Final Reflection

After 2 years at OSC, i have been consistently taking part in MUN for the creativity component of CAS, and Habitat for Humanity for action and service components, in addition to participating in other projects and events like the Week Without Walls and Sports Days. 

In both of the MUN conferences i took part in i played a different role with different responsibilities, and in each conference i learnt new things. In the 2012 Conference, as a Delegate, my role in debating and discussing current world crisis's and planing the development of the world as a whole, helped me gain a greater understanding of the world today and allowed me to engage with issues of global importance. I developed my public speaking and debating skills, and also worked collaboratively with others well. In MUN, compromise and diplomacy is important in order to meet the goals of the majority, especially when there is conflict. The 2013 conference, where i took on a leadership role as Vice-President of the ECOSOC, developed my skills as a leader during conference, and also in organization and administration during the preparation in the weeks leading up to conference. The 2 years of MUN have taught me a great deal, developing skills and my understanding of the world. 

Like with MUN, i have stuck with Habitat for Humanity the whole 2 years. The habitat builds, in addition to being a great workout, have given me a greater understanding of the housing issues in Sri Lanka, taught me about construction and building techniques and allowed us to interact with the people we are helping. The knowledge i have gained over these 2 years, both about the socio-economic circumstances of many people in the country, and about mixing cement, laying bricks and roof tiles and flooring, will stick with me into the future. The feeling of seeing our completed work, and especially when we return to previous build sites and see families living in the houses we helped build is so amazing. And their overwhelming gratitude, even though we made such a small contribution compared to the professional builders, is just heartwarming. Habitat has been such a enjoyable and fulfilling experience that i seriously consider doing more work with them during my gap year. 

Final Habitat Build - 23rd March

For our last build we went to a site near the Airport. There were already some houses put up by previous volunteer groups. This build wasn't too different from the others. This time we were putting up concrete pillars. There were already metal moulds erected onto the foundation, we had to mix the cement and pour it in. there was also a foundation that needed to be dug out for an extra room. So we split into two groups and then switched halfway through. The mixing as usual wasn't extremely tiring, but did require some technical expertise. Though as we moved around the house, carrying the cement proved to be very arduous. Digging up dirt didn't need any skill but was exhausting - the ground was very compact in this area.
It was a little sad that this would be the last build we would have to do. after 2 years i had stuck with Habitat for humanity. It was enjoyable as well as rewarding, and i seriously consider volunteering individually after i am done with school

COMUN - 3rd Day of Conference

 Me, Discussing some important matters with the delegate of Egypt regarding Carbon Tax

Overseeing the debate, which is my job

 The delegate of Iran, makes some comments on the role of subsidies in creating unfair competition

 His comments have obviously raised some controversy, other delegates are desperate to interject

The Delegate of Spain, speaks and makes hand gestures to supplement his points

After having an epiphany, the Delegate of China seeks to share it with the house

The Delegate of Zambia finds it all quite amusing

While the Delegate of the UK turns to face his opposition, the Delegate of South Korea, his supporter, the delegate of India attempts to defend the UK and counter the points brought out by South Korea.

The Delegate of Egypt has just heard a remark contradicting his stance on the issue, he raises his placard to comment.

COMUN - 2nd Day of Conference

COMUN - 1st Day of Conference

On the first conference day we opened with discussing the topic - The Question of the formulation of a comprehensive "aid, development and civil protection program" for IDP's and civil society within the Gaza Strip. This topic addresses an issue of global importance - the problem of creating long term development for the people within the Palestinian-Israeli conflict while hostilities are still present. The ECOSOC's mandate is not to find a conclusion to the debate between the two sides but to ensure that the people of Gaza are protected during this time and are given the means to develop. However despite this fact, there still much discussion on the legitimacy of the Israeli state, mainly brought up by the delegate of Iran. I felt that this discussion would not lead to any agreement since the opposing sides would be violating their foreign policy if they agreed to compromise. I tried to end the debate on the Palestinian statehood, and move onto a discussion on the best way to help and protect the people caught in the conflict, but to no avail.

3rd Practice Debate

Me, in the green t-shirt, moderating the debate as i am meant to do

 The Delegate of The Netherlands is very happy about some turn of events in the discussion, gives someone a thumbs up

The delegate of Finland, thinking either about the diplomatic strategy he is going to use, or about snow

 Rolling his eyes, the Delegate of China doesn't find his fellow delegate's argument very convincing

 With his characteristic whim and vigour, the Delegate of Egypt defends his country's stance on energy monopolization

 The Delegate of Egypt concurs with another delegate's points on the issue

The Delegates of the UK and India formulate a plan to put their agenda into motion. This small alliance will soon develop into a key player of the house and will wield enormous influence with their combined spheres of influence.

MUN 2nd Practice Debate - Eurozone Crisis

ECOSOC's practice debate topic was dealing with the Debt Crisis in the Eurozone and coming up with solutions and policies that could solve the economic downturn. The topic was "The management of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis considering the policy approach adopted by different European Monetary Union (EMU) Members."

Overall, the quality of debate was much better than the previous debate. the delegates had researched more for this topic and the ideas put forward were very innovative and creative. However there was a certain repetition of points, harping about the effectiveness of the austerity measures and a down-voting of relevant discussion points. An idea proposed by the delegate of China to impose a temporary technocracy on the Eurozone, was not even brought into discussion because many delegates who did not understand it considered it irrelevant - even though it would have made the debate much more interesting, and even if it is not a completely democratic or feasible idea, it could have led to more solutions regarding the Eurozone. Despite a few problems like this, when the resolutions came through i saw that the delegates had been very creative and had used their research into the crisis effectively. Time constraints, and some digressions meant that both resolutions could not be discussed and amended fully, but the first resolution was passed with a simple majority. 

 Me, Discussing some professional MUN stuff with Taekyung, the Head of Logistics

 A delegate contemplates the beauty of the UN mandate

 A lull in the heated debate of my committee, ECOSOC

 Imaad, the Vice President of the ICJ, chairing passionately, with all his magnanimous authority

 With the state of the world on their shoulders, delegates often are overwhelmed by their immense responsibility. This Delegate faces this fact, mid-conference

 The Delegate of Iran, says somethings about something

The delegate of Egypt, gives a moving and passionate speech, the delegate of South Korea in the back raises his placard, obviously having a bone to pick with Egypt. He should chill out. 

1st Practice Debate - 13th Jan

The 1st Practice Debate started with a workshop for the delegates in order to familiarize them with  MUN concepts. My part was to present the conference format and structure to them.
The topic was discussing the political transition in Africa, with special reference to countries like Libya, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria.
Although the debate was good, the delegates became complacent after we praised them and their resolutions were akin to a very large pile of feces.
After the discussion of the First topic, all the committed were gathered in the auditorium to discuss the dissolving of the security council. the grounds for this motion were based in the fact that the Security council has been unable to resolve the civil unrest in Syria, and the veto powers of certain countries have left the council in a deadlock on the issue. The Secretary-General (SG) and the President of the General Assembly (PGA), both proposed that the veto powers of Security Council be removed. (on a side note, this whole thing is a joke, we cannot actually dissolve the SC, even in the MUN, it was just to create some drama) The Security Council retaliated by saying that according to UN procedure, the SC cannot be summoned by the General Assembly. The GA countered by saying that this procedure need to be revised, otherwise the SC cannot be questioned for its mistakes. The President of ECOSOC, Kaveen, sided with the SC and additionally, by making accusations against the ICJ made more enemies. with the chaos and fervor increasing, the PGA ordered the GA to escort Kaveen out, suspending him from the court. Being Loyal to the President, i called for a vote of confidence. Although the vote was very close, the PGA refused to count and said that the motion had passed. The delegates of the GA got up and approached the president of ECOSOC, who then ran around the hall.

Action - Swimming

I had been swimming irregularly before - only whenever i felt like it. 

This last week i have started doing it more frequently and regularly. at the moment my plan is to go swimming from 6pm to 7pm every monday, tuesday, thursday and sunday. im hoping to improve my fitness and my skill in swimming. to begin with i'm just going to do laps in freestyle and breaststroke, and after ive set in this routine i can start learning and practicing other techniques.at the moment i have no supervisor, which is something i need to find in order to track my progress.

MUN - Working on Practice Debate Topics

With the conference appraoching, the topics for the practice debates have to be finalized. since ECOSOC has a new approach in which to make the conference more current, technical and intense, the practice debates will be important in for delegates who are new to ECOSOC. Each succesive practice debate will have to be slightly harder, and introduce more ideas. For the Conference i am planning to include the Eurozone crisis and the credit crunch. For the 1st Practice debate, we are hoping to include a very simple topic, not nessacerily economic. This is becuase the 1st day will be for the delegates to learn the format.
My Ideas for the 2nd debate is regarding the economies of the countries recovering from the Arab Spring, like Lybia, Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, whether foriegn help should be given, or whether to allow them to recover by themselves, and the strategies that should be taken.
The 3rd Debate, I think should that currency manipulation should be the focus. this is a more technical topic and should prepare the delegates well for the conference.

COMUN 2013 Update

Have to make presentations for the workshops
speak to faculty advisors on the direction we are taking ECOSOC
Many sponsorships have been found, and the priority has shifted away from finding them

Habitat Build - 6th and 7th October

The Children of the Family we were helping

The full team - (Left to Right) - Zahara, Ahmed, Avanti, Me, Sam, Sho

Me, carrying soil for the foundation. This would be one of the hundreds of trays we would eventually carry

Returning to the top of the hill for more earth

Taking a well earned rest

Taking the empty wheel-barrow up the hill to be reloaded

Laying bricks and stuff

Goals for Habitat Build - on 6th & 7th

• Learn new skills in building and construction - with each Habitat build we have learnt new skills because each time we worked on a different part of a house, each requiring different techniques. i hope that this build wont be different. However it all depends on the other construction workers we will be working with. sometimes they trust us with more difficult and skill-based tasks, but sometimes they just use us to carry things around. 
• Understand the significance of the contribution i am making - making sure that i am making an improvement to this family's life.
• Work well with the other volunteers and with the other workers to make the most of the time we have there. 2 days is not enough time to build a whole house, but i will try to contribute as much as possible
• Improve my strength and willpower - in previous builds i have noticed that towards the end i start slackening and doing less work, this is partly because the work is really exhausting and partly because i begin to feel that i have done enough work for the day. for this build i need to have more perseverance and willpower to continue working.
• 
  

Sports Day 2012

COMUN Meeting - September 12th

We were brought up to date about sponsorship's. Some progress has been made, though obviously still lacking and i have yet to make a contribution as well.
I was assigned to help with the Souvenir and with the EXCO t-shirt design. For the souvenir I am to play apart in the layout and design as well as getting the written content from the other committee members. Each of the Committees were given T-shirt colors. The President, Kaveen, and I asked that ECOSOC be given green as it is the color of money. Then plans were made to discuss the specific designs on the T-shirts.
I found out that the ICJ meeting on Monday was cancelled since the Vice-President, Taryana, had fallen ill.
The workshops, in which new delegates will be taught the about MUN and how to make the most of it, was planned. Everyone was assigned to groups in which they would focus on a specific aspect of the conference, on debate, public speaking or on research. I was assigned with the Vice-President of GA2, to the conference procedure and format.

COMUN Meeting regarding ICJ

The meeting was cancelled. Reason unknown.

Habitat Meeting - 6th September

This was the first Habitat meeting for this year. The new members were briefed about the basics and workings of Habitat for Humanity. We discussed Fundraisers and the the overnight build planned for the 6th and 7th of October. the site is in Galle and this would be the first overnight build we have done. We would arrive at noon, work the rest of the day, go to bed, wake up and work through the morning leaving at noon the next day. In foresight, i expect this build to be really hard. the previous builds, being less than half a day in length, had still been such exhausting experiences, so a full days work in Galle should be extremely arduous. this trip should count towards action in that respect as well as a service project.

COMUN Meeting 5th September

During this meeting, sponsorship was discussed and the each member made clear what progress had been made. Although some had found companies agreeing to sponsor us, overall there had been little development, and it was stressed that we needed to make progress soon. In the previous week i had approached Unilever and received confirmation from them, i had just needed to relay the information about the sponsorship packages to them.
The council's finalized their mandates and gave them in. ECOSOC's mandate and structure had little change from last year. However i felt that we should try and improve it further. I suggested that it work with more current affairs and try to get the delegates to work with data and information from events happening at the very moment they are having the conference. For example having Stock Market Ratings and Government Budget Info available to them during the conference and having topics closely related to the info. Although i think this would spice up the conference, it does pose some problems. First is actually getting the data, secondly it is very technical and new delegates might find it difficult to get involved with the debates, though all the technical stuff could be taught during the workshops and practice debates.
The President and Vice-president of the International Court of Justice had a few problems with finalizing the procedure of their conference since it is a new committee and therefore needs to be planned out properly. It is also the most technical committee and works quite differently from the others. Some agreements were made on it but there were still a few things to be settled so an extra meeting was scheduled on Monday for to Specifically discuss the ICJ. On a separate note, i suggested that we get actors to play the defendants and witnesses during the conference in ICJ just to make it a bit more interesting, i also volunteered to play a war criminal.

Colombo Model United Nations 2013

For the COMUN Conference of 2013, i have been appointed as the Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In addition to facilitating and moderating the MUN conferences i also play a role in its organization. The responsibility of these leadership role i am undertaking counts towards the creativity part of the CAS Requirements.
Participation in MUN both directly and indirectly contributes towards tackling an issue of global importance. The conferences themselves are based around finding solutions to many of the of the worlds problems including poverty, sustainability, the financial crisis, disarmament. Besides the conferences themselves, COMUN also gets involved in many service projects around Sri Lanka. Already partnered with Green Lanka Youth Platform, who help in promoting sustainable development, we are trying to extend our reach in helping the country.
I have attempted to partner up Habitat for Humanity with COMUN as it can be a new source of volunteers for the building projects and can also build awareness among the delegates of COMUN.

Goal for September

To teach myself to learn moonlight sonata on the piano, one movement at a time.
i will work on the 1st movement this month
i had already taken peiano calsses when i was younger and i have kept practicing irregularly. but now im going to make a commitment to learn a whole new piece - Sonata no.14 by beethoven.
i will practice for 3 hours a week and by the end of the september i should have learnt at least the first movement