OYW x QUB - Be Part of the Youth-led Movement!

A week ago, I had attended one of the most inspiring and powerful conferences in my life which is the 10th One Young World Summit. Being a fortunate delegate sponsored fully by Queen’s University Belfast, I believe it's my duty to pass on what I had learnt/reflected throughout the Summit to the wider student body as well as other young people in the community.

One of the most common phrases I learnt from all the leaders in the conference is that:

"If you want to create any change in the world, be part of the change starting from yourself."

Thus, even though I may still need to juggle with my studies and other commitments, I will be launching this 4-weeks campaign aiming to keep on the “drive” of One Young World through my articles documenting key learning points of the Summit on a day-by-day basis. Hopefully, at the end of the campaign, you could be equally inspired even though you may not attend the Summit yourself and aspire to bring about positive changes to your local communities!

Day 1 – Getting mentally ready for the Summit

Since it’s my first time joining One Young World as a student delegate, I am not too sure what to expect, and I had never been to a place where you can meet, learn and talk to young leaders from 190+ countries anywhere you go during the conference. Thus, the first thing I learnt was to be open, welcoming and friendly.

This is when I met my first friend, a Japanese high school student who is passionate about Gender Equality issues in his country.

I lost count on how many people that I had talked to later from multiple countries, but this experience is definitely memorable to me, because I realised despite our difference in terms of nationality and language, as long as we are embracive and not judgmental, everyone in the world could be friends easily as we are all connected as kind-hearted human beings.

Opening Ceremony @ Royal Albert Hall

I am not going into details of the amazing line-up of performances throughout the ceremony, but what sticks in me is the strong energy and vibe you could feel in the hall. As how Warwick Davis, our host that night highlighted: “By harnessing the power in this hall, we could be carbon neutral by next Wednesday!” This is exactly how I felt that night, feeling really hopeful because it’s my first time seeing so many passionate young people from around the world coming together to shape a better world. If we are all united, carbon-neutral, and saving the world would never be a miracle, but an achievable reality.

Later, Lord Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan addressed the delegates emphasizing again on the importance of unity and inclusivity as we are now at one of the most diverse cities in the world. I strongly agree with him that we now more than ever should overcome our difference and indifference with proper dialogue, and never should we build walls instead of bridges. Only if we work together (across generations, faith, background, and borders), then only we could overcome some of the grave global issues mankind is facing!

Last but not least, I was once again left in awe when delegates represent their home country in the flag ceremony. More than 190 countries are being represented in the hall, and that’s when I truly felt that we are actually part of this beautiful and diverse world, instead of just someone who is identified narrowly to his/her nationality or community. The whole hall was even touched when delegates representing North Korea and South Korea held hands together on stage! That scene was truly touching because it showed us all the possibility of a united world, not separated by political standpoints/agendas, but genuinely connected as human beings who share the same blood & flesh, feelings, and desire for peace and happiness.

I will end my First Post with a statement made by Sadiq Khan:

“Don’t be intimidated by the scale of the challenges ahead or fall into the trap of thinking nothing can be done.”

No matter how small it is, I believe we are all capable of something wholesome and positive! (Watch the Opening Ceremony Highlights here!)

As a form of solidarity, I will end my future OYW articles with the call of support for one of our fellow OYW Ambassador Loujain Al Hathloul. Being in jail since May 15, 2018, where she is subjected to sexual harassment and torture, her only crime is to lead the fight for the emancipation of women in Saudi Arabia. #freeloujain