Three students at 天美传媒 became diplomats for a day at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London last week and came away from a NATO crisis exercise with the Distinguished Delegation award.
Shahidah Miah, Alex Carey and Josh Pitt were amongst 120 students from 30 universities who took part in , run by British International Studies Association in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Each university was allocated a country that students represented in a specialised NATO body 鈥� the Military Committee and the Civil Emergency Planning Committee 鈥� and in the North Atlantic Council, NATO鈥檚 highest authority. The BU students were acting as a delegation from Canada and needed to research the country鈥檚 resources and political position in advance.
For the exercise, the committee members needed to agree the international response to a hypothetical scenario of multiple earthquakes and a volcanic eruption, resulting in significant loss of life and mass displacement of populations.
The members of a simulated North Atlantic Council then had to agree a detailed set of actions to be endorsed in a final declaration.
Diplomats and civil servants from the FCDO were available throughout the day to chat with students about their approach to the task, as well as about career prospects in diplomacy.
Dr Alina Dolea (left) and the studentsLaw student Shahida Miah said, 鈥淒iplomacy is not merely a means to an end; it is a vehicle for social change.聽
鈥淚 would love to work in this sector. The thrill and rush of it all is truly something! Transnational perspectives offer innovation because each microcosm can be evaluated for its strengths and weaknesses. From there, solutions can be logically devised to promote greater social cohesion and prosperity. Knowing that you can make a difference and contribute to a shared goal is truly astounding.聽
鈥淭he crisis transpired from the Turkey-Syria disaster across the Mediterranean, which in actual fact is a possibility. The ability to look at current affairs, analyse how government officials work 聽and apply their ideas 聽to a scenario 聽gave an edge of reality and an appreciation of transnational organisations鈥� internal mechanisms.鈥�
Politics student Josh Pitt added, 鈥淎ttending the model NATO conference was a fantastic opportunity to advance my learning and interest in international relations.
鈥淭he event also coincided with current international humanitarian crises such as the Syria-Turkey earthquakes. This made the simulation we were presented with feel very real.鈥�
The Bournemouth / Canada delegation proposed several initiatives to the other members on the committee - including the establishment of a task force. They impressed the judges from BISA and the FCDO who named them 鈥淒istinguished Delegation鈥� during the awards presentations after the exercise had concluded.
The students鈥� tutor, Dr Alina Dolea, Associate Professor in Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy, said, 鈥渢his was the first time BU has taken part in this event聽and I鈥檓 so proud that they won the award against teams from universities with long tradition of politics and international studies.
鈥淪imulation events like this give students access to insights and skills that add to what they gain in classroom settings. BU students demonstrated excellent negotiating skills and worked brilliantly as a team representing Canada, contributing to the consensus reached at the end of the day.
鈥淭hey were true diplomats for a day. And they also networked with fellow students, staff from other universities and diplomats from FCDO who gave them glowing praises for their interventions.鈥�
