Program areas at Yale International Relations
The Yale International Relations Inc. organizes the Yale Model United Nations (YMUN) conference, held annually on the Yale University campus. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference saw its first virtual iteration in 2021. The conference was held from January 21-24, 2022 online, and hosted approximately 2,000 high school students from all over the world to engage in discussion and debate about the world's most pressing international relations topics. Debate and events are led by volunteer undergraduate students.
The Yale International Relations Inc. hosts a conference in a different European location each year called YALE MODEL GOVERNMENT EUROPE aimed to teach high school students about international relations, practice debating, and practice their public speaking. This years conference was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Yale International Relations Inc. hosts a Model United Nations conference in Korea called YALE MODEL UNITED NATIONS KOREA for high school students to debate international relations and practice their public speaking skills. The previous iteration of the conference was combined with a similar conference in held in Taiwan, however, this year the conference resumed its operations as a singular conference and was again held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Yale International Relations Inc. hosted its first in person iteration of the YALE MODEL AFRICAN UNION conference held in Kigali, Rwanda on May 13-15, 2022. YMAU is a simulation of the African Union hosted for college students.
The Yale International Relations Inc. organizes the publication of the Yale Review of International Studies (YRIS), a peer-reviewed academic international relations journal that publishes the original work of undergraduate students in the Yale community and from around the world. The publication team and editors consist of volunteer undergraduate students.
The Yale International Relations Inc. organizes the Yale University Model United Nations Taiwan (YMUNT) conference for high schoolers to debate about international relations, practice their public speaking skills, and attend speaker events to learn more about international relations. Previously conferences were held in person in Taiwan, however, for the May 14-16, 2022 iteration, the conference was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Yale International Relations Inc. incurs administrative expenses to run its programs, including subscriptions to various programs, website domain fees, and financial aid for members. The executive board also organized international research trips for its members to travel to events around the world as well as domestic events at the United Nations, IMF, and the World Bank. This year international three trips were organized during the Spring.
The Yale International Relations Inc. includes the Model United Nations Team at Yale (MUNTY), which consists of approximately 30 volunteer undergraduate students who compete and travel to intercollegiate conferences throughout the United States and around the world at various points throughout the year. This year, MUNTY resumed some in person competitions after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Yale International Relations Inc. hosts the Hemispheres program, which enrolls approximately 50 New Haven-area high school students for weekly international relations programming, lessons, mentorship, and enrichment for two hours every week. The Hemispheres program is coordinated by undergraduate student volunteers and offers students the opportunity to learn directly from Yale students including all expense paid trips to the United Nations, Washington, DC, and other destinations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these trips were canceled and all classes were held online.
The Yale International Relations Inc organizes a summer leadership conference for high school students interested in international relations and debate called the YALE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (YIRLI). Typically, students are invited to Yale's campus to participate, however, this year, campus regulations did not allow for visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the conference was held online on August 15-21, 2022.