A few years ago, Upper Darby High School's Model United Nations team was created to bridge the gap between international politics and the student body. Today, we are honored to host our school's (and county's) very first Model UN conference: UDMUN. This event was created, of course, to provide a space for high school students in the Delaware Valley to practice their skills as delegates.

Mark and I both joined Model UN less than two years ago, and we are excited to be working with you all to make this the best conference yet! And to best challenge our delegates, we came up with the theme, It's a free-for-all: The limitations of free expression. In an ever-polarizing world, we understand the human rights granted by the social contract are under attack. The question remains: are the arguments against these rights valid? What is the proper course of action after catastrophic infringements on these rights? Is it worth silencing hate speech?

We hope that this conference will help you better understand these questions and take an important leap towards a world where we can discuss these issues in a diplomatic setting. We urge all delegates to understand their place in the world, as one nation, one person, and one group.

Good luck!