Nearly 400 central Virginia high school and middle school students assembled at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School recently to participate in the 15th annual Governor’s School Model United Nations Conference (GSMUN XV), around 150 being students from Henrico County.

The conference is completely student-run, consisting of a staff of around 70 Governor’s School students. With more committees available to debate in than ever before, GSMUN XV prides itself in being one of the largest high school Model UN conferences in the Virginia. Six members of the secretariat staff are Henrico county residents.

Model United Nations allows students to simulate official United Nations proceedings by conducting research on global topics, representing their assigned countries, debating with other nations, and practicing the art of diplomacy to ultimately create resolutions to real international issues. Student delegates at GSMUN XV participated in committees that focused on problems such as the European Union financial crisis, infrastructure and regime development of Sudan, human trafficking, and antibiotic resistance.

This year, GSMUN XV staff and participants also raised funds to support Pencils of Promise, an international organization whose mission is to build schools in the developing world and to train young leaders to take action at home and abroad. The charity supported by last year’s conference received $4,000 from the event.