Crescent Hosts Its First Model UN Conference

Crescent School hosted its first Model UN conference on April 20 and 21, spearheaded by Model UN Club executives Mazin Habib ’24 and Hong Duc Cheng ’24. Planning started early: In the spring of 2023, the two aspiring executives talked about their goals and set their sights high. “We made a proposal and submitted it to [Head of Upper School] Mr. Prosser,” says Habib. “Once it was approved, we got to work.”

When asked about what it took to make this event happen, Habib is humble but proud. “I knew that it was going to be hard,” he says. “The guys who were executives last year thought it was a great idea, but they didn't think it was going to be possible.” He says the event’s success is thanks to his “partner in crime,” Cheng, as well as the team’s early start on planning. 

The boys formed a team made up of members of their club and assigned chairs and co-chairs to various committees. They wrote the background information on the topics that would be covered at the conference, which would go toward helping participants prepare. They also handled other logistics, like setting up a website so that participants could register and access conference information. 

All their preparation paid off. There were over 120 students from 15 schools across the GTA in attendance. As the secretary general of the conference, Habib gave a speech at their opening ceremony and introduced keynote speaker, the Hon. Rob Oliphant, MP for Don Valley West and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “As experiential learning, it was perfect,” says faculty member Geoff Green, who leads the Model UN club. “The students came together and put an incredible amount of work into it.”

Part of the rationale behind taking on such a huge project was personal for Habib, who credits Model UN conferences and Crescent’s club with his own growth. “I've had a lot of fun and I've seen what it does for people,” he says. “It's helped with my speaking skills and my confidence. I wanted to be able to provide that avenue for others through Crescent.”