In 1989, as part of its educational outreach, the Naples Council on World Affairs developed a program of academic enhancement in global issues for area high school students, including a Model United Nations program. Other World Councils across the United States had been sponsoring Model UN programs for forty years.

Simulating the actual working of the United Nations, Model UN programs (MUNs) have four purposes:

• To teach negotiating, bargaining and communication skills,
• To represent a foreign perspective in a disciplined forum,
• To enhance awareness and inform students on critical global issues, and
• To acquaint students with the workings of the United Nations.

    

In 1994 the NCWA sponsored and coordinated the first Southwest Florida Model United Nations Conference. Florida International University agreed to conduct the academic portion of the program in coordination with NCWA. Public and private high schools in Lee, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties were invited to join with Collier schools to participate in the first conference. For the initial conference, ten high school teams – a total of 80 students - from Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties participated.

The number of participants has grown to more than 250 students from 18 schools competing in a program hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University in partnership with NCWA.