US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke (above), addresses WAB students at the Global Issues Conference. Photos: Courtesy of Geraldine Cuason
US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, stressed the importance of students' involvement in international affairs at the Global Issues Conference (GIC) held at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) international school in Chaoyang district on Friday. The conference, first held in 2006, takes place on the second Friday of November every year. It encourages students to take an interest in global issues and play an active role in bringing about positive changes in their community.
During Locke's speech, he emphasized that today's younger generation must step up to build a brighter future for tomorrow. "It's very important to discuss global issues that affect all of us," he told students participated in the conference.
"The topics discussed today are the same topics debated by world leaders. It's only through such discussions, understanding and cooperation that people throughout the world can tackle complex global challenges."
Chief among the "global challenges" highlighted by Locke were climate change and relations between China and the US. Locke used Sino-US ties as an example to explain the importance of international cooperation. He stressed that China and the US depended on each other for mutual prosperity.
He also encouraged the school's more than 1,000 students from nearly 60 countries to take active roles in increasing international cooperation and improving intercultural understanding.
WAB has already hosted the GIC five times. This year's theme, "Speak Out," highlighted the importance of open communication in resolving differences.
"Each year, we try to bring in special guests or experts from the field of international issues," said David Harrison, global citizenship coordinator at WAB. Other speakers at this year's conference included Jonathan Watts, journalist at UK newspaper The Guardian, Carter Brandon, environmental economist at the World Bank and Bill Valentino, vice president of corporate social responsibility for pharmaceutical giant, Bayer China.
Harrison said he had to do a lot of work with the students to prepare for topics and workshops in previous years. However, he added this year students seized the initiative and ran much of the event themselves.
Eleventh grade Spanish student, Angel Garcia, and 12th grade Venezuelan student, Camila Ochoa Mendoza, organized a soccer tournament to raise awareness for AIDS sufferers in Africa.
"African children living with AIDS are often discriminated by people around them," said Mendoza. "We hope to raise awareness of their plight and encourage people to do more to help."
Art Heart is another WAB program organized by Canadian and Singaporean students Ivy Qian and Zining Mok that helps local orphanages. At this year's GIC, they organized a pass-the-parcel game together with song and dance performances, proving that fundraising can also be fun.
WAB also held a debate competition that put students' oratory skills to the test over topical global issues.