In Varietate Concordia – JasMUN 2024

On October 24, the ceremonial opening of the next session of the youth assembly of the nations of the world organized by the 2SLO community, i.e. JasMUN 2024 (Jasienica Model United Nations), took place.

This year’s fifth edition of the conference with the motto In Varietate Concordia was opened by Secretary General Jakub, who introduced the organizing team, mentioned the important anniversaries of the establishment of the 2nd SLO and Poland’s accession to the European Union, and emphasized the role of delegates listening to each other’s perspectives of perceiving reality in order to find common solutions. He called for listening carefully to each other, looking for what we have in common and acting together. The Secretary then invited several distinguished guests to speak.

The first to speak was the representative of the parents, Agnieszka Magiera, who at the beginning thanked the coordinator of the entire project, Marta Wierzbicka-Kotte, for her commitment and hard work. Ms. Magiera also drew attention to the social nature of SLO 2, where teachers, parents and students meet, all with different views, but at the same time united by the need for dialogue, understanding, trust, openness and the search for what unites them.

The coordinator Tomasz Mazur began his speech by recalling the five-year history of JasMUN. Throughout all these years, the conference has served as a forum for the exchange of ideas, where participants constantly learn to understand the world anew in order to make it a better place to live. The coordinator pointed out that if we want to change the world, the change should start with ourselves. He therefore referred to the value of hospitality, which all delegates experience as hosts or guests, and which may become the central axis of human life on earth in the future. Mazur recalled the etymology of the word hospitality in English, which includes the term hostis (Latin), which can mean both enemy and stranger, and referred to the author of the book entitled “Unatheism. Returnig to God after God”, by Richard Kearney, who sees hospitality, openness to the stranger, as a key competence for saving our humanity. You never know whether a stranger is a gift or a threat, but courage and overcoming fear allow you to leave your comfort zone and confront a new message. The stranger may turn out to be a savior who will help us overcome our own selves. As Paul Ricoeur wrote in his book entitled “About Yourself as Another”, our identity is created through an authentic, non-judgmental exchange with a stranger. The coordinator wished everyone to experience such hospitality, full of inner courage.

Marta Wierzbicka – Kotte, conference supervisor, also prepared a lecture, devoted to historical reflection on the motto In Varietate Concordia. Kotte cited three great examples of cultures based on the value of diversity over the centuries: the ancient Greek polis, with its multiplicity of political systems connected by the celebration of religious holidays and consolidated in defense against the Persians, the Arab empire with its scientific centers, among others. in Baghdad, breathtaking architecture, achievements in the field of mathematics and astronomy, and also the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth – a melting pot of nations enjoying religious tolerance and a unique political system – noble democracy.  Kotte recalled the fragile nature of the above-mentioned systems, which, if not powered by the energy of their citizens and not nurtured with daily effort, may become prey to aggressive powers. She presented caring for compliance with the rules and building new social bonds as a task for everyone, and assured that this effort was of great importance.

This year, US Ambassador Mark Brzeziński personally visited the conference and spoke in a very lively way about the global problems of social and economic inequalities as challenges that have no state or national borders, and which the young generation is waiting to take up. He emphasized the difficulty of reconciling the creation of an inclusive world with the competitive nature of relations between states. He cited the collective upsurge of Poles helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country attacked by Russians in 2022 as an example of model behavior, namely transforming values ​​into authentic action. He also expressed his admiration for the changes that have taken place in Poland over the last thirty-odd years and encouraged people to build new relationships, open up to new opportunities, meet directly with people who think differently, take risks and implement their plans. He gave the story of his father as an example of this attitude. Zbigniew Brzeziński came to the United States with his parents at the age of ten and did not learn to speak English fluently until he was fifteen. As an advisor to President Jimmy Carter, he led to an agreement between China and the United States, and in the 1990s he helped Poland join NATO. In recognition of his achievements, Brzeziński received, among others, in 1981  The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest American civilian decoration, and in 1995 the Order of the White Eagle, the highest state decoration in the Republic of Poland.

At the end, the sponsor of the entire project, Mr. Jacek Dąbrowski, Chief AI Officer at Synerise, shared his worldview with the JasMUN participants.

The opening ceremony of the conference ended with a group photo, and all participants went to work in individual committees.

(text: Beata Ciacek; photos: Zofia, Nela, Pola)