Student leadership is easy to claim. It’s much harder to actually hand over control.

 

In February, ISZL hosted its first fully student-led Model United Nations conference. Most schools offer leadership as a simulation, but this wasn’t that. While MUN has been a staple of the school’s extracurricular life for years, this event was envisioned, planned, and executed by High School students. 

The Focus: Tackling Global Migration and Asylum 

Grade 11 students spent months preparing briefing papers, training younger delegates, and managing logistics. On the day, Grade 9 and 10 students weren’t just participating—they were negotiating, disagreeing, and defending positions in real time, with no safety net beyond their peers.

The topic—migration and asylum—added weight. There are no easy answers there. Choosing this topic was a commitment to deep research and ethical inquiry.

On the day of the conference, the atmosphere was one of serious, professional debate. Grade 9 and 10 students, many of whom were new to the world of diplomacy, stepped into the roles of international delegates. They were practicing public speaking as well as negotiating resolutions and defending national interests under the guidance of their student chairs.

One of the core goals of the conference was to make high-level diplomacy accessible. While many ISZL students participate in large international conferences like IMZMUN, hosting an event on-campus allowed for a more supportive entry point. It created a space where mistakes were part of the learning process and where senior students could directly mentor the next generation of thinkers.

 

"Hosting our own conference was the perfect way to share the MUN experience with the wider school," noted Michalina, a Grade 11 student and one of the primary organisers. 

One of the more interesting outcomes? Students who didn’t see themselves as “debaters” turned out to be strong negotiators. Give people real responsibility, and they often surprise you. 

 Why this matters to families

 

For parents looking at international schools in Switzerland, this is a useful filter: If a school says it develops leadership, ask: Who is actually making the decisions? Because confidence doesn’t come from being included. It comes from being trusted.

When a school empowers its students to run a conference, it proves that the curriculum, specifically the "Approaches to Learning" skills, is working in a practical way.

By the time they leave ISZL, these students are comfortable with the academic side of the IB program but also they have the confidence to lead a team and the empathy to understand global perspectives. These are the soft skills that university admissions and future employers value most, and seeing them in action at the High School level gives families a clear idea of what an ISZL education looks like.

The 2026 MUN conference was a demonstration of student agency and collaboration. As ISZL continues to build on this success, it’s clear that the school is helping to train the diplomats and leaders of tomorrow.

The International School of Zug and Luzern is a leading non-profit IB World School serving a diverse community of over 50 nationalities.