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In my topic, I learned what PMCs are and the problems that follow them. They are used to protect countries but often harm innocent people in countries they are fighting in. They aren't part of any country and are hired by countries to fight for them. Without PMCs, some countries with smaller militaries would fall as they would have no protection against invaders. This is why PMCs need more regulations. If there were more rules against PMCs harming people, then the PMCs wouldn't be able to harm people. In the play Wicked, there is a witch that everyone hates because they think she is evil. But the witch did nothing wrong and people hate her for no reason. This relates to MUN as you need to be able to see both sides of an argument. You must listen to other opinions as solutions may not be solving their problem or the solution may be causing problems for another country. In the play Hadestown, it was shown how much can happen without anyone realizing. This relates to DISEC because there weren't enough rules regulating PMCs as it wasn't expressed enough. In New York, we went to many museums from the 9/11 Memorial Museum to the Dog Museum. This helps put into perspective many different points of view of many important events. We learned about 9/11 and the effects it had on the world. It put the world into shock as no one could have imagined that something like that could even happen. This helped me grow by teaching me about the horrors that can be committed because of the effects of world disagreements. Things like this can be solved through promoting peace which prevents the need for terrorist groups to arise. The 9/11 museum also showed the effects of the attack including the discrimination against Muslims. This shows the many layers one thing can have.

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The topic that my committee chose was Topic A: Private Military and Security Companies. The problem was the lack of legislation on PMSCs, and the result was that they were committing war crimes that were unnecessary and out of their contracts. To find the root of the problem, we had to look deeper than just what the war crimes are or what PMSCs are committing them and clearly define what PMSCs are. The start of the problem is that we don't clearly know who PMSCs are and can't hold them accountable because of it. So, the first action would be to define PMSCs. Then, once we do define them, we can start to hold them accountable. They cannot get away with their actions and must be punished for it. So, the second step would be accountability. Lastly, we must create regulations to stop them from doing it anymore. Regulations would keep them in place to not do things out of their contract. So, the last step would be creating regulations.

PMSCs are a lot like mercenary groups. Mercenary groups are people you can hire to fight for you and give yourself a more robust military. PMSCs provide technological support, military support, and safety, much like mercenary groups. But another thing about PMSCs is that you have to look at the problem from both sides. The perspective of the topic matters to see why PMSCs are committing war crimes. This is like the Manhattan transaction between the Native Americans living in Manhattan and the Europeans. To the Europeans, they were giving the box of supplies and everything worth about $24 to buy the land of Manhattan, but to the Native Americans, they would be sharing the land, and the Europeans would continue to give them gifts. So, looking back at the topic of PMSCs, we have to see both sides of the story and why PMSCs have done what they did.

The 9/11 museum gave me a broader perspective on racism, terrorism, and the effects of that happening. I had known about 9/11 and what it was, but I couldn't fully understand their actual pain or fear when so many people died or even jumped out of the building. I still don't fully understand, but I have a better view of it. The conference has also helped me grow and develop. My committee was DISEC, and the topic that we had decided on was the lack of legislation on PMSCs. Being at the conference showed me that to use PMSCs, we need to look at outside-the-box options such as NGOs and Starlink. We need to educate people on the problem of PMSCs and how to fix it. PMSCs need to be clearly defined before they are legislated, and that taught me to make more prominent connections and look at the perspective of the PMSCs before deciding what is right. I saw that PMSCs were necessary, and we need to hold them accountable for their war crimes and such and then start creating regulations so they don't commit any more war crimes. It has helped me develop a higher level of thinking and connections for PMSCs.

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One memorable event was in New York when we watched the Broadway plays. They were entertaining, but they also conveyed a lot of important life lessons that helped me improve as a person. For example, the play Wicked demonstrates two friends who have different views but still manage to overcome their own perspectives and accept the other's beliefs. This connects a lot with when we went on the trip to the Museum of American Indians where we learned that the American Indians sold their land thinking that they would share the land with the explorers, while the explorers thought that they were buying the land. This shows how important communication and different perspectives affect the society we live in, but there is also more to that, It also conveys the importance of accepting other's points of view because if we are closed off to other ideas then our views and ideas become rigid and stale. When we watched Hades Town we talked in depth about how the relationship between Hades and Eurydice is an example of larger organizations or countries taking advantage of smaller ones behind closed doors. We discussed a lot about how this is a major problem in our world currently, even with men and women, not just countries. When we discussed these problems it helped me grow my understanding of the world. Both of these plays helped me understand problems in society that I did not know were here. The plays were a great learning point for me, so I am extremely thankful that I had the chance to see them.

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I really enjoyed our experience in New York. The museums, the food, and most importantly all the fun we had along the way. We went to two Broadway shows, Wicked and Hadestown, both of which featuring wonderful music. We went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, the Metropolitan Art Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the American Indian Museum. We learned so much about a variety of topics, and I loved engaging with my fellow delegates. The committee I was in at NYU was The Cabinet of Tsar Nicholas II. Taking place in 1905, delegates were challenged with helping solve the declining Russian Empire's problems. We got really creative with Crisis Notes and Directives, some delegates founding their own nations, others building railways. Personally, I set myself the goal of keeping the Tsar in power, one which ultimately failed. I had a great time discussing ideas with high school delegates and feel I did well speaking. One thing I do regret, however, is not getting more creative than I did with Crisis Notes. I feel this is what really sets other delegates apart from the rest, and despite my speaking skills, probably what the chairs were looking for.

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In DISEC, our conference covered the topic of Private Military Contractors and Private Military Security Companies.

This topic is clearly connected to the main idea of Hadestown. In Hadestown, those who do not have enough money to take care of themselves "sell their souls" to Hades, so that they can work in his factories and make a living, but they become completely dependent on him to survive. Similarly, countries without a strong military/security system use PMCs or PMSCs to defend and protect their country, but in some cases, become dependant on these systems, so that the country is unsafe without them. Also, just as Hades in Hadestown often takes advantage of his workers, PMCs and PMSCs often take advantage of their employers by dodging contracts and responsibility. However, if the governments of countries who rely on PMCs and PMSCs were strengthened and educated, then the country would have no need for dishonest, external military forces.

From my topic and my committee, I learned that it is important to address the root of issues, both in our lives and in government matters. During the conferences, my committee discussed the importance of defining the real issues with PMSCs: that they are extremely hard to keep track of and hold accountable. This made it easier for the group to find a solution to the problem. From this, I as an individual discovered how to solve actual issues in my life. By taking accountability for my actions and refining broader conflicts into specific problems (by addressing the part of the issue that matters the most), I was able to solve social conflicts within my committee between myself and others, and have a more meaningful and educational experience in New York overall.

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One thing we did in New York was watch the play Wicked. Wicked was about a witch who was friends with someone not much alike. Even with that, they were friends but one day the witch was seen as an evil person who was a criminal. Her friend still knew that she was not the evil person that the people saw. This connects to how perspectives change the deal such as what happened to the Native Americans that were trying to share the land of what is now Manhattan. On the other side of that deal, the colonizers thought they were buying Manhattan for what was worth $24. These connect to each other because they show how perspectives mean everything and that understanding both or more perspectives helps make you see what really happened. In my committee of the Romanov Cabinet, we made directives to make solutions to problems given in crisis updates. I can connect this to the real world because directives need multiple people to work together to solve something and in the real world working together makes everything easier and helps you to see other people's perspectives.

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During the New York trip we visited the National Museum of the American Indian which showed me two things. One of them is that in history we were taught only one of the perspectives which was the Dutch where they paid 24 dollars worth of trinkets to the Indians for their land. Althought this is what we were taught the Indians had a different perspective. The Indians agreed to share the land not knowing the Dutch wanted to buy it and thought that the trinkets were gifts and goods for them. This connects to MUN because you need to understand the different perspectives of not only your country but other's as well. This is important because you might have personal opinions and perspectives on certain countries but in MUN you have to look at different perspectives and not just yours. This also shows how peolple often listen to more powerful and influential people instead of others. This relates to MUN because the more you contribute and talk the more likely people are to agree and vote for you to be a leader or sponsor.

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The show that we watched, Wicked, communicated many different messages. One of the messages was about how there were different points of view. One of those points of view was that Elphaba and the animals were a lower class and as a result, the Wizard of Oz and Glinda who were seen as part of the higher class, had opinions that mattered more to society at large.  In my committee, WHO, we discussed the topic of telehealth, and I believe that I can relate the two concepts, telehealth and the story of Wicked, to one another because of the idea of points of view. During our creation of resolution papers and even during mods, we discussed how telehealth has many pros and cons. One party was of the opinion that people in rural areas and countries without access to such technologies believed that telehealth shouldn’t be a solution for improving the medical work field. In the same way that people in different political parties debate, the possibility that telemedicine could be a good solution was overshadowed by the richer countries who were in my mods. As seen in both Empire MUN's WHO and Wicked, it seemed more likely that the higher the class and the more power one has, that that party will have their solution passed.

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Model United Nations connect in their ability to present diverse perspectives and foster subjective interpretations. At the MET, we learned that the artworks on display, from diverse cultures and eras, invited viewers to engage, sometimes controversially, with the works in a way influenced by their personal backgrounds and experiences. Likewise, MUN allows delegates to embody the different perspectives of varying nations, introducing discourse on global issues where subjective interpretations are common. Controversy, a common element in both fields, surrounds the understanding of art and the debate over international concepts such as private military companies and security companies. Just as art at the MET can spark debates about cultural context and meaning, discussions within this MUN conference were filled with divergent views on the legitimacy, ethics, and regulation of PMSCs. As these companies have built nations but also terrorised others to no extent. Similarly, cultural sensitivity is essential for interpreting art in its historical context- a topic that finds its parallel in conference debates, where recognition of the cultural diversity of member countries is crucial for constructive debate and dialogue. But more importantly, as the meaning of art can evolve over time, so does the international perception of issues such as PMSCs, which both positively and negatively impact societies and contribute to the creation of military standards on a global level. Through these experiences, I learned that the parallels and takeaways between MET and MUN highlight the importance of understanding and recognising diverse perspectives and historical contexts, whether through a brush stroke or a diplomatic debate.

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In Hadestown, we learned about the idea that many things can happen "behind closed doors", meaning they might be hidden from the public or only a portion of what is really happening is shown. This is important in MUN, especially in DISEC. In this committee, we talked about the uses and dangers of PMSCs, which are independent organizations that can be contracted for military or defense purposes. However, many of these companies commit crimes, such as not paying fines, robberies, and being unregulated. Much of this is hidden from the public, or "behind closed doors", which presents a huge problem, especially in poor countries where people might have to rely on these companies for protection instead of the police, since they don't know if the PMSC they are hiring is good or not. To fix this problem, we used a solution that threw these proverbial doors wide open by creating a database that cataloged each individual PMSCs past misdeeds. This would help both keep people who hire PMSCs safe, encourage PMSCs to behave, and still allow countries or people who need it to use them. This also shows that sometimes, simply showing the full picture of something is enough to solve some problems.

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In the show of Hadestown, too many times it was expressed that something current on stage will hide things "behind closed doors." The girl had signed her life away while a bigger scene was made by everyone else on the outside and nobody knew because it was hidden and overshadowed. In WHO, one of the resolution papers suggested that countries have enough funding. That resolution stated that the money cannot be used because of corruption which is a fact hidden behind closed doors. On top of that, the fact of corruption is also hidden by the bigger scene of numbers and facts for the media. This is much like facts being said that "a lot can happen behind closed doors" because we do not know what the full picture is and that it is very important to know everything to keep up and solve the problem. When connected to Hadestown, the man had found out what happened behind closed doors and was able to find a solution because he knew the full picture.

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I can connect the play we saw in New York, Wicked to our MUN in many ways. Number one being that this story was shown in someone elses point of view. We were shown the Wicked Witch of the West in the story, We saw her point of view and her own story. This is important and connects to our research in many ways. In MUN most people think about themselves. This is not good nor effective in many ways. As delegates, we need to see and think about others POV. This is important because if we see other peoples solutions we can think of one that benefits both of us. I can connect MUN to Hade’s Town also. It shows that we do not see what really happens behind closed doors. What I find the most important is that people do not think deeply about solutions and deals. In the show, the girl did not think about her deal with Hade. She did not think about if she wanted to go back up to the surface. In MUN, we need to think about our solutions deeply and how they affect both sides.

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When we watched Wicked, it was clearly shown that not everyone is considered when learning about the past and the mistakes of the past. The witch was disregarded several times, and her rising caused people to fear her. The witch believed that animals shouldn't have to be messed around with and should be treated with respect, however she was still considered the "bad guy" by everyone. The influence of the more powerful guided the blind citizens into believing that the witch was someone to be fearful of. Wicked gave me a broader understanding of how perspective matters in creating solutions. When building blocs in DISEC, many countries shared the same belief, accepting Private Military Companies with proper regulation. However, some countries shared a different belief, of either completely removing PMSCs or popularizing them even more. Originally, I was completely against the idea of even encouraging PMSC, but listening to poorer countries who have a weak military to rely on, opened my mind to several other ideas. PMSCs do commit horrendous acts outside of their contract, but what other ways can people be protected from invasion? In summary, perspective matters when people gather to attempt to create solutions to different problems.

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One incredible thing I earned about was in the Native American museum. One main point I would like to focus on is the view of the Native Americans in trade with colonizers. Both had different views on this trade that impacted the actual decision . The Natives thought they would share the land but the colonizers wanted the land all to themselves. I found that this connects to my MUN topic in SPECPOL because both have to face the challenge of colonizers. It also shows a solution to this issue by using the points of views of the countries to find a compromise. This also connects to my New York topic of DISEC because we have to use collaboration of people and countries to solve serious issues like Private Military and Security companies. Overall, we should connect our different points of views to solve world issues.