As MacEwan prepares to host the NMUN•Canada 2025 conference in November, dedicated students and alumni are heavily involved in the behind-the-scenes planning and development. Current students and MacEwan United Nations (UN) Club members Nathan Poon and Aidan Lapp, along with alum Ashlee Rolheiser, Bachelor of Commerce ’19, each have major roles in organizing the conference.
The three were encouraged to apply for the project by associate professor of political science Dr. Chaldeans Mensah, who also acts as faculty mentor for the MacEwan Model UN Club.
“Dr. Mensah asked me personally to put together a planning committee to kickstart conversations about what NMUN•Canada 2025 could look like. He truly put me in a position to shine, as he does with all of his students,” says Rolheiser of the event’s origins.
In the host role, the MacEwan community is behind most of the planning, some of which began years ago – Rolheiser became committee chair in 2022, and was elected secretary-general of the conference in July 2023. Now, she has a hand in planning everything from logistics to fundraising to community engagement to external outreach and stewardship.
Poon, a computer science student and current secretary-general and president of the MacEwan Model UN Club, also serves on the planning committee, where he handles fundraising and external relations.
Other roles, including assistant directors like Lapp, came about later. He’s just beginning the bulk of his work with the conference. “I have been tasked with doing a bit of research on Banff and the surrounding areas to help develop cultural tours,” says the political science student and current vice-president and director-general of the MacEwan Model UN Club.
The NMUN•Canada 2025 conference is set to focus on issues affecting Indigenous populations and communities, something the MacEwan team is passionate about.
“The conference is taking place on Treaty Seven Territory, and we are so honoured to be invited to gather on the land of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda),” says Rolheiser, who has also earned a Master of Arts in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, administered by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. “I’ve travelled to 45 countries, but the number one place in the world for me will always be Banff. I feel so connected to everything – from the mountains to the snow to the trees – because of the traditional stewardship of the land and its deep spiritual and cultural connections.”
The conference’s focus is not only about connecting to the land in and around Banff, but also providing unique learning opportunities for students from around the world who may not be as familiar with concepts around Indigeneity and Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
“Bringing together students from nearly every continent to learn about Indigenous topics provides a new perspective that may not be present in other learning environments,” says Poon.
In addition to sharing culture and understanding with international attendees and presenters, Poon notes that those contributing to the conference are gaining valuable skills for their futures, like public speaking, research, writing, leadership and team-building.
Lapp says that those opportunities for learning are shared among the hosts and the attendees alike. “I know people will leave Banff with new skills, insights into sustainability and Indigenous issues, and friends from every corner of the globe – and I can't wait.”
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