The idea of starting a club can sound like a lot of fun, until you are standing in an empty room with two friends, handing out a few flyers that nobody really wants to take, and holding a whiteboard marker that has run out of ink. Okay, maybe that sounds a bit over the top, but that was my school’s Model United Nations (MUN) club in Year 8 (Grade 7 for our North American friends—as a Canadian in the British system, you get used to explaining that a lot).

It's quite small, quiet, and a bit awkward. We’d just sit around trying to look serious while discussing world problems that truthfully most of us were still trying to get to grips with.

But when I took on the position of Secretary-General in Year 9, I knew things were going to change. I did not want MUN to be a secret place on the extracurricular board; I wanted it to be the club that everyone wanted to join. Fast forward a number of years, and our first inter-school MUN conference with over 110 students from schools in and around Al Ain, and even Abu Dhabi, had taken place successfully.

As I write this, we have just finished our second edition and my last conference as Secretary General—we welcomed more than 170 delegates. If this sounds like a glow-up from a movie, it essentially was, including the well-deserved stress montages, late-night "I have no idea what I'm doing" planning meetings, and of course the unsurprisingly heartfelt conclusion.

AABAMUN 2025

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

How did I transform a small ECA into one of the biggest success stories our school has had? Here's my honest, step-by-step version of how to start a club and actually get it off the ground—without losing your sanity (or printer ink).

Step 1: Have a Vision

Every great club starts with a "what if." Mine was: what if MUN was actually fun? What if people didn't just join MUN to pad their university applications, but instead actually loved MUN? I wanted to create a place where students could debate, learn, and find confidence in their voice instead of their phones.

That vision was enough to keep me pushing through the stress and chaos of forms, planning, and some questioning if I was having an identity crisis. There were times I questioned if anyone would even show up, but “what if” kept me going.

If you are starting a club, identify your "what if" and what the broader purpose is. Once you determine this, everything from your goals to your posters will be easier to ground.

Awards 2025

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

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Step 2: Build Your Team

You can't build an empire by yourself, and I assure you; you'll want to bring along people willing to brainstorm, organize, and have some laughs in the midst of inevitable chaos. I did not have a team of political science whizzes or argumentative experts last year, I worked on my own. Trust me, that’s difficult, you don’t want to do that. This year, I sent applications to be a part of the support team I organized, and those who signed up were my friends, curious, creative, and just as eager as I to make something happen.

Start with something small; some meetings may turn into unexpected planning sessions, and some may be nothing more than snack breaks titled "strategy meetings." And that is the beauty of it—everyone will feel included. This year, we made up committee names that sounded more impressive than we planned to be. We forged inside spiraled jokes that no one else would understand, and we built a sense of community before we even realized.

Best Delegates 2025

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

Step 3: Secure Support From the Teachers

Now, here's something that nobody tells you directly, but teacher support is the glue that holds every successful club together. I learned that enthusiasm is effective, and if you add organization to that enthusiasm it is hard to beat. When I walked into my first pitch meeting, I had tons of notes, a timeline, and a plan that was much more professional than I was.

After they realized I was committed to making the club successful, the teachers began assisting us in any way they could—classrooms for our meetings, advice on logistics, and even helping us reach out to other schools. Adults will much more readily jump in and help students to accomplish something when they see that students are putting in serious effort.

Step 4: Create Visibility

You can have the greatest club in the world, but if no one knows about it, it may as well not exist. We went all in on the PR with over-the-top posters, funny social media updates, and memorable announcements that generated curiosity.

I started posting snippets of debates, behind-the-scenes moments, and pictures of us having fun. Before long, people who had no idea what “Model United Nations” stood for were asking, “So, how do I join?”

Visibility creates momentum. Don’t be afraid to make noise if you believe in your club, show it.

2024 Conference Poster (used on Instagram account)

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

2025 Conference Poster (used on Instagram account)

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

Step 5: Plan Your First Big Event

This is where the rubber meets the road. The MUN Conference that I organized across my school was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. Imagine trying to keep track of scheduling, sending invites, resolve situations like forgetting the last-minute crisis, and then trying to remember if you sent the confirmations to the delegates. Picture me racing down the hall with my laptop in one hand, a protein bar in the other hand, and a list of things to do longer than my history notes.

And yet, it came together. The days came, and our delegates filed into our auditorium. Suddenly, all of those months of prep, the everything mattered.

All I could do is sit back and watch as over a hundred delegates debated, laughed, and learned together. Surreal is the best adjective I can use. It all made every late night or endless spreadsheet, or panic posted on Microsoft Teams worth it.

ICAO Committee

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

Step 6: Reflect and Grow

I made it a practice after the first conference to ask everybody for feedback. Teachers, delegates, even the janitor who had to clean up our mess of placards. Their suggestions guided everything that happened next.

We revised our structure, began training new chairs, and worked on making our second conference run more smoothly, bigger, and better than our first conference. And we did! This year we welcomed over 170 participants from around Abu Dhabi. Growth does not happen overnight, it took work, reflection, and collaboration, and the humility to identify where we can improve.

Step 7: Leaving a Legacy

Here's the part no one tells you about—the moment you realize your club can run without you. The true measure of success, in any undertaking, isn't how big it becomes but whether it continues after you've stepped away. Witnessing students step up into leadership roles, schedule meetings, and add their own brand of creativity to MUN has been the richest reward within the experience. They're carrying forward a program that started merely as an idea in a notebook.

Starting a club is more than just producing a few stylish posters and receiving the applause of your peers; it's often messy and disorganized, driven by snacks and your perseverance. However, it's special and, in my opinion, one of the most meaningful acts you can engage in at school. You will learn how to take the lead, offer your perspectives, and take an idea and work it into something that allows the people in the clubs—your community—to feel like they are comfortable sharing their perspectives and dreams.

That's a Wrap!

Image Credit: Raya Khaled

Final Thoughts

If you've ever thought about starting a club, this is your sign. It probably won't be perfect, and that's totally okay! Community is not built on perfection; it is built on passion.

Who knows, in a year you may find yourself standing in front of a packed room, smiling at what you have built. You may even question how it all started with just a few friends and a vision.