YMCA Model UN - Burlington County, New Jersey

Welcome to the YMCA Summer International Leadership Program (SILP)! Our program is designed to educate participants by immersing them into the world of domestic and international affairs. Throughout our program, participants will experience what life is like in the professional fields of international relations and political science within Washington D.C. Participants receive hands-on experience in the world of leadership, politics and service.

Participants will not only broaden their intellectual horizons via lectures on pressing world issues and embassy visits, but will also develop as leaders via team-bonding activities, exposure to deep perspectives on issues of global significance, and personal reflection. The program will provide an atmosphere that will empower participants to recognize their role as international citizens by continuing to engage in worldly affairs and international service after the conference ends.  

Students getting ready to depart for the day's activities!

Another aspect of SILP is the staffers who assist in both the planning and daily running of SILP. Our staff ranges from undergraduate students pursing degrees in international relations and political science, to those working for Non-Government Organizations (NGO), to university faculty. All staff members have participated in the Y-MUN program, and devote ample volunteer time to prepare for SILP.

SILP thoroughly teaches students with an interest in political science or international relations what they can do with their major. Participants are able to see the different jobs available in these fields of study. They will not just hear about the idealized version of an NGO, but figure out what the day-to-day running of the NGO looks like, and how they can be a part of it. Participants will truly receive a comprehensive understanding of what a career in international relations and political science can look like.

Daily Opportunities Include:

-       Meeting with NGO representatives such as:

1. Brookings Institution
2. Human Rights Watch
3. Global Playground
4. Association on Third World Affairs

-       Alumni Panelist Question and Answer Session

1. Alumni from the Y-MUN program who are going to school, living and working in the DC area, with a focus on international relations or political science, will reflect on their experiences within the field.

-       Visiting:

1. Nation’s Capitol and meeting representatives from the House Foreign Affairs Committee
2. The World Bank
3. The State Department
4. The Lincoln Memorial
5. The Kennedy Center
6. The English Embassy
7. The Saudi Arabian Embassy
8. The Israeli Embassy
9. The Turkish Embassy

-       Leadership Development

1. SILP program provides leadership seminars that will teach participants invaluable skills that will be imperative for the rest of their lives. The team building exercises, as well as real-world experience, fosters an atmosphere that inspires participants to take action in the real world.

-       Reflecting

1. At the end of everyday, students will break down into small groups to discuss the day’s events. Eventually they will collectively discuss the theme of the day, which allows students to get to know one another more deeply, and reflect on the sacrifice that comes with leadership. They are additionally able to understand their collective and separate goals, as students interested in politics, and develop personal leadership, political leadership and an understanding for the importance of servant leadership.