Upper School Students Attend International IB Conference
Reflections from Cynthia Sheu, Blue Tie Class of '16
I went to the International Baccalaureate World Student Conference in order to enrich myself. The conference was held in Montreal, Canada. The conference was five days and went from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Every day, after we had dinner, we would gather and have some activity or game to do. Each year, the IBWSC holds different topics, and this year our topic was about Human Rights for the 21st Century.
Every day we listened to at least two speakers to talk about the issue of Human Rights. The first speaker was James Turpin. He is in the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The topic was “Human Rights and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Based in New York, James follows Security Council affairs and the UN’s peace and security agenda. He works to engage with the Security Council on how human rights can play a key role in preventing conflict, promoting peace and reconciliation, and encouraging stability and reconstruction in countries emerging from conflict.
The speaker who inspired me the most was Michel Chikwanine, a former child soldier. His talk, “The Journey to Hope,” was about his childhood. He has already endured and overcome unimaginable pain and struggles. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel grew up amid the terror of the Great War of Africa. He witnessed the torture of his father, the rape of his mother, and endured torture of his own. Much of his childhood was ravaged by the death and decay of a war that claimed the lives of 5.8 million people, including his father. This forced him to be a child soldier. Michel now inspires people to believe in their ability to make a difference and leaves audiences with a new perspective on life, a sense of hope through social responsibility, and a desire for change.
Five days, one hundred and twenty hours, and seven thousand two hundred minutes, changed me a lot more than I thought. The people came from all over the world. They had different point of views, cultures, languages, and religions. Much happened in these five days. At the end, my group and I gave a presentation on “Art Exchange," ending the conference well. Overall, my high point of the summer was this IB Conference.
I went to the International Baccalaureate World Student Conference in order to enrich myself. The conference was held in Montreal, Canada. The conference was five days and went from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Every day, after we had dinner, we would gather and have some activity or game to do. Each year, the IBWSC holds different topics, and this year our topic was about Human Rights for the 21st Century.
Every day we listened to at least two speakers to talk about the issue of Human Rights. The first speaker was James Turpin. He is in the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The topic was “Human Rights and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Based in New York, James follows Security Council affairs and the UN’s peace and security agenda. He works to engage with the Security Council on how human rights can play a key role in preventing conflict, promoting peace and reconciliation, and encouraging stability and reconstruction in countries emerging from conflict.
The speaker who inspired me the most was Michel Chikwanine, a former child soldier. His talk, “The Journey to Hope,” was about his childhood. He has already endured and overcome unimaginable pain and struggles. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel grew up amid the terror of the Great War of Africa. He witnessed the torture of his father, the rape of his mother, and endured torture of his own. Much of his childhood was ravaged by the death and decay of a war that claimed the lives of 5.8 million people, including his father. This forced him to be a child soldier. Michel now inspires people to believe in their ability to make a difference and leaves audiences with a new perspective on life, a sense of hope through social responsibility, and a desire for change.
Five days, one hundred and twenty hours, and seven thousand two hundred minutes, changed me a lot more than I thought. The people came from all over the world. They had different point of views, cultures, languages, and religions. Much happened in these five days. At the end, my group and I gave a presentation on “Art Exchange," ending the conference well. Overall, my high point of the summer was this IB Conference.
Reflections from Crystal Zheng, Blue Tie Class of '16
As the co-founder of Annie Wright’s IB magazine Hot-Spot, I signed up to go to the IB World Student Conference (IBWSC) held at McGill University, hoping to let more students within the IB Diploma Programme learn about our magazine.
McGill University is located in the old and beautiful French-speaking city of Montreal, Canada. Flying all the way from China to the east coast Canada was an exhausting trip. The delightful weather in mid-July and welcoming faces of the staff at the conference, however, excited me immediately as I arrived on campus. As soon as everyone was settled, the two hundred of us were separated into different teams called GAT groups, with whom we attended sessions based on the topic of human rights throughout the conference.
The first girl I met was Juliette, from Florida, who is hugely interested in advocating for woman’s rights. During my conversations with her and a few GAT sessions, I have come to realize the meaning and the importance of many categories of human rights that have been disregarded in a number of countries in the world.
Each day at the conference, two speakers were invited to talk about a specific area of human rights or their own experiences on this topic. Michael Chikwanine gave a speech on the subject of children’s rights that I thought was the most inspirational among all of them. Born in the Republic of Congo, Chikwanine was forced to become a child soldier and had experienced tremendous pain and torture, which became nightmares that he still carries everyday. His story was very touching, and it once again highlighted the significance of children’s rights advocacy.
In addition to learning about human rights, something that impressed me equally was the participants. Everyone was extremely friendly and open-minded. I introduced myself to countless numbers of people with diverse social backgrounds and beliefs. Calla was another girl whom I talked to the most. She is from France but is currently going to school in England. We chatted during a workshop about how to write magazine articles. She mentioned to me that she loves writing and hopes to get her articles published. I was very surprised and told her that I would love to feature her article in our next Hot-Spot issue. During our free time, we played multicultural games with many other people which brought all of us even closer. We also asked and answered questions about the IB courses we are taking at school. Everyone I met was very capable and had set amazing goals for their lives.
The week I spent at IBWSC was beyond my expectations. It broadened my horizons on global issues and more importantly provided me an opportunity to experience many cultures and educate myself to become a more open-minded person. This is not something I can get from travelling to different countries. I saw and learned that no matter where we come from, students within the IB Programme are all highly involved in international events and care about the Earth we live on. If conditions permit, I would love to attend the next IBWSC and enrich my experience with more interesting people.
