Evatt Report

Reena Mukherjee and Mireille Tamer

On Friday 6th June, Mireille Tamer and I had the opportunity to represent our school, for the very first time, in the regional Evatt Debating Competition – a mock simulation of the real UN Security Council which meets regularly to discuss policies and issues concerning the human rights of the global population.

In this competition, each team of two from schools in the region were representing a different country, such as Rwanda or Australia, and fought for their nation’s interests to be heard as we discussed ‘resolutions’ (topics of debate based on current concerns in the world).

The country whose perspectives we were representing was China, and the ‘resolutions’ we were discussing were a) reducing the sizes of active militaries and b) organ trafficking. After a couple of weeks of preparation, during which we researched our country and the issues given to us, we left at 8.00am in the morning with Mrs Crawley to arrive at Penrith High School on time for the competition. Our judges arrived shortly after us, and the debate soon began.

The day was enjoyable and a thrilling new experience – as it was our first time there, we had to learn the process very quickly, the judges were attentive and helpful. As China, we had our work cut out for us – the resolutions being discussed were sensitive issues for our country, and our two strongest ally nations were absent on the day. Despite the challenge, one of our two resolutions passed the negotiations, and we had a great time meeting other youth from our local area who were passionate about being active global citizens.

The relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the competition was what surprised me most. Everyone got along well and supported each other, and we hardly ever felt like we were there for the first time. On behalf of both of us, I would like to extend my gratitude to Mrs Leask for giving us the opportunity to be involved in this unique, first-hand experience, and also to Mrs Crawley for supporting us during the whole process – both before and on the actual day of the debate. Participating in an Evatt competition was a great way to learn about the world around us, and helped us develop a deeper understanding of how complex politics really is; without a doubt, I would recommend anyone interested to consider getting involved in Evatt in the future.

Reena Mukherjee, Year 10 Mackillop