PLEASE MIND THE GAP: INSIDE

JOHN DOE’S BRAIN, 2016 

ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

Welcome to John Doe’s Brain, where delegates will take on the roles of the personalities, instincts, impulses, and emotional forces that make up one increasingly unstable mind. Something inside John has gone very, very wrong, and his internal world is beginning to fracture in ways that would make any therapist immediately clear their schedule. To re-stabilize him, delegates must travel deeper into the brain through a series of distinct emotional trials, each with its own rules, obstacles, and consequences. Every stage will force the committee to confront a different part of John’s psyche, from fear and anger to memory, desire, guilt, and several things John has apparently been repressing with impressive dedication. 

Delegates will need to cooperate while also pursuing their own priorities, forming alliances, clashing with rival personalities, and debating what “fixing” John should actually look like. Choices made in one layer may directly affect the next, and the deeper delegates go, the less predictable John’s mind will become. Their final objective is to reach the center of the brain, uncover the source of the instability, and somehow restore balance before John completely loses control. This committee will have a completely even mix of General Assembly and Crisis. Delegates should be ready to bounce between formal speeches and working papers one minute, then directives, JPDs, crisis notes, top-paging, Author’s Panel, and whatever else the committee decides to throw at them the next. Please proceed carefully. John has already been through enough.
BACKGROUND GUIDE COMING SOON!

CHAIR

DIEGO BALDA

Diego Balda (he/him) is a fourth-year from Caracas, Venezuela, majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Miami on the pre-medical track. With ten years of Model United Nations experience, Diego has both competed extensively and directed notable committees, including “When Walls Don’t Work: The Fall of Constantinople, 1453” at MICSUN XII, 305MUN I’s “(Drug) Lord, Have Mercy: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime”, “From Russia, With Love: Russian Presidential Cabinet, 2050” at 305MUN II, “Not Today, Satan: World of Wonder Board of Directors, 2030” at 305MUN III, “JCC Making a Banana Split: The Banana Wars, 1920” at MICSUN XIII, and the Ad Hoc of the Secretary General at 305MUN IV. Diego also served as the 2025-2026 Head Delegate of the University of Miami Model of United Nations Team.

When not engaged in MUN activities, Diego works as a research assistant at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, participates in various College of Engineering and medical organizations, and maintains a healthy habit of binge-watching reality TV shows.

For this committee, Diego has finally abandoned any pretense of normalcy. Rather than deal with something simple like war, diplomacy, or the collapse of civilization, he has decided to trap delegates inside the brain of one deeply unfortunate man and make them responsible for keeping him functional. After spending far too much time wondering what would happen if a group of wildly different personalities were personally responsible for keeping John Doe functional, he came to the obvious conclusion that this should be a Model UN committee.

Diego looks forward to watching delegates psychoanalyze a fictional man with zero qualifications, turn emotional dysfunction into parliamentary procedure, and confidently submit directives that would make any licensed therapist physically recoil. Come prepared to argue, scheme, overthink, underthink, and develop a deeply unhealthy level of concern for John Doe’s well-being. By the end of committee, John may be fixed, worse, or somehow thrive. For any questions or assistance, contact Diego at dab404@miami.edu!