follow the scripts, distribute the worksheets, and engage delegates through interactive activities. The curriculum was crafted and refined by delegates who had won national conferences from esteemed programs like Arcadia High School Model United Nations, Breakthrough Training Center, Westridge Model United Nations, and All-American Model United Nations.

They named this initiative "MUNite," reflecting their mission to unite Model United Nations teams by disseminating free, accessible, and comprehensive MUN resources. MUNite fosters political advocacy through workshops and lectures in schools and community centers, focusing on global issues, diplomacy, and public speaking. Operated by the San Gabriel Valley Model United Nations, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, MUNite is establishing chapters across California and alleviating the challenges of managing MUN clubs. The MUNite team aims to fill a unique niche in the MUN community: to be the ultimate guide for clubs, uniting them in the process.