Board Information and Application

Booklet

2015 -2016

Leiden Model United

Nations Foundation

Board Application 1

Introduction

Dear all,

In the upcoming pages we will try to give you an insight in what is to be an

individual board member of the LeidenMUN foundation. Before we do so,

however, we would like to sketch an image of what the LeidenMUN board in

general is responsible for. Many of you may think that the board is all about

training delegates for conferences. This is certainly our primary goal and all our

activities are centred around this. This is not the full picture, however. The board

spends only half of the time directly on training. The other half of the time the

board spends on maintaining and expanding a close relationship with our alumni

network, raising funds for our preparatory track and conferences, organising

networking events and last but not least, promoting our organization. This, still,

is by no means an exhaustive list of what the board does; yet it does encompass

its main tasks.

From the 1st of June a new Board will be installed to tackle the above-

mentioned tasks and therefore we are happy to officially open Board

applications!

Do you want to be part of an amazing and dynamic team? Do you want to

organize and train MUN delegations to conferences all around the world? Are

you one of those people who is always dedicated to put your ambitions in to

practise? Are you capable of keeping an overview when pressure rises and tasks

become increasingly complex? Are you up for a mind-blowing year to which you

will always think back with a broad smile? Let’s go on than and read over the

next few pages to find out what could be in store for you as a board member of

the Leiden Model United Nations Foundation! Please do not hesitate the Board

for more information!

2 Board Application

Board

This year, the board will consist out of six members; The President, The

Secretary, The Head Delegate, The Delegate Trainer, The Acquisitions Officer,

and The Treasurer/Activities Officer. The specifics of all functions will be

outlined below. Here, we will give you an idea of what the board as a whole

needs to do and how each individual should work together.

What is crucial to realise is that you will work together intimately on a

weekly, and sometimes, daily basis. It is therefore of paramount importance that

you are charitable, kind and helpful towards your other board members. It is

only through working together closely that you will be able to make your board

year a success, regardless of how brilliant or dedicated you may be. Egotists need

not apply. Furthermore, with an attitude of openness, it will be much more easy

to discover the talents and abilities of your peers.

Communication is another essential element in becoming a successful and

dynamic board. At times, you will be stretched out over multiple continents.

During that time, every board member will still be vital to the success of the

operation. Make sure you develop a habit of updating your peers on your work

and coordinate your efforts in such a way that everyone will do the work s/he is

most suited for.

Finally, it is important that you can deal with stressful situations and

major responsibilities while simultaneously enjoying yourself and providing

effective support to both fellow board members as well as delegates. This

requires both iron discipline as well as the ability to not take yourself too

seriously and to know when to ask for help. If you feel you are able to do this or

are dedicated to try, we would gladly welcome you to read on.

Board Application 3

President

The President of the Leiden Model United Nations Foundation carries the final

responsibility for the Foundation, the Board as well as for its Active Members.

The president must lead those other board members who perform

specific tasks. Every move made by the president is aimed at implementing the

foundation's strategy and implementing the policies and procedures that allow

LeidenMUN to reach its intermediate and long term goals.

Furthermore it is his/her task to function as a convincing spokesperson,

representative and external liaison for the organization. By scheduling and

running the foundation’s meetings the President constantly evaluates the

foundation’s operations in order to keep an overview of the Foundations

performance.

Most of all s/he must be a person that keeps spirits high and maintains

LeidenMUN’s image as an inclusive, enthusiastic and attractive organisation. All

in all, the President is a social person who is able to connect people, motivate

participants and lead a team of highly ambitious students.

4 Board Application

Secretary

As the Secretary, you have the main responsibility for internal and external

communications. This means that you will be head of all communications and

media such as our email accounts, Facebook- and Whatsapp groups and alumni

network.

You are furthermore responsible for our promotion campaigns and public

relations, which give you a lot of room to be creative, expand and implement

your own ideas. You are LeidenMUN’s Secretary, as well as a board member,

which means you will be involved in all major decisions, trainings and ,most

excitingly, trips to MUN conferences, such as Harvard National MUN, or Oxford

International MUN.

Preferably, you are proactive, assertive and organized. However, most

importantly, you are willing to commit yourself to advance the mission of

LeidenMUN to set up kick-ass delegations and rule every conference in the

committee session and on the dance-floors.

Board Application 5

Treasurer and Activities Officer

As a treasurer and activities officer you have two functions within the board and

towards the delegates.

On the one hand, as a treasurer, you are responsible for the financial

status of the foundation. You set the delegation fees, monitor internal incomes

and external funding. In addition you have to keep track of the expenditures

made during the year and step in when these exceed pre-established thresholds.

At the beginning of the year you have to make a budget and therefore a long-

term vision and accuracy is needed. However, during the year decisions have to

be made and you should be able to make fast financial decisions.

As an activities officer, you are also responsible for booking the actual

conference spots, accommodation, transportation, itinerary and all other aspects

related to the conference trips. These trips need to be booked (far) in advance

and therefore you should always be one step ahead in your planning in relation

to the rest of the board.

To the delegates you are the go-to person for information with regards to

the financial obligations they have and with questions regarding the conference

planning. In addition, it is your job to make the conferences as inexpensive as

possible and make deals with hotels/hostel and transportation agencies.

Therefore good social skills are required. The more successful you are at

this, the more able you make the foundation to select delegates on merit rather

than on income, which is a core aspect of our philosophy.

6 Board Application

Head Delegate

As a Head Delegate, you carry the main responsibility for the training of

delegates and, therefore, our preparatory programme.

You will have to convey your, often subconscious, knowledge of the game

that is MUN in a way that is accessible, captivating and effective. The position

allows you a royal amount of creative freedom and will constantly challenge you

as you adapt each preparatory track to the individual dynamics of a conference.

You get the chance to see delegates grow personally, emotionally and

technically as they slowly master the finer arts of MUNing. In my experience, it is

this growth process that is deeply rewarding. All your scheming, design and

coercion, all the energy that you put into your function, is exponentially returned

to you as the delegates themselves become aware of their increased capacities.

Yet what makes being the head delegate truly great is seeing your

delegates perform and succeed during the actual conferences you have worked

towards so fiercely. To see them slowly take control of a committee and

eventually seize the room altogether is an indescribable experience that only

culminates to reach its apex when they are awarded for their efforts.

Board Application 7

Delegate Trainer

Leiden MUN attracts a broad variety of highly ambitious and capable individuals.

As a delegate trainer, it is your responsibility to train and coach these individuals

in order for them to develop and apply the skills necessary for the MUN setting of

debating, lobbying and resolution writing.

Together with the Head Delegate, you will decide on the logistics and

content of the prep-track, and tailor it to the needs of the delegates throughout

the prep-track. The prep-track is the raison d’etre of the foundation, and the

quality of the prep-track determines to a large degree the success of LeidenMUN

and of the individual delegates.

Within this setting you will be able to discover what your personal

coaching style is, how you can translate your tacit knowledge into concrete

advice, and how to motivate and inspire delegates to perform to the best of their

abilities. After the prep-tracks you will be joining the delegation to visit some of

the most prestigious conferences and universities in the world.

The trips you will take with the delegation to, for example Oxford and

Harvard, will form an unforgettable experience of your MUN career. On these

trips you will coach and support the delegates, enrich your understanding of

diplomacy, and undoubtedly enjoy the intellectual, geographical, and cultural

diversity that being part of an excellent team of motivated individuals travelling

the world has to offer.

Acquisitions Officer

8 Board Application

Are interested in getting into contact with major corporations and

conglomerates, with universities and governments? Are you unphased when

faced with major responsibilities and minor guidance? Do you want to gain real-

life experience that will directly benefit you as you enter the job market? Then

you want to consider applying for Financial Officer.

In this role, your responsibility will be to acquire funds for the

LeidenMUN foundation in order to strengthen and expand our operational

capacities. In exchange, you will be able to offer potential sponsors exclusive

access to our alumni database and expertise in lobbying, negotiating and

interacting with international multilateral institutions such as the UN. This

means you will also be responsible for coordinating LeidenMUN’s assets towards

fulfilling the needs our sponsors will have.

Furthermore, as a Financial Officer, you will be by no means excluded

from what we do best: MUNing. Like any other board member, you get to be a

part of one of Europe’s most consistently successful teams and you will be able to

reap all the benefits from the funds that you have managed to acquire for our

delegates.

Board Application 9

Interested?

We are looking for a person with the following characteristics:

- Structured

- Accurate

- Not afraid to make decisions

- In possession of a long-term vision

- A passion for planning

- A hands-on mentality

- Able to be strict to delegates and other board members

- Socially skilled

If you are interested, motivated and dedicated to join the Board of Leiden

Model United Nations Foundation please shoot us an email at

info@leidenmun.org and we will be happy to inform you about the next

steps of application!

Only the best,

The Board of 2014 - 2015

10

Board Application

Board Application 11