Three College boys – Year 13 student and Head of Round Square 2019 Mark Ma, and Year 12 students Toby Oliver and Ollie King – joined more than 800 student delegates from around the world in India last October for the Round Square International Conference 2019. The theme of the conference was “Sarvodaya – The world we wish to see”. Sarvodaya is a Sanskrit word meaning “progress for all”, and the conference was a chance for future leaders to ponder on the world they wish for and work together to be the change they want to see. Accompanied by Deputy Principal Rob Donaldson, the two-week trip offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the boys embraced every aspect – from sensory overload, to being exposed to different cultures, to richness and diversity at every turn.
“We’ve all been told to make the most of our time at College and attending this conference was one way we certainly did,” says Ollie. The conference was hosted by Emerald Heights International School, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, an international co-educational English school with residential facilities. With its own students on holiday, the campus was given over to a United Nations of ethnicities and cultures as Round Square students were treated to an event of unprecedented scale and diversity. They heard from world-class keynote speakers, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Kailash Satyarthi, politician and diplomat Dr Shashi Tharoor, former soldier and India’s first blade runner Major
Devender Pal Singh, and life coach Swami Gaur Gopal Das. “All of them viewed the world differently due to their life experiences, whether that of losing a leg as a soldier and beginning to run marathons, or helping children stuck within the sex trade industry in India,” says Ollie. “Every speaker opened the eyes of those listening to the reality of the harsh world we live in and challenged us to consider the world we want to live in as we grow up.” After each speaker the delegates broke into small groups to discuss real world issues in an open floor environment where everyone was able to share their opinions and challenge the perception of others.
They held sessions to understand
“ It’s always crucial that we should show mutual respect and understanding between different cultures and people. ” Mark Ma
College Issue 38 2020
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