Hamptonians enjoyed a highly successful weekend of debating at the annual Lady Eleanor Holles Model United Nations (LEHMUN) Conference, with a record 33 boys taking part – the largest Hampton contingent to date.
This year’s delegation represented a wide range of countries, including Iran, China, Greece, Switzerland, Venezuela and Turkey, with a further five Hamptonians forming joint delegations (Afghanistan, Portugal, India and Kazakhstan) alongside pupils from other schools. As ever, our young debaters proved themselves thoughtful, articulate and committed representatives of their assigned nations.
The conference theme, ‘Peace and unity in a divided world’, framed a weekend of challenging and topical debate. Committees tackled complex international issues, culminating in the General Assembly, which focused on a fictional global crisis involving the simultaneous invasion of Taiwan by China and Greenland by US President Donald Trump. The debate demanded diplomatic skill, strategic thinking and calm negotiation, all of which Hampton delegates demonstrated in abundance.
The standard of debate throughout the weekend was extremely high, with boys from across the year groups contributing confidently. Younger delegates gained valuable experience making points of information and speeches, while more experienced Sixth Formers tested one another with probing questions and carefully constructed arguments. It was particularly rewarding to see Hamptonians from the Second Year through to Upper Sixth working collaboratively within their delegations.
Hampton was also well represented among the conference chairs. Upper Sixth Hamptonians and MUN stalwarts Felix, Gabriel, Noah, Xavier and Monty chaired committees over the course of the weekend, earning praise from visiting staff for their professionalism, authority and expert handling of debate. Their leadership and composure were a credit to Hampton’s long-standing MUN tradition.
A number of Hamptonians were recognised with individual awards for the quality of their contributions:
- Luke (Venezuela) – Highly Commended Delegate, Human Rights Committee
- Philip (Turkey) – Highly Commended Delegate, Human Rights Committee
- Digby (Turkey) – Highly Commended Delegate, Special Committee
- Agalyan (Venezuela) – Highly Commended Delegate, Special Committee
- Charlie (Greece) – Highly Commended Delegate, Security Council
- Jack (China) – Outstanding Delegate, Human Rights Committee
- Basil (Kazakhstan) – Outstanding Delegate, Political Committee
- Vihaan (Iran) – Outstanding Delegate, Special Committee
- Theo (China) – Outstanding Delegate, Security Council
In addition to these individual successes, the Chinese delegation was awarded a Highly Commended Delegation, rounding off an excellent weekend for Hampton.
