THIMUN Day One

Day 3 in Singapore

First Day of THIMUN

Dear Friends,

It was the opening day of THIMUN and everyone gathered early in the Conference room in the Hotel for a brief meeting and vocal warm-up. The girls looked very professional and focussed and the atmosphere of anticipation was high.

Daily Preparation Meeting before heading to THIMUN

PLC Sydney THUMAN (Kuwait) Delegates

After a short trip on the bus we arrived at the Hwa Chong Institute, a very large public high school. A small army of very helpful Year 8 and Year 9 students stood ready to assist all the arriving schools with registration and orientation. After collecting our THIMUN packs, signs and lunch vouchers we were ready to split up to go to the various rooms.

Lizzie, Selina and Joie in the Human Rights Commission

The morning was productive as the girls quickly familiarised themselves with their groups and the process. There were energised discussions and the girls found it very interesting to hear the wide range of opinions from the other students. A number of students succeeded in having their contributions included in the resolutions either in the preamble or the clauses.

Vinita and Emily hard at work in ECOSOC  (Economic and Social Council)

Lunch in the Canteen. Lunch is offered in different shifts because there are so many delegates.













The final event of the day was the formal Opening Ceremony of THIMUN 2014 in the huge Auditorium.

There were some inspiring speeches from the President  of the General Assembly, the Secretary General and other dignitaries.

The co-chair of the THIMUN Foundation Fran Laughlan inspired the delegates to take collective action and ".. look forward, leave the middle ages behind. Pose solutions to problems and maybe even prevent future conflicts".

The Keynote Guest Speaker was Dr Soo Yeon Kim, Professor of Political Science at Singapore University who was asked to address this year's theme: 'Asian Century'. It was extremely interesting to hear her observations on the ways the countries of Asia are leading the world in a multitude of areas. She emphasised the importance of discussing the blurring of the boundaries between local issues and global issues in the Asian community. She reminded everyone that "the U.S. cannot lead on its own."

 We were also entertained by a fantastic martial arts display - tai chi, sticks and sword. It was a thrill to see their incredible skill and intricate choreography. The ceremony finished with a bugle salute.

After returning to the hotel we had a quick meal at a local eatery and treated ourselves to some ice-cream, then everyone retired to their rooms to reflect on the day and have an early night.

Some of the observations made after Day One of THIMUN:


It was great meeting new people. Lobbying was a lot different from what I thought it would be.

I liked seeing my friends from last year and connecting with people I have met from previous experiences.

I really liked meeting new friends and putting together our clauses for the resolution, that was quite fun. I got to see a different perspective of the issue that we're studying.

I really enjoyed meeting people from lots of different countries, working together on a resolution and learning how to put together clauses for a proper MUN resolution. 

I felt really inadequate because I was the only one in the group who could only speak one language!

I felt since I started THIMUN my research skills have improved a lot and working with others co-operatively has been a great experience.

Getting to know lots of people and seeing what's different and what's similar and also the schooling around the world and how it's so different but we come here together in one space.

I just loved how everyone collaborated together and everyone's different ideas. They were so so varied! We had so many debates it was very interesting, especially in terms of religious beliefs, that came into it a lot. There were people who had certain religious beliefs but their country was against the beliefs of their (given) country. They had to speak 'opposite'. Yes definitely it was the complexity which took me by surprise.

I liked seeing how people worked hard to get the job done to get a really good resolution through.

From "Munity East" the THIMUN Daily:

"THIMUN is not a place of competition, but a place where delegates gather to co-operate."