High school Model UN conferences 2026–2027

Model UN is a simulation of the United Nations: you represent a country in a committee, give speeches and negotiate a resolution with students from other schools. You argue your country's position, not your own opinion, and the glossary explains the procedure you will hear in committee.

Ask if your school has a Model UN club or sends a delegation; if it does, a teacher or a student leader registers the group and invites you. If not, you can still go: 87% of high school conferences taking applications on mymun accept students who apply on their own.

Each conference sets its own age limit, shows it on its card and checks it against your age on the first day. Most delegates are 14 to 18, but 56% of the high school conferences on mymun that set a minimum age accept students of 13 or younger.

Yes, at conferences whose minimum age is low enough, so check the age on each card before you apply. Right now 50 upcoming conferences on mymun accept delegates aged 12.

You pay a delegate fee to the conference, plus travel and a hotel if it is far from home. The typical delegate fee at high school conferences on mymun is €50. Some conferences charge nothing: choose Free in the Price filter to find them.

Apply as soon as you have picked a conference rather than in its last week. Applications usually close 7 days before the start, but 25% close two weeks or more ahead.

You will not be the only newcomer, and the first-timer guide walks you through the day. At high school conferences on mymun, 59% of participants were at their first conference. If the conference labels its committees, pick one marked Beginner, as UNEP, UNICEF and SOCHUM most often are.

Most applicants do. At high school conferences on mymun, 91% of individual applications that got an answer were accepted. If a conference asks for a motivation letter, write it for that conference rather than reusing one.

Most conferences start with an opening ceremony, and then you head to your committee room. There the chairs, usually students who run the committee from the front, take a roll call and open the speakers' list. You add your name to it and, when your turn comes, give a short speech on your country's position.

Between speeches, delegates propose caucuses. In a moderated caucus the chair calls on delegates one after another for short speeches on one part of the topic. In an unmoderated caucus you leave your seat, find the countries that agree with you and write a draft resolution together. Some school conferences, especially in Europe, follow THIMUN rules instead: you lobby and merge resolutions before the debate, without caucuses. When debate closes, the committee votes on the drafts, and a draft that passes becomes the committee's resolution.

The last day ends with a closing ceremony, often with awards for the delegates who stood out in each committee. If you hear a point, motion or vote you do not know, look it up in the glossary .

Pick a conference that fits you. Each conference card shows its age limit, delegate fee and dates, and the conference page adds its committees and whether it runs in person or online. Age limits apply to your age on the first day. Where a conference sets no fee on mymun, check its own website.

Choose a committee for beginners. Some conferences mark each committee as beginner, intermediate or expert. If yours labels them, pick a committee marked Beginner: at high school conferences UNEP, UNICEF and SOCHUM most often are, and the Security Council rarely is. If it does not, ask the organizers which committee suits a first conference.

Research your country's position. Find out what your country has said and how it has voted on your topic at the UN, and look for countries that think the same way: they are your allies in caucus. The research lesson in the Model UN Masterclass shows you where to look.

Write a position paper if your conference asks. A position paper sets out your country's view of the topic and what it proposes. Build yours part by part with the position paper guide , from the header to your proposed solutions.

Prepare your opening speech. Practise it out loud until you can give it from a few bullet points, then run through the conference checklist , from your research folder to the dress code.