EARCOS Global Issues Network 2012 “Time To Act, Time To Change”

Keynote speakers Scott Hammell and Rob Dyer join a middle school GANG as they discuss ways to alleviate extreme poverty.

MS delegates listen attentively as Louis Ng, founder of ACRES, gives his keynote on animal rights and rescues.

Time To Act, Time To Change

EARCOS Global Issues Network Conference 2012

“GIN conferences help to form a stronger connection within the youth community…and build a mutual bond between international students with the hope that they will educate their community when they go back home. As far as I’m concerned, that is the most important aspect of a GIN conference.” Timothy Cyrillis Young, Grade 12, SAS and GINSING leadership team member

GINSING gets to the root of global issues and inspires action More than 700 students from Asia and beyond gathered in Singapore from November 9–11, 2012 for the largest EARCOS GIN conference to date. Singapore American School (SAS) and UWC South East Asia, East Campus (UWCSEA East) co-hosted the 2012 Global Issues Network conference (GINSING). More than 450 high school students (ages 14-18) converged at SAS while more than 300 middle school students (ages 11-14) gathered at UWCSEA East for the first GIN conference-within-a-conference for middle school students.

‘Time to Act, Time to Change’ The planning committee intended that GINSING be an action-oriented conference. That commitment was evident in the conference theme – ‘Time to Act, Time to Change’ – as well as the student-designed logo. Motivated by the reality that we are running out of time to solve the sustainability issues plaguing Earth, the student leadership team incorporated into the logo a clock set to 11:57, representing the three years remaining before the Millennium Development Goals deadline. The GINSING name and logo also reflect the ginseng plant, with the plant’s roots prominent in the logo. As ginseng roots are often used in Asia for their healing abilities, so does GIN contribute to healing the planet.

Focus on environmental sustainability Holding the conference in Singapore offered participants a unique opportunity to experience first-hand some of the wide-ranging examples of development and sustainability in the city-state. The first day of the conference was designed to prime participants for the following two days of discussion and workshops. All delegates participated in experiences that enhanced their knowledge about possible responses to issues of environmental sustainability and energy and resource management.

The Middle School participants visited an environmental learning centre in Singapore’s Dairy Farm Nature Park for an experiential session led by the JUMP! Foundation followed by a sustainable picnic. The session fostered leadership and teamwork as well as environmental awareness to effectively set the stage for the weekend conference sessions and action planning.

For high school delegates, SAS teacher Steve Early and his student team worked with the Singapore Tourism Board to design 21 different ‘ecoCare’ excursions focused on nature, technology or education. Activities included planting trees, exploring preserved ecosystems and visiting sites that address solutions to environmental and resource management issues.

Green roof ‘ecoCare’ excursion sets the stage for action One of the ecoCare excursions, a green roof project, centred around the installation of a rooftop garden atop a large supermarket near the UWCSEA East Campus. The project was the result of collaboration between the host schools, a business (Dairy Farm Singapore) and the government (National Parks Board).

Originally conceived by UWCSEA East Grade 11 students Kirsty Benham and Katherine Lundevall, the project will continue to make a difference long after GINSING as green roofs reduce energy usage, lessen surface runoff, filter air pollutants and increase biodiversity.

Both students found the project empowering. “If two students with no money and no experience can do this, anyone else can,” Kirsty said, when asked what she learned from the experience. Katherine agrees, “I’ve learned that it’s possible for youth to tackle world issues.”

Dairy Farm, UWCSEA and SAS have all committed to maintain the roof garden, and they hope to replicate the project model with other schools and businesses in Singapore. So before the conference even officially opened, a group of students had already taken sustainable action for the environment.

Abundant inspiration and support Following the first day’s excursions, all participants gathered at SAS for the official opening including keynotes from Room to Read founder John Wood and magician Scott Hammell as well as dance performances by SAS students and Epic Arts. The evening culminated with the Peace Concert and Global Village exhibition of NGOs.

Throughout the weekend, keynote speakers and NGO mentors engaged students with knowledge and inspiration while also coaching them in leadership and organisation skills. Participants were fortunate to have access to such experienced and committed mentors.

Uniquely GINSING To support the conference’s commitment to action, GINSING introduced Global Action Network Groups (GANGs) to allow students from different schools across the EARCOS region to share and learn from their experiences with a global issue of choice and network to create effective solutions to that issue.

Technology and social media also played a large part in the conference and are continuing to do so as participants stay connected online. Face-

High school delegates a nd sponsors plant a rooftop garden during their ecoCare excursion.

Rob Dyer, founder of Skate4Cancer gives his inspiring keynote address to the MS delegates. Dorjee Sun, founder of Carbon Conservation adresses high school delegates during hi keynote.

book, twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other online tools all played a part in communication and sharing during the conference and in maintaining connections afterwards.

Taking Action On the final day of the conference, the student GANGs among both the high school and middle school participants developed their plans and articulated their commitments to action. At SAS, the high school GANGs wrote and presented their Local Action Plans (LAPs). Some also prepared and shared videos expressing their plans, which were to be creative, doable, realistic and sustainable.

Middle school participants at UWCSEA East also created and shared action plans in their GANGs. In addition they submitted ‘I will…’ statements expressing a personal action they would take upon their return home.

Stephanie Hao, a Grade 12 student at SAS, sees real potential for positive change from GIN. “Bringing together like-minded, passionate, readyto-take-action young adults enables intellectual exchanges and…enriches and expands the knowledge base of the leaders of the future. GIN conferences are integral in educating and inspiring younger generations to act now.”

GINSING by the numbers GINSING is the first EARCOS GIN conference to offer a conference within a conference for middle school students.

Participants in GINSING 2012 included • 67 schools from 19 countries • 453 high school students, 350 middle school students and 140 adult sponsors (the largest number of attendees at a GIN conference to date) • Student delegates from 36 different nationalities representing every continent • More than 20 NGOs Appendix Speakers at GINSING 2012 Joint SAS and UWCSEA East Opening Ceremony: • John Wood, Founder and co-chair of non-profit global organization Room to Read and author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children. • Scott Hammell, Magician and escape artist, holder of three Guinness World Records - motivational speaker for following one’s passion and taking action.

HS GIN Conference Keynotes: • Dorjee Sun, CEO of Carbon Conservation, and passionate about forests, community development, conservation and climate change. • Hannah Taylor, LadyBug Foundation Inc. and author of Ruby’s Hope, believes that everyone deserves a roof over the head and enough to eat as basic human rights. • Emmanuel Laumonier, founder of Yayasan Emmanuel, working tirelessly in Jakarta, Indonesia with orphanage homes, health services, food rescue and mobile library. Graduate of Jakarta International School (JIS), Emmanuel “had the world at his feet but he chose a higher calling.” • Abigail Alling, Chairman and President of The Biosphere Foundation, for two years she lived in an artificial laboratory of 3.15 acres, Biosphere 2 with seven other ‘biospherians’ in total isolation. Her passion today is monitoring coral reefs in the Coral Triangle aboard the research sailboat the Mir. • Shawn Lum, lecturer of natural sciences and science education for Singapore’s National Institute of Education, Shawn is the president of the Nature Society (Singapore), Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) Board Secretary and Principal Investigator of a forest study at Singapore’s Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

MS GIN Conference Keynotes at UWCSEA East • Rob Dyer, founder of Skate4Cancer, where a team skates to spread the awareness of cancer. Losing many of his loved ones to cancer over a short period of time sparked Rob to skate over 8,000 km from Canada to Los Angeles. • Justin Bedard, founder and executive director of the JUMP! Foundation, which educates students and teachers worldwide about global issues and leadership issues through workshops and training programs. • Louis Ng, Executive Director of Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (ACRES) in Singapore. Beginning at a very young age, Louis Ng dedicated his life to making a difference for suffering and trafficked animals. • Joel Simonetti, teacher and co-founder of Fintegrity, a NGO dedicated to conserving marine life.

NGOs participating at GINSING 2012 High School NGOs giving workshops on Saturday during two sessions: JGIS, JUMP!, Empty Bowls (making clay bowls in the art studio to later sell for hunger relief), WWF, Hannah Taylor, Yayasan Emmanuel, Eco Singapore, Quest University, Green Volunteers (Grant Pereira), Biosphere Foundation, A Clean Thirst, Tabitha, and Gawad Kalinga

MS Conference NGOs: JUMP!, EPIC arts, BSDA Shumkriel Language School, Green Geko, Island Foundation, ACRES, KrousarThmey, and Fintegrity

ecoCare Excursions for high school participants 21 ecoCare Excursions gave GIN participants the opportunity to take a step beyond the conference confines prior to getting down to the important business of networking. Excursions were divided into three categories: nature, technology, and education.

The next EARCOS GIN2013 conference will be at the following hosting schools: - HS GIN2013, International School Beijing - MS GIN2013, Jakarta International School