NewsLetterIssue4 April-June10.indd - RIS stories

speakers. We learned about a wide
range of issues and were involved in
discussions with topics from human
rights to HIV/AIDS. For example,
in the global village group, we had
discussions and made a canvas
painting about maritime issues and
water pollution.
Listening to the motivational
speeches of the keynote speakers
was a big favorite for us all. We
heard their passion, and were deeply
inspired by their individual drive
and awe-struck by their stories.
Particular favorite speakers included
David Begbie, Spencer West, and
Efren Peneflorida. David Begbie, of
Crossroads International, addressed
the issue of poverty with the view
that “The web of poverty is equal to
the web of opportunity.” Crossroads
International is an organization
that connects resources to people in
need. Inspirational and charismatic,
Spencer West spoke about how he
lost his legs at the age of five, but
never lost hope or courage. He gave
us all a thought-provoking message
from his speech: the key points were
“to be the one to make a change, to
celebrate the differences, to be happy
every day, and finally, to stand up”.
Efren Peneflorida is the founder of
the Dynamic Teen Company, and was
also named CNN hero of the year.
His key message is “One is never too
young to give back to society. One is
never too poor to help in society. One
is never too strong to do things on his
own. One is never too ordinary to be
a hero.”
The NGO fair gave us an opportunity
to sign up for organizations and to
find out more about them. A wide
range of organizations were present,
including the Jane Goodall Institute
Hong Kong, UNICEF, Child Welfare
Scheme, and Traffick Link. Most of
the organizations that were in the
NGO fair also gave presentations.
I had a really hard time picking out
which presentation to attend. But in
the end, I chose to go to the Traffick
Link presentation, which focused on
anti-slavery and human trafficking.
There are more slaves today than
there ever were in history! Women,
men, and children, even boys and
girls as young as four years old, are
sold, bought, and treated as if they
are mere objects. This presentation
brought tears to my eyes- it was really
disturbing and horrific to think that a
human could do insanely cruel things
to four year olds, just for money.
We were then informed about how
we could take action, and what the
Traffick Link organization are doing.
They are currently educating rescued
human trafficking victims- it may
take five minutes to rescue a victim,
but it takes over five years to recover;
some don’t ever recover.
I feel I am now in the process of
breaking down the brick wall. Thanks
to the GIN conference I feel better
equipped and I have my goals more
clearly defined. I aim to conduct
a project on human trafficking by
educating rescued victims. I am a
part of the ‘Not for Sale Campaign
(Student Abolitionist Movement)’
online and will be taking action
in school to raise awareness about
human trafficking.
HIGH SCHOOL
Beyond the brick wall is where we’ll
all find peace and happiness. Imagine
if everyone played a role in breaking
a portion of the brick wall. Not only
will peace and happiness for all
be possible, but it can be achieved
in a shorter period of time. Efren
Peneflorida said that everyone has
an element of hero within them, just
waiting to be unleashed. Search for
it in your heart. Change begins in us
and change is what the world needs.
“When spiders unite, they can
tie down a lion.”
- Ethiopian proverb
The other students who also
attended this year’s conference
were Sheena Narula, Preshita
Sipani, So Ra Lee, Ploy
Busagornruangrat, Panachai
(Bank) Assavaniwest, Panpan
Punyaneramitdee, and Korn
(Pete) Mungsommai. The
encouraging teachers who
attended were Dr. John Stiles
and Ms. Lincy Fung. Without
all nine of them, this conference
wouldn’t have been possible. It
wouldn’t have been as fun and
exciting. Thank you.
NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Issue 4
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