Stenden University Qatar
Stenden Qatar was established in 2000 and has since been successfully delivering four-year bachelor programs of business administration. The majors offered are International Business & Management Studies, International Hospitality Management and International Tourism Management. All programs are recognized by the Supreme Education Council of Qatar. Stenden’s main campus is located in Leeuwarden, Holland. Branch campuses are in Bali (Indonesia), Rangsit (Thailand) and Port Alfred (South Africa).
Stenden University Students excel at Model United Nations Conference in Bahrain
Doha, State of Qatar – 09 December 2012
Following an invitation from the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in Qatar, students of Stenden University Qatar, officially represented the Qatari higher education institutions at the 8th Model United Nations Conference held in Bahrain at the end of November 2012. The team of Stenden University was one of two teams selected for participation. Mr. Kody Gerkin, lecturer of the foundation program offered at Stenden University Qatar coached the team of four Qatari students.
Representing Japan in the United Nation’s International Atomic Agency is not part of a Stenden University student’s normal weekend routine. Neither is giving a speech in front of one hundred other college students about Qatar’s policy on human trafficking. However, that is exactly what two of Stenden University Qatar’s sutndets, Hamayan Al Shereem and Mohammed Kafoode, did at the end of November at the Bahrain University’s 8th annual Model United Nations Conference in Manama, Bahrain. The other two members of Stenden University Qatar’s MUN team, Maryam Al Nasr and Ahmed Fareed, were busy as well. Maryam represented Togo on the top-secret United Nations Security Council, and Ahmed was pulling double duty, representing South Africa in the committee on environmental and social issues and representing Tunisia at the Model United Nations General Assembly.
The four person team from Stenden University had been preparing for the conference several months, participating in training sessions and researching their individual country assignments for the Model United Nations (MUN) event. “The students were prepared when we arrived in Bahrain,” said Kody M. Gerkin, the coordinator of Stenden University Qatar’s MUN team. “They worked hard preparing and felt they had a competitive edge compared to many of the other teams who travelled to Bahrain for the conference,” he said.
During the two-day conference, Stenden University Qatar students gave impassioned speeches and worked on their public speaking skills to convince delegates from other countries to agree with their country’s views. Hamayan Al Shereem, who represented Japan in the IAEA, spent her time trying to convince the other members of her committee that more needs to be done to safeguard atomic facilities against the kind of disaster which occurred last year in Japan’s Fukushima power plant. Hamayan’s task was to represent the view of Japan and make sure Japan’s voice was heard. Much of this debating takes place in “informal caucus sessions” where the different delegates speak informally and debate which topics to include in their “resolutions”, which are similar to laws passed by the United Nations..
Ahmed Fareed after working to pass one resolution in the Economic and Social Council, or ECOSOC, decided to move into the General Assembly, even though it meant representing a new country, Tunisia, which he hadn’t researched beforehand. “The General Assembly is where all the action is, they seem to be more focused on getting things done rather than just talking in circles”, Ahmed said. During breaks in the General Assembly session he was frantically looking up articles on his smart phone so he could be more informed about Tunisia’s stance on various issues.
Maryam Al Nasr, who represented Togo, was interviewed by the Bahraini newspaper, the Gulf Daily News, and the entire Stenden University MUN team was excited to see her name in the paper the following day. According to the article, the top thing Maryam will take away from the experience is “how to properly structure and present and argument.”
Another delegate from Stenden, Mohammed Kafoode, felt very proud about the time he spent working and preparing for the conference. “I did it!” he said, grinning widely after he delivered a speech he had been revising right up until it was his turn to represent Qatar in front of the General Assembly. After the speech, it was time to get back to his seat and start passing notes to potential allies. After speeches, “runners” take notes from one delegate to another as countries try to make alliances before they go into an official caucus. “The speeches will tell you who agrees with you,” Mohammed said, “but after, when you talk to people, you find out which delegates will help you try to win, to get your ideas in the resolution,” he said.
The event, held at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Manama, Bahrain on November 29th and 30th, 2012, was considered a success by the Stenden University Qatar delegation. “All of the students hope to practice throughout the year and come back next year even more prepared, “Kody Gerkin said at the conclusion of the event. Stenden University Qatar officials were also pleased with this year’s participation. They noted that they were thankful for the support of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in Qatar and hope to make Stenden University Qatar’s participation in the conference and annual occasion.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Simone Arnheiter, Head of Marketing, Stenden University Qatar
Phone +974 4488 8116, Fax +974 4488 8136, Email media@stenden.edu.qa.
