Slug Model United Nations (SlugMUN) provides a platform for students to explore international perspectives and global events while improving their public speaking skills at UC Santa Cruz. SlugMUN has two programs: a student-led 2-unit class, “UN Contemporary Issues,” and a competitive travel team. SlugMUN’s programs provide opportunities for students to grow by exploring global current events, learning international perspectives, and offering unique leadership positions.
Funds for SlugMUN will be directed toward paying fees necessary to continue offering the “UN Contemporary Issues” class and providing need-based funding for financially struggling team members to attend conferences, in addition to hosting our own conferences. Financial stability will allow our student leaders to continue creating an innovative class, as well as training an award-winning team to compete against other universities.
Donations will also be directed toward hosting the UCSC Model United Nations conference in the spring and onwards. As part of the competitive club, SlugMUN hosts two annual conferences. The first conference, dubbed BananaMUN, is an internal conference hosted by and for UCSC students, serving as an introductory platform to help UCSC students practice their debate skills in MUN format. The second conference this year will be a high school conference, during which UCSC hosts local high schools for a two-day event.
The “UN Contemporary Issues” class is the largest student-led and student-taught class at UCSC, surpassing 60 students per quarter. Students learn parliamentary-style debate specific to the United Nations. Moreover, the MUN class exposes students to multiple countries' perspectives on pressing international conflicts.
The award-winning SlugMUN team competes against prestigious schools at national conferences. The SlugMUN organization is planning on attending five conferences for the 2023-24 academic year, from as close as UC Berkeley to as far away as Harvard. However, we are struggling with providing funds for all team members. The SlugMUN organization covers lodging, transportation, and registration fees for all our team members to ensure that our travel team is accessible for all. Every team member is integral to represent UCSC. Your donation will provide all MUN members with opportunities, regardless of financial hardships.
One of the greatest concerns over recent generations is a population guided by technology, yet who linger in the shadows when concerned with the world around them. This is a large part of what the UCSC Model United Nations program works to address. By enlightening peers on crucial stories that the media neglects, we effectively arm fellow Slugs with knowledge of the world. At SlugMUN, we attempt to share the world's stories through classroom debate and then put this knowledge into practice at university conferences. A gift to SlugMUN will support the SlugMUN team in providing opportunities for UCSC students to learn about international perspectives and global current events, and providing need-based financial support to enable our entire team to compete.
