Green Run Collegiate students participated in a simulation last month to get a better understanding of international relations through a series of mock debates between European Union member nations.
Each student, between juggling college admission essays, lacrosse practice and their normal studies, represented a member of the European Union trying to advance their ideals.
They presented position papers on issues and then, remaining true to their nation’s identity, engaged in two days of discussion and negotiation.
Among the debated topics: affordable housing and common defense.
Green Run Faculty adviser Homer Babbit said the experience helps students develop a better understanding of material outside of the regular curriculum.
“There’s really not much in the curriculum that lends itself to developing an in-depth understanding to international relations and even how the EU works,” he said.
“They’re a huge trading partner with the U.S, and so for me as a U.S. Government teacher, I’m like, ‘You need to understand how the EU works, because that’s a huge trading partner of ours, not to mention a military ally.’”
Green Run senior Sam Sawyer represented the Netherlands and focused on affordable housing in his position paper.
He said he knew it was an issue in the U.S., but had no idea the depth to which it was a global concern.
“I didn’t realize how large (of a problem) it was in the Netherlands, I think they were short like 400,000 homes or something. They’ve taken a lot of steps to lessen that number, he said.
Sawyer points to a Dutch policy he learned about that assigns points to homes based on factors like size, energy efficiency and outdoor spaces. The points dictate how much landlords or sellers can charge for the home.
Senior Mylean Zavala Meza also worked on affordable housing. She thought it would be an easy and agreeable issue to debate, but it turned out to be far more complex.
“Through the experience, I learned that affordable housing is actually a really like topic that people can't seem to agree on for some reason,” she said.
The EU debates require students to immerse themselves in a difficult role: They must negotiate and hold true to their nation’s identity.
Neelakshi Swain and Lelia Curlee worked jointly representing Hungary, which has navigated political friction while being an EU member.
“Hungary was kind of like the bad guy, I guess. They’re always saying no,” Swain said.
“Hungary is really focused on protecting their nation, and they don’t really want to be too involved in the EU, so I think that’s why they always say no as well,” Curlee added.
Junior Awoenami Havi presented as the nation of Croatia to argue for developing a common defense agreement.
She said her country had a strong, militant stance, unlike other countries, and they had to find a way to work around it.
“My country was very heavy on militarization, whereas some countries were the exact opposite … so we had to figure out how we were going to get around that,” she said.
Senior AJ Pimentel said the experience made an impression on him. With college and a possible military career ahead of him, working in public speaking or a diplomatic role could be part of his future.
“This is definitely something that I can see myself in the future doing,” he said.
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