In mid-June this year, a Humanitarian Affairs representative, Andreena Kardamis contacted Avondale College of Higher Education with the intention of locating students who believe in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Kardamis found Avondale while conducting online research into universities that had a strong emphasis on and involvement with acts of service. 13 of Avondale’s student leaders from a variety of disciplines were then invited to attend the 9th University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS) held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. It ran from the 1st of August till the 6th of August 2018, and comprised of workshops, keynote influential speakers, motivational sessions and a service day. In total, 1057 delegates were invited across 87 countries. Our Avondale cohort shared accommodation with all of the other delegates which gave us the perfect opportunity to network and hear their stories. Some of the representatives were refugees, some came from extreme poverty and some had lost their families because of corruption.
Listening to presentations formed some of the main highlights of the whole experience. We had the honour of hearing Geraldine Cox, the founder of Sunrise Cambodia, speak on her charity and vision. Originally established as an orphanage in the Cambodian province of Kandal, Sunrise Cambodia now extends its services to sustainable development and family support in several provinces of the country. David Begbie, Director of Crossroads’ Global X-perience and senior spokesman for Crossroads Foundation, gave a presentation that particularly resonated with me. His work with Crossroads Foundation has been instrumental in sourcing and distributing resources for those affected by natural disasters, and it is this practical and missional approach to service that I really appreciated. Kishore Mahbubani, a recognised expert in Asian and world affairs, Professor in the Practice of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and prolific author also gave further insight into the SDG’s and their role in the wider world.
There were many more inspiring presentations from a range of perspectives and altruistic goals, however they all served to reveal the commonalities that the attendees shared: drive, passion, people and purpose. Given the opportunity to surround ourselves with delegates from across the globe also lead us to the question, why did we come? This was a question often put forward to the delegates, which made us really evaluate our personal motivations for being there. We came from completely different lifestyles, cultures, ethnicities and were all wanting the same answers: zero poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education, and world peace.
The acts of service that the delegates and the informants shared with us throughout the week were a clear representation of how God wants us to impact and change this world. It is not a common opportunity to be in the same room with so many leaders, and it was a heart-warming experience knowing that as humans, whether Christian or not, we can see God working through people’s hearts all over the world.
By Yannick Coute, ABS Student