My Eagle-Eyed View Inside LTMUN Conference 2016(Part 1)

I had the enviable privilege to attend the 5^th Session of Life-Link Tertiary Model United Nations Conference.

Life-Link Friendship Schools aims at providing Young Men and Women the opportunity to develop themselves to achieve higher levels of intellectual and academic achievement. The organization thereby creates the platform where young people  learn how to have diplomatic discussions and debates on global issues and come up with effective and efficient solutions to them.

The three-day Conference which  was based on the theme, “The Youth, a tool for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in the 21^st Century” attracted students from different tertiary institutions to deliberate on problems facing the international Community.

I must admit, my life-link experience was a memorable one and will forever be etched in my memories. I remember asking my cousin who attended their Senior High School Model U.N. conference about their conference and her first response was “It’s a very nice experience, their food is very nice, they’d feed you till you can eat no more” Eureka!!! That was the catch. It was the food comment she passed that was the motivating factor because I really like sumptuous meals.(Secret to the girls:if you want to leave me with lasting memories just serve me with a nice delicacy and you’d forever remain in my heart.lol)

On a more serious note, I attended the conference because I wanted to add a plus to my CV and also gain some public speaking skills and knowledge when it comes to diplomacy as far as the United Nations is concerned. True to my cousin’s words Life-Link didn’t disappoint.

I’ve never written a review on anything before but if there’s one skill I’ve couched in recent times, it is the skill of paying attention to details which I developed as a result of my role as a content creator and events correspondent for Threesixtygh. Based on this premise, I’d do my best to narrate  from my eagle-eyed point of view and add my thoughts.

some delegates posing for photographs moments before departure to the Accra International Conference Center.

To start with, the level of  hospitality accorded us was second to none considering the events and conferences I’ve been to as an event correspondent in recent times. Life-Link gave us a convenient place of residence( UPSA Hostel), and feted us beyond my expectation because they made provision for heavy duty eaters like me. I always went for two rounds of the breakfast served and surprisingly the staff in charge of our meals never complained.

Chit chatting between delegates during breakfast

I remember telling my roommates the night before the commencement of the conference that, I hope we wouldn’t be served breakfast in small Chinese mugs and we all laughed over it. Even though some delegates wished we were served heavy food as breakfast, I believe Life-Link did more than enough to satisfy our preferences. Not forgetting the delectable Ghana Jollof served us. Their staff who are volunteers were very hospitable which I found remarkable considering the era we live in where money is  mostly the motivating factor when it comes to the act of service these days. (NB: Majority of the Staff are youths)

Even though the Life-Link staff were all fantastic, there’s this particular young lady whom I think was outstanding from my point of view. You could see the dexterity, alacrity, love, and commitment with which she approached her duties.  As a result of this, she has made her way into my “Beautiful People” category I’ve couched for amazing people I meet in my journey of life.  She’s undoubtedly beautiful but there’s more to her than her beauty. She has this Midas touch that you’d hardly find in my generation. She’s in the Person of Nana Boatemaa.

My first encounter with her was during my registration session at the hostel. They couldn’t find the room allotted to me so I became impatient because I was already tired. Nana Boatemaa smartly engaged me in a conversation about how I heard about life-link and she later told a delegate to accommodate me in his room temporarily with the assurance that I’m in safe hands. True to her words, I was indeed in safe hands. The delegate who happens to be representing Nigeria was so affable and accommodating and I wasn’t surprised he ended up being the Overall best delegate at the end of the conference.

After settling comfortably in the temporary room, I was later allotted another room which I didn’t know about because I went out to visit my lovely cousin.  I was later informed about it after the orientation session. I tried checking in into the room but couldn’t find my roommates so I had to linger around for almost an hour of which I  incessantly approached Nana Boatemaa to find a room for me. Even though there was tiredness written all over her face,she literally left whatever she was doing and made inquiries about who was my roommate after which she finally went to get the keys for me.

Affable and down to earth (Nana Boatemaa striking a pose with a delegate)

During my committee session, I felt exhausted at a point in time and decided to relax a bit but Nana Boatemaa beckoned me and educated me on the importance of participating in every level of the session thus  encouraging me to just sit through till the end. I slept immediately on arrival at our hostel after the session so I couldn’t wake up early to go for my supper. I decided to go for a stroll after taking some drinks in my room. On reaching the reception, Nana Boatemaa approached me to inquire whether I had eaten which  I told her I was ok but she wasn’t convinced. She followed up by asking me whether I was really satisfied which I replied in the negative. Her countenance showed she wasn’t pleased with me not being honest with her which I found interesting because I wasn’t that bothered about my stomach but she was.

Fast forward to the final day; we were supposed to leave by 12:00pm and breakfast wasn’t served(not that it was meant to be served and they didn’t). I overheard her telling some participants to try and get something to eat since there’s no breakfast. She later invited me to share in her food with her which I declined because I’m a heavy duty eater and won’t have mercy on her food.

Nana Boatemaa later asked me when I’d be leaving and I told her “Later in the day”. She was worried and explained to me they were just following instructions that required us to leave latest by 12:pm and wished she could be of help.(NB: I was at the reception waiting to leave at 4:pm)

You might be wondering why I’m making a big deal out of this trivial matters but it’s not about what she did but the passion with which she carried out her duties that fascinated me. This is someone who voluntarily accepted the role she was assigned to but went beyond that by seeking the welfare of everyone. These are people who are the last to fall asleep and the first to wake up and you could sometimes see tiredness written all over their faces but they still discharged their duties with passion and commitment especially Nana Boatemaa.

Hardworking staff

We live in an era where the call to serve  is a rare trait amongst the youth. Their main concern is “what’s in it for me” rather than what’s in me that I can use to positively impact someone’s life”. These are people who I believe have equally important things to do that can bring them monetary gains but they chose to voluntarily serve and they did it with utmost diligence.

A cross-section of the Life-Link Staff

They are a breed of youth with a difference. I’m still awed and fascinated by their depth of commitment towards their work. I’d never hesitate to recommend them for anything meaningful when the need arises because these are the caliber of people our generation needs if we want to change the status quo.

Nana Boatemaa,just as a friend of mine would say “You’re the real MVP”. One lesson I’ve learned from how you discharged your duties is to “Do small things with great love”.

You remind me of this verse in Beyonce’s song “I was Here”

some Verses of Beyonce’s song “I was here”

I have no doubt that, “you’d go forth and be a living water to a thirsty land” as my school mantra says. God Bless You.

Watch out for my next account on the LTMUN2016 Conference.

You can click this link to read my report on the opening ceremony of Life-Link Tertiary Model United Nations Conference.