ORIGINAL DATE: May 4, 2021

Dear Students, Parents, Teachers, and Alumni,

The return to the classroom is well underway across the United States. Nearly 45% of the US adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. The FDA will consider an application by Pfizer for approval of its vaccine for 12-16 year-olds. Many cities have reopening plans and dates accounted for the resumption of indoor dining, event venues, and conference centers.

I am confident that in-person Model UN will return in the fall. Some schools have already started hosting single-day conferences while practicing masking and social distancing.

While I applaud the Model UN community for adapting so quickly to the virtual world, the most value from a Model UN experience can only be felt in person. Zoom and Google Docs are not substitutes for live debate and negotiation.

I am excited to confirm our first in-person Academy. Slated to run in August, the All-American Model UN Academy will provide a dynamic educational environment for students ready to re-engage with in-person Model UN. The Academy will feature two tracks for students looking to improve as directors as well as delegates.

We have also opened enrollment for the US Travel Team. Our planned conferences for the next school year include WUMUNS (Washington University, St. Louis), NAIMUN (Georgetown, Washington DC), and EagleMUNC (Boston College). If you have already been accepted onto the US Travel Team, you can reserve a seat at this time. Applications are open for students interested in applying.

In anticipation of resuming normal operations, I am suspending our scheduled virtual offerings for summer 2021. However, seeing the popularity and need for a digital component, we will shortly be introducing a new digital Model UN educational tool.

I look forward to seeing all of our students again and continuing our great work.

In health,
Frank Pobutkiewicz
[email protected]