Individual Awards and a School Award at VYMUN 2024!

When the first gavel bang resounded, signaling the start of VYMUN 2024, our Grade 10 Angels stepped straight into action. Held from October 25th-27th, Vancouver Youth Model United Nations (VYMUN) hosted by WPGA, is a well organized conference with schools from throughout the Lower Mainland. Despite the high level of competition, all 25 of our first-time competitors participated with vigor.

Notably, recognition must be showered upon the 10 individuals bringing home their first MUN award. The Best Delegate Award and the accompanying gavels, were awarded to Maya Lakhanpal (WHO), Juliet Mabasa (Paris Peace Conference), and Amelia King (UNSC). This is Model UN’s highest honour and means LFA won 3 out of the 7 committees that we attended! This is especially impressive considering WHO is one of the largest committees and UNSC and Paris Peace Conference are challenging and specialized. Special congratulations are also in order for Lara Murakami who received the Outstanding Delegate award and to Elliot Damgaard, Juri Matsuda, and Viki Herrera who all achieved an Honourable Mention awards on their respective committees.  In addition, Ashley Tatone, Anna Cao, and Brianna Lam were all awarded the  Best Position Paper award for their excellent research and stance on the issues at hand.

Everyone’s joint contribution culminated in the Cynthia Lee Memorial Award given to the school. This award attests to  great passion, dedication, effort, knowledge of the students for the many world issues debated and the presentation of resolutions to solve them. The award involved a plaque which contains a beautiful artwork called "Mother and Child Hummingbird" by the indigenous artist, Garnet Tobacco, and it will now rest with the other school awards located in the hallway near the library. It will stand as a testament to the remarkable work of our current Grade 10 delegates. Not only will the awards remain as a permanent testimony of their time at VYMUN, but so will their memories.

Juliet Mabasa exclaims that since her committee was small she “forged many new and close connections over a single weekend.” Lara Murakami observed that “everyone was passionate about the topics [they] debated without being fixated on winning.” Viki Herrera attested to the longevity of these friendships stating they continue to “exist outside the conference."  Additionally, Ashley Tatone recounts that the director and chair of her committee, HCC (Historic Crisis Committee), were “dedicated to making the committee engaging and memorable, whether by reenacting intense moments in European history.” From awards, to friends, to exciting memories, these Grade 10s have truly learned the joys of Model UN. When debate closed and the final gavel banged, the 25 delegates parted knowing that they had represented LFA very well. Incredible work Model UN Angels! 
 
Kristina Bedford  ('25)