By Tiffany Sung and Grace Leo
It is amazing to see more than one thousand participants from all over the world gathering at the third annual session of THIMUN-Singapore. As the Opening Ceremony is about to start, students wearing professional-looking black suits crowd into the narrow corridors and enter the huge Hwa Chong Auditorium, ready to witness the moment when the exciting, long-awaited four-day conference would officially begin. Hwa Chong Institute features one of the most impressive campuses in all of Southeastern Asia, and students could not stop complimenting the grandeur of the auditorium and expressing their desire to have a similar facility at their own schools. However, the chattering faded away immediately when Arie Pittman, the President of the General Assembly, stepped out and declared, “May the house please come to order?”The opening of the 2007 THIMUN-Singapore conference started with an exciting performance by the Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) choir. Despite the small number of members in the singing group, their performance of a Pamugun-Philippino folksong about the chase of a swallow by a hunter still resonated with incredible energy and power. When the performers cried out in a surprising scream, all the lethargic delegates who had stayed up all night talking with friends and working on last minute changes to their resolutions suddenly became wide awake.This year, Gender Equality is the central theme of the conference. Frances Laughlin, the Secretary to the THIMUN Board of Directors, addressed the problem in a serious tone. Ms. Laughlin drew the assembly’s attention to the disparity between men and women and reminded us to work hard to develop a consensus and move forward towards greater equality. To help the more inexperienced delegates get a better understanding of what they might undergo in the next four days, GA President Pittman shared her experience as a delegate and Secretary General. Throughout her MUN career, Pittman has learned that Model United Nations “gives youth of the world an opportunity to make a difference and develop ideas that will become the faith of the world.” She encourages us to “think big” while providing realistic solutions to issues happening in the world today. When this year’s Secretary General Sanam Kader took the floor, the listeners came to realize how fortunate we are to be here and to participate in such a meaningful event. As Kader said, we gather here today to “embrace internationalism, the spirit of THIMUN.” With the originality and creativity of the younger generation, students can offer their own perspective and make a real contribution to the global community. Kader encourages all participants of this year’s THIMUN-Singapore conference to “strive for excellence” because they are the ones who will be able to make a difference in the future. While the delegates, officers, and guests begin to realize what a huge responsibility they have, pressure was eased by the Hwa Chong string orchestra’s elegant performance of the first movement of Gustav Holst’s St Paul Suite. The ceremony’s excitement was again stirred when Mr. Boyle-Woods, honorary member to the THIMUN-Singapore board and current teacher at American School of Doha, came under the spotlight. As he walked to the lectern, students immediately gave the popular supervisor of the Approval Panel, Youth Assembly, and Security Council a huge round of applause. Mr. Boyle-Woods points out that despite the unresolved issue of gender inequality, changes are already taking place in the world around us. As an eloquent and entertaining guest speaker, Mr. Boyle-Woods was a very suitable choice for the opening of the ceremony.Ms. Pittman had the honor of officially opening the conference. When she announced it with a flourish and a bang of the gavel, cheers and shouts were heard from the audience. It is a great start for the days to come. The wise words of the speakers enthused the delegates with purpose. We must now set off on this great journey to make THIMUN-Singapore 2007 the best one yet!
It is amazing to see more than one thousand participants from all over the world gathering at the third annual session of THIMUN-Singapore. As the Opening Ceremony is about to start, students wearing professional-looking black suits crowd into the narrow corridors and enter the huge Hwa Chong Auditorium, ready to witness the moment when the exciting, long-awaited four-day conference would officially begin. Hwa Chong Institute features one of the most impressive campuses in all of Southeastern Asia, and students could not stop complimenting the grandeur of the auditorium and expressing their desire to have a similar facility at their own schools. However, the chattering faded away immediately when Arie Pittman, the President of the General Assembly, stepped out and declared, “May the house please come to order?”The opening of the 2007 THIMUN-Singapore conference started with an exciting performance by the Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) choir. Despite the small number of members in the singing group, their performance of a Pamugun-Philippino folksong about the chase of a swallow by a hunter still resonated with incredible energy and power. When the performers cried out in a surprising scream, all the lethargic delegates who had stayed up all night talking with friends and working on last minute changes to their resolutions suddenly became wide awake.This year, Gender Equality is the central theme of the conference. Frances Laughlin, the Secretary to the THIMUN Board of Directors, addressed the problem in a serious tone. Ms. Laughlin drew the assembly’s attention to the disparity between men and women and reminded us to work hard to develop a consensus and move forward towards greater equality. To help the more inexperienced delegates get a better understanding of what they might undergo in the next four days, GA President Pittman shared her experience as a delegate and Secretary General. Throughout her MUN career, Pittman has learned that Model United Nations “gives youth of the world an opportunity to make a difference and develop ideas that will become the faith of the world.” She encourages us to “think big” while providing realistic solutions to issues happening in the world today. When this year’s Secretary General Sanam Kader took the floor, the listeners came to realize how fortunate we are to be here and to participate in such a meaningful event. As Kader said, we gather here today to “embrace internationalism, the spirit of THIMUN.” With the originality and creativity of the younger generation, students can offer their own perspective and make a real contribution to the global community. Kader encourages all participants of this year’s THIMUN-Singapore conference to “strive for excellence” because they are the ones who will be able to make a difference in the future. While the delegates, officers, and guests begin to realize what a huge responsibility they have, pressure was eased by the Hwa Chong string orchestra’s elegant performance of the first movement of Gustav Holst’s St Paul Suite. The ceremony’s excitement was again stirred when Mr. Boyle-Woods, honorary member to the THIMUN-Singapore board and current teacher at American School of Doha, came under the spotlight. As he walked to the lectern, students immediately gave the popular supervisor of the Approval Panel, Youth Assembly, and Security Council a huge round of applause. Mr. Boyle-Woods points out that despite the unresolved issue of gender inequality, changes are already taking place in the world around us. As an eloquent and entertaining guest speaker, Mr. Boyle-Woods was a very suitable choice for the opening of the ceremony.Ms. Pittman had the honor of officially opening the conference. When she announced it with a flourish and a bang of the gavel, cheers and shouts were heard from the audience. It is a great start for the days to come. The wise words of the speakers enthused the delegates with purpose. We must now set off on this great journey to make THIMUN-Singapore 2007 the best one yet!
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