“Our partnership with Rotary has been so important to us,” says the retiring secretary general for the High School Model United Nations that is held annually at the University of Alberta.
Tristen Wong believes that the greatest benefit of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview’s sponsorship is that it supports a bursary program that allows students to attend who might otherwise be unable to, due to their financial circumstances.
“We try to have students from a diversity of backgrounds,” says Tristen. “Some delegates come from more economically advantaged backgrounds but we want to eliminate barriers for students who want to attend but don’t have this advantage.”
The model UN’s website states that its purpose is to “provide students in high school with an educational opportunity to develop a sense of global citizenship and maximize their self-growth.”
Tristen, who will be graduating this spring with a bachelor of science in immunology and infection, has participated in model United Nation events since she was a Grade 9 student in Vancouver. She became involved in the model UN at U of A when she started studying there in 2019.
As secretary general, this year Tristen led a team of eight students who were responsible for all aspects of planning and hosting the event that ran February 20-22. The event attracted 760 high school students primarily from the Edmonton area, with a sprinkling of delegates from other parts of Alberta.
The secretariat consists of students from a variety of university faculties, many of whom attended the model UN themselves, when they were high school students.
“It is a common misconception that most of the students come from (the faculty of) political science, but that’s not the case,” Tristen says. “It’s not just political science students who are interested in what we do here.”
The secretariat begins its work about a year ahead of time. Closer to the event, it recruits other university student volunteers, who chair debates and review papers written by the country delegations.
High school teachers are also involved in preparing their students to attend and are available during the event itself.
“Teachers are the liaison between HSMUN and students,” Tristen says. “They help them get registered and assist them with their research. We are grateful for their involvement.”
Each school can send as many as 50 delegates. Once students have registered for the model UN, they are assigned a country they will represent.
“They research the country’s foreign policy and its stance on certain issues. The students prepare position papers and identify solutions,” Tristen says.
All the delegates for a specific country come from the same school, which enables them to collaborate on their research.
“We try to do a large variety of issues each year,” Tristen says. “There definitely should be at least one topic that will be of interest to every student.”
The HSMUN High School Model United Nations was established in 2002 by Andy Knight, the then-chair of the department of political science. During its formative years, he participated in planning for the annual meetings and for raising funds.
By 2013, when he returned from a three-year secondment to the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, university students were organizing the annual editions of the model UN.
Knight was the keynote speaker during the opening assembly in 2025.
The Riverview Rotary Club’s involvement began in 2009, when then-president Carl Simonson investigated the possibility of the University of Alberta hosting a Rotary Interaction Peace Centre.
“I learned that Rotary International was looking to partner with a university to establish another Peace Centre and I thought, why not at the University of Alberta?” Carl says.
Rotary International currently has seven Peace Centres at universities around the world. The programs offer tailor-made curricula to train individuals devoted to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
“From conversations with Dr. Knight and Rotary International, it was apparent that the U of A didn’t offer the type of courses that met the criteria for a Peace Centre program,” Carl says.
“While becoming a Peace Centre wasn’t possible, Dr. Knight suggested another opportunity that aligned with one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus—promoting peace. The Riverview Rotary club could sponsor the High School Model United Nations held annually at the U of A.”
How the club would be involved began to take shape during the 2010-2011 Rotary year, when Dean Wood was serving as club president. By the time the 2012 session was held, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview had committed to providing financial support.
“Our relationship with the HSMUN largely consists of writing a cheque each year and getting out of their way,” Dean says. “They are such talented organizers who don’t really need any assistance. They have a tremendous ability to mobilize their responses to create an inspiring experience for the high school students.
“As Rotarians, we are in awe of the participants’ motivation, organization and commitment to peace building,” he says.
Over the years, the direct involvement of Rotarians has been limited to speaking briefly during the opening or closing sessions and observing the proceedings. In 2025, Neil Cockburn (who as the club’s Youth Service Committee chair was the club’s liaison with the model UN for several years), spoke during the opening assembly on behalf of the club.
“Riverview Rotary is proud to sponsor this amazing event in our 13th year of sponsorship,” he said.
Professor Knight says, “I really appreciate what Rotary clubs have done to support programs in the political science department.” He singles out for thanks the late Ron Grantham, an Order of Canada recipient and member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton, who helped raised funds to support development of the department’s Peace and Conflict Resolution certificate program.
Tristen sees many gains from participating in model united nations programs.
“The biggest benefits that I have received is that my involvement has enabled me to develop soft skills, including how to interact with others, problem-solving, negotiation and public speaking,” she says. “You learn things that a classroom teacher can’t teach you.”
Being exposed to information about the World Health Organization as a high school delegate also helped her set her career path. She will begin a master’s program in public health, this fall.
She predicts the model UN movement will continue to grow, noting that during her time at the University of Alberta she has seen participation double, with a waiting list of more than 300 high school students this year.
The existence of the model UN program at the U of A has also inspired some high schools to create their own model UN.
“This provides opportunities for more students to participate and learn about the organization’s work and international relationships,” Tristen says.
Tristen Wong, 2025 Secretary General.
The University of Alberta’s High School Model United Nations was established in 2002 by Andy Knight, who was the keynote speaker during the opening ceremonies for the 2025 event.
Opening ceremony for the 2025 High School Model United Nations was held Thursday, February 20 in the Meyer Horowitz Theatre in the Student Union Building on the University of Alberta campus.