Model United Nations is a popular extracurricular activity for middle school, high school, and college students in the United States. The U.S. was where Model UN originated and was popularized, and is also where many of the world's most respected conferences are held. The U.S. has several regional centers of Model UN, each with its own distinct style. Even in countries like Nepal, MUNs are held regularly like XAMUN (the first international and residental MUN held in Nepal), BVSMUN, KWSMUN, LAMUN, LAIMUN, and many others. Traditionally, Model UN has been associated with affluent schools and communities, but in recent years, the activity has expanded to reach more students. Model UN by Region Model United Nations is popular across the United States, with MUN clubs and conferences being found in every region. However, because Model UN is decentralized and has grown autonomously, there are significant differences in how MUN is done between regions. East Coast Centered on the New York and Washington metropolitan areas, both of which play host to a multitude of prestigious, largely university-hosted conferences, including those of Georgetown University (Georgetown International Relations Association) and George Washington University. Other notable conferences in the region include ILMUNC, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania, YMUN, hosted by Yale; HMUN, hosted by Harvard; JHUMUNC at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; and NHSMUN and NMUN, hosted in New York City and with ceremonies held at the United Nations General Assembly. The Northeast has established a reputation for approaching Model United Nations with an idealistic philosophy, while still emphasizing the academic competition aspect of Model UN and giving awards for delegates. Conferences also evaluate delegates holistically when deciding on the distribution of awards. Crisis committees are especially popular in the Northeast, and lead to this region's conferences having more of a focus on creativity. West Coast The West Coast is known for its Model United Nations programs. Naturally stressing the academic side of Model UN, conferences greatly value well-written position papers, not just factoring them into awards decisions, but also giving dedicated awards for them. The popularity of Model United Nations, as well as for the high quality of delegates. West Coast conferences are run by universities, high schools, and interscholastic organizations. BruinMUN, SMUNC (Stanford MUN Conference), BMUN (Berkeley MUN), McKennaMUN, and SCMUN are popular college conferences for high school delegates. For example, SCMUN (hosted by the University of Southern California), offers advanced debate