Seven students from St. Catherine’s Academy are gearing up to represent Belize at the 43rd Model OAS General Assembly for High Schools at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C. At the event, students will gain hands-on experience simulating the roles of OAS representatives, debating policies, and discussing solutions to pressing issues in the Americas. St. Catherine’s Academy’s delegation has been tasked with representing El Salvador, giving them the chance to delve into the nation’s unique socio-political context, economic conditions, and challenges in human security and inclusivity. Love News spoke to two of the Head Delegates Isabella Walman and Cecil Marin on their expectations for the upcoming debate.
Cecil Marin, Head Delegate: “We have been preparing for about a month, for a lot longer than that, since the summer of this year. We’ve been preparing for the Model OAS. And what the Model OAS is a simulation of the Organization of American States. What we do here as delegates representing the country of El Salvador, what we do there is we go there to try and sign and create resolutions to solve different problems and what our specific topics are for the Model OAS. For example, human trafficking, disaster risk management and things like that. The entire point of the model is to really give a voice to the youth to really simulate what it’s like to help prepare us for future generations to go out in the big world and do big things. So I think for us specifically it’s really prepping us for any endeavors that we want to do in the future, any plans that we have to do if any of us want to go and maybe even one day become the Ambassador of Belize to the Organization of American States. And I think it’s really prepping us getting us ready for the real world, even if we don’t want to do that.”
Isabella Walman, Head Delegate: “ It was brought to my attention that El Salvador has taken great steps and great initiatives to help expand social protection systems through the use of digital technology. I believe that I could help bring light to that because El Salvador has done a great job and I would like to see the expansion of that throughout other regions in the Americas. I think that would be a great help to countries that are currently battling with poverty and issues affecting vulnerable populations.” I’m very excited to be representing SCA on the international level again. I would like to draft resolutions and also be able to converse with like-minded people who look towards bettering the nations of the world.”
The MOAS program mirrors the workings of the actual OAS General Assembly, providing high school students a rare opportunity to engage in diplomacy, debate, and consensus-building on regional issues. With their Belizean roots and newfound knowledge of Salvadoran perspectives, the St. Catherine’s students are excited to contribute to discussions that aim to promote a unified and inclusive Americas. Principal, Salome Tillett and Faculty Advisor Jamie Usher gave us further insight into the preparation process.
Salmone Tillet, Principal, SCA: “From what I’ve seen of them in our activities so far, I’m really impressed. They have done the work necessary, they have done the research, they have worked on their presentation skills, they have had guests that shared with them the insights that they might need as diplomats and to use diplomacy and to push through the challenges of presenting on an international forum. And I have all faith in their abilities to deliver a good job on behalf of the Belize and the country that they are representing.”
Jamie Usher, Faculty Advisor:“One of the first things that they had to do was research. A part of the simulation includes that you’re not assigned to your home country so they had to learn all about lovely El Salvador. And so in being assigned a committee a few weeks later what they had to do was then assign El Salvador’s policies to those trending topics. So looking through the lens of El Salvador with regards to all the issues affecting the Americas. So there will be 30 plus countries represented in these committees but they will be speaking for El Salvador. That looks like presenting a position paper, actually the 12th of November was their deadline, where they actually have to represent themselves on paper. That involved research, that involves putting together a very concise position for El Salvador. Secondly, they have a general statement. General statement is like a preview for their movie. So the general statement really just takes one minute of speaking time and presents what their positions will be in committee.”
This year’s assembly is centered around the theme, “Leaving No One Behind: A Youth-Centered Approach to Bolstering Human Security and Fostering Inclusivity in the Americas” and is set to take place from November 20-22.
This post was originally published on here
