A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE
Model UN sessions can be very special, but none more so than the gathering that took place at Alleyn’s School in London earlier this year, attended by students from the British International School, Ukraine, as Anna Azarova reports.
Diplomacy and belief in the future
In January our school did something that not long ago would have seemed impossible. Our students travelled to the United Kingdom.
For many schools around the world, an international trip is routine. The British International School, Ukraine has continued operating through years of war, and for our students it was something profoundly different. It was the heart of winter. In Ukraine, the cold was piercing, air-raid alerts remained a daily reality, and blackouts continued to disrupt ordinary life. Infrastructure was badly damaged. Every decision required careful planning; every step demanded resilience.
In late January, a group of BISU senior students from Kyiv and Dnipro set off for London – a city that would soon become the setting for new achievements and unforgettable first-hand experiences. This journey was made possible thanks to the support of our partners – the Council of British International Schools (COBIS), Alleyn’s School and London Interdisciplinary School. Without their support and collaboration, this story would not have been written. Here is how it unfolded.
Return to the global stage
This marked our second participation in the high-level COBIS Model United Nations debates. Last year, our students represented Ukraine at an international conference in Prague – the first time since 2022 that we had managed to organise a school trip beyond Ukraine. They returned stronger, more confident, and even earned an award.
This year London was our destination.
The conference offered students the opportunity to step into the role of diplomats, to experience first-hand how the United Nations operates, and to debate pressing global challenges alongside peers from around the world. It was an opportunity not only to speak – but to be heard. Preparation took place alongside IGCSE examinations and, most importantly, under exceptionally challenging national circumstances. The journey itself required endurance: nearly two days of travel, including a 20-hour train ride from Kyiv to Budapest – with two students travelling first from Dnipro to Kyiv – followed by a lengthy layover and a flight to London.
It was demanding. It was exhausting. But our students rose to the occasion and arrived ready.
The conference was hosted by Alleyn’s School in Dulwich, a historic institution founded in the 17th century. More than 250 delegates from 15 schools gathered for the event – many already highly experienced in debate.