Fugee School Students Build Confidence and Diplomacy Skills with Model United Nations
At Fugee School, education emphasises the importance of holistic education and equipping refugee and stateless youth with the confidence, critical thinking, and agency to advocate for themselves in a complex world. From 15 July to 20 August, our Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 students embarked on a six-week journey into international diplomacy through the Fugee School Model United Nations (MUN) Simulation Programme.
Developed and facilitated by Fatima, a volunteer intern from the University of Oxford, the programme was integrated into our secondary Social Studies curriculum. Following practice sessions from 12–13 August, the initiative culminated in youth assembly-style final MUN simulations from 17–20 August, giving students the floor to debate, negotiate, and pass resolutions on some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
Why Model UN Matters for Refugee Youth
The core purpose of the Fugee MUN programme was to introduce students to structured argumentation, parliamentary procedure, and global civic engagement. For Fatima, bringing debate and diplomacy into the Fugee classroom was deeply personal and purposeful. Drawn to Fugee’s mission of empowering marginalised communities in Malaysia where refugee children often face disrupted schooling and public scrutiny, she wanted to ensure students had the tools to stand their ground and make their voices heard.
"I felt like Fugee’s visions and their goals really aligned with helping marginalised communities, disadvantaged communities, especially in a place that debates their rights and their right to exist... I wanted to help them make an even greater impact." - Fatima, Volunteer Intern (University of Oxford)
Beyond academic enrichment, Fatima designed the curriculum to prepare students for real-world moments where they might need to challenge misinformation, deconstruct harmful narratives, and defend their dignity.
"As refugees, especially in host countries, they will have to defend themselves in a lot of senses, especially with far-right rhetoric increasing globally... It's even more important for them to be equipped to address it, to not find themselves silenced or kind of speechless in any of these kinds of situations." - Fatima
From Classroom Foundations to the Assembly Floor
Students were paired into delegate teams representing countries including Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Kenya, the United States, Jordan, and Germany. Supported by fact sheets and sentence starters so learners of all English proficiency levels could participate fully, students tackled two major global tracks:
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Plastic Pollution Track (Year 7): Delegates debated actionable resolutions on phasing out single-use plastics in retail, financing waste management infrastructure for coastal and island communities, and holding plastic manufacturers financially accountable for recycling costs.
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Refugee Education & Migration Track (Years 8 & 9): Delegates examined policies surrounding guaranteed primary education regardless of legal status, international funding commitments, integration into local public school systems, and sponsored language integration support.
Throughout the six weeks, students developed four foundational pillars of leadership:
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Public Speaking & Diplomacy: Students practiced delivering structured 1 to 1.5-minute speeches using formal diplomatic address, roll calls, and placards.
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Evidence-Based Critical Thinking: Rather than simply stating an opinion, delegates learned how to build logical arguments: identifying clear claims, backing them up with factual evidence, and responding on their feet to chair follow-up challenges.
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Global Perspective: By representing different UN member states, students explored how political, economic, and social realities shape national policies.
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Teamwork & Parliamentary Procedure: Working in small groups to draft resolutions, negotiate compromises, and vote on motions gave students firsthand experience in collaborative problem-solving.
Witnessing Confidence Take Root
For Fatima, the most rewarding milestone came around weeks three and four, when concepts like "claims" and "supporting reasons" clicked, and students began connecting those skills to their own lives. Pre and post-programme surveys confirmed a measurable leap in students' self-confidence and civic awareness.
"At the beginning, as most people are in their young teens or pre-teens, you're not really sure of things. You're not really sure of yourself, who you are, what you think. And it's been rewarding in the sense of I've got to see them sort of establish their own opinions and be able to voice them... You can hold a view, but when someone asks why, that's obviously more challenging and more important. And I've been seeing them able to do that at the end of the six weeks." - Fatima
When asked what advice she would share with future interns and volunteers hoping to teach at Fugee School, Fatima emphasised humility and listening first:
"Take it slow and keep an open mind... I chose to just shadow on the first week I was in. And I honestly think that was the most important decision I could have made for the six weeks because it led me to have such a better, deeper understanding of the school, of the context, of the students, of the teachers... It's sort of like coming in with ambitions, but also having that humility to be aware that you don't know everything yet." - Fatima
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Join Us in Shaping the Next Generation of Changemakers
Programmes like the Fugee Model United Nations simulation are made possible through the dedication of passionate volunteers, partners, and supporters who believe that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, lead, and thrive.
Whether you are an educator, a university student with skills to share, a corporate partner looking to collaborate, or a supporter who wants to fund transformative learning experiences, you can play a direct role in shaping our students' futures:
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Volunteer With Us: Bring your expertise, workshops, or mentorship into our classrooms and help refugee youth unlock new skills.
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Partner on Enrichment Programmes: Collaborate with Fugee School to co-create hands-on learning journeys in leadership, STEM, arts, or career readiness.
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Donate to Refugee Education: Every contribution directly supports safe classrooms, holistic curricula, and life-changing opportunities for over 240 refugee and stateless learners at Fugee School.
Ready to make an impact? Contact us to explore volunteer opportunities, partner with our team, or contribute to our programmes today. Together, let’s keep building futures that can’t be taken away.