specialized agencies
Creating the Coffee Craze (CCC): The Coffee Corporations vs. The Union of Coffee-Producing Countries
Nearly 600 years have passed since the first coffee house, Kiva Han, opened up in the Ottoman Empire, and coffee has now become a global favourite, with many coffee chains emerging as part of the past century’s increasing globalization. It is 1980, and consumers are adoring the recently emerged but increasingly popular coffee chains, namely, Starbucks, Tim Hortons, Second Cup, and Dunkin’ Donuts. That being said, others seek comfort in exquisite local cafés. As leaders of these various-scale caffeinated enterprises, it is up to you to keep your corporation afloat by maintaining the coffee frenzy amidst constantly emerging challenges including the arrival of bubble tea shops and the unionization of all major coffee producers…Will the major coffee chains reign supreme, or will local cafés surpass them and go global?
As this is a joint committee, the coffee chains are not alone in their endeavour. While one room features competing coffee corporations, the other turns an eye to the world of coffee production. The world’s coffee producers have banded together to form the Union of Coffee-Producing Countries (UCPC). Many of the union’s members hope to improve their economies amidst the Latin American Debt Crisis of 1980, and the union is also wary of the environmental impact of coffee production. While the union solidifies and forms regulations to protect the environment, it is up to individual nations to boost their economies by incentivizing coffee production and forming alliances with the coffee corporations.
As leaders of caffeinated enterprises and coffee producing countries, the fate of the coffee world rests in your hands. Will you successfully collaborate and create a coffee craze, or will you bring centuries of coffee adoration to its doom?
The background guide below, is the starting point of your research and dive into the topics and themes to be discussed within the committee. The respective character guides can be found here.
British House of Commons: Brexit
A referendum conducted has seen the British public vote to reverse Brexit. The public wishes to rejoin the EU, and it is now up to the British House of Commons to fulfil the public’s desire. While most of the public wishes to benefit from trade with the European Union, others protest, citing Britain’s economic success after leaving the trade bloc, leading to division within the parliament.
Will you, as MPs, successfully fulfil the public’s desire to rejoin the European Union by creating a trade deal that the trade bloc will accept while also satisfying dissenters by boosting the British economy … or will the British parliament fail to satisfy the populace? Should you succeed in resolving the populace’s concerns surrounding Britain’s relationship with the European Union, other issues await at your doorstep, namely, Britain’s climate promises.
European Union
Founded in 1993 with the goal of ensuring peace, prosperity, and stability in Europe, the European Union has expanded to become the most significant trade bloc on the globe. While it began as a tightly-knit alliance of a small number of countries, over the years, it has witnessed the entry of multiple new members. Over the decades, the trade bloc has also developed divisions over economic integration; a notable example being Brexit. Certain member states seek even closer economic ties and others desire the option to opt out of certain economic agreements. The economic debate extends into the inclusion of additional member states.
As delegates in this committee, one of your key focuses will be to decide on policies surrounding economic integration and the inclusion of certain additional member states. You will also be focused on yet another opportunity that is facing the EU decades after its creation. Due to rises in global temperatures, Arctic ice is melting; as such, new trade routes have emerged. As the EU’s member nations, your second priority will be to decide upon a policy for the trade bloc to benefit from these emerging Arctic trade routes. The European Union has successfully fulfilled the goals of the era in which it was founded. However, it is up to you to generate policies that sustain the world’s largest trade bloc amidst today’s increasingly globalized world.
The background guide above, is the starting point of your research and dive into the topics and themes to be discussed within the committee. The specifics mechanic guide can be found here.
African Union
As a successor to the Organization of African Unity, the African Union (AU) centres on promoting development across the African continent while unifying its members under a singular umbrella. Technology stands as a potentially game-changing booster for African socio-economic growth. As such, in this committee, delegates will be tasked with implementing technologies to resolve health crises, combat the effects of climate change, generate employment opportunities, enhance agribusinesses, and increase access to education. Alongside technology, tourism has also emerged as a vital component of Africa’s economy. With tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels, the African Union stands to benefit greatly from development geared at incentivizing tourism; thus, tasking the AU’s member states with turning tourism into a game-changing booster for the African economy.
On balance, in this iteration of the African Union, your goal as member states is to collaborate in wielding technology and tourism to promote socio-economic prosperity across Africa.
Toronto City Council
Welcome to the political body governing Canada’s most bustling city; a city that is so iconic that it is often mistaken as the nation’s capital! While Toronto witnesses great prosperity on many fronts and is the base of Canada’s economy, there are still many issues plaguing the city, and it has befallen the Toronto City Council to solve them. First, delegates will work to resolve Toronto’s housing crisis. Facing inflation and an ever-increasing population, the City Council is tasked with implementing policies to make housing accessible and affordable. Discussion topics will include potential housing projects, housing taxes, and rental policies. Besides housing, Toronto must also work to meet its climate goals under the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy. As such, the City Council is tasked with implementing policies that turn both Toronto’s institutions and transit green. While doing so, the Council must also improve the effectiveness of Toronto’s businesses and transit services.
Discussion will focus on writing policies to incentivize environmentally-friendly business practices, creating non-polluting transit, and turning current development projects eco-friendly. Will you as City Councillors successfully mitigate Toronto’s housing crisis and turn the city green … or will your reign bring Toronto to its doom?