Harvard Model Congress

Domestic Conferences

Harvard Model Congress Boston, founded in 1986, is the oldest of the HMC conferences and is held annually in downtown Boston. Each February, nearly 1,500 delegates descend into Boston to tackle the most pressing and important issues facing the nation as they assume roles in each of the three branches of the United States government and beyond. Exciting and diverse programs, ranging from committees in the House of Representatives, Senate, and Supreme Court, to special programs such as press, lobbyists, and the National Security Council, help bring American government to life and have established Harvard Model Congress Boston as one of the nation's premier American government simulation programs.

Founded in 2001, Harvard Model Congress San Francisco is an American government simulation program based on the successful Boston model and the first conference of its type on the West Coast. Over 300 delegates from across the country travel to HMCSF to learn about American government. The four-day conference, held in the San Francisco Financial District, is more intimate than the Boston conference and features a lower student-staff ratio and more individual attention from Harvard undergraduates. The conference was originally located in San Diego and subsequently moved to San Francisco, where it continues today.

International Conferences

Harvard Model Congress Dubai was founded in 2013. This conference has a strong focus on presenting Congressional and international committees for a diverse set of international students. Harvard Model Congress Dubai 2013 took place at the American University in Dubai, UAE from January 24-26. It had the pleasure of hosting over 300 students from 11 different countries in its inaugural conference. Next year's 2014 conference will also take place in Dubai, scheduled for January 23-25.

Harvard Model Congress Asia was founded in 2004, holding an annual conference in mid-January (second weekend of January). HMC Asia 2014 took place in Hong Kong for the first time in its history, and has become the largest international conference, attracting nearly 600 students from 19 countries and 4 continents. Despite its size, HMC Asia boasts the lowest student-to-staff ratio of any of the model congress conferences. HMC Asia focuses on America's political system and international governmental institutions. The 2008 conference, supposed to held from September 4-6, was cancelled due to rebellion in Thailand. As the substitution for the cancelled 2008 HMCA, the 2009 session of Harvard Model Congress Asia was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea from January 22-24.

Harvard Model Congress Europe was founded in 1987, holding an annual conference in mid-March. Although it maintains a strong tradition of American government simulation, HMC Europe also has a strong focus on institutions of international governance, including (among others) the World Health Organization, Group of Eight, and European Union.

Harvard Model Congress Latin America was founded in 2014, holding an annual conference near the end of August. The first HMC Latin America will take place in São Paulo, Brazil from August 21-24 at Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paulo. Although it maintains a strong tradition of American government simulation, HMC Latin America also includes committees specifically relevant to Latin America such as the Organization of American States and the Presidential Cabinet of Brazil.

In all international conferences, students discuss and debate international issues from a more global perspective, formulating policy firsthand. The structured committee settings expose them to the realities of the democratic process, challenging them to forge compromise while advancing the interests of their constituency. The conferences seek to provide an unparalleled educational experience for talented secondary school students from around the world, offering hundreds of students each year an exciting opportunity to practice public speaking and policy writing. The conferences accommodate students with varying degrees of English ability, and the global diversity of participants and staff offers delegates the unique opportunity to approach challenging issues from numerous different perspectives.

Logistics

Harvard Model Congress strives to prepare the next generation of democratic leaders and global citizens. Because of their sheer size, the Harvard Model Congress conferences require a large amount of planning by the students hosting the events. Harvard Model Congress is one of the largest Harvard student organizations, and each year around 200 Harvard undergraduates assist with planning and running the conferences.

As soon as one Harvard Model Congress conference ends, planning for the subsequent such conference begins. For the Boston conference, topics for debate must be chosen by May so that briefing books can be prepared over the summer and distributed by early fall, in time to allow delegates to begin intensively researching each committee's topics for debate. Updates to briefings are written and distributed to schools by winter, and issue summaries are also provided to the delegates. HMC 2009 is slated to be HMC's first-ever paperless conference. For the duration of the event each year, Harvard Model Congress uses essentially all of the conference space available at the Boston Sheraton. Although most of the written work during the actual weekend of the event is done by the delegates, the staff continues to provide programmatic direction and manages all operations throughout the duration of the conference.