For six consecutive weeks in July and August, the Humanitarian Affairs Asia organised 11 sessions of the inaugural Lead as a Global Citizen World Series webinars to prepare participants for a global career of contribution and collaboration.

The Lead as a Global Citizen World Series webinars are part of Humanitarian Affairs Asia’s initiatives as a member of United Nations Global Compact to support the Sustainable Development Goals on Quality Education focusing on Global Citizenship. The concept of Global Citizenship is embedded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals though SDG 4: Insuring Inclusive and Quality Education for All and Promote Life Long Learning, which includes global citizenship as one of its targets.

NTU-USP students were invited to participate in a series of webinars designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development and global citizenship. Six of our NTU-USP scholars attended the webinars, where they learnt about advocacy and being better changemakers.

 Here are their key takeaways:

1. How to amicably deal with people who possess different perspectives, personalities and life views

One key takeaway we got from the webinar was advice on how to peacefully advocate liberal ideas in more conservative societies like Singapore. The panelist advised the use of soft approaches rather than hard ones to influence, educate and align the interests of the society towards the advocated course. She advised practicing tolerance in the face of opposition and to capitalise on every opportunity to engage in constructive conversations. Her advice really struck a chord as we realised that it was common for one to given in to their basal selves and engage in heated, emotional and petulant arguments instead of fixating on the larger objective that mandates taking up the mantle of the “bigger man” to educate rather than to condemn. The focus should always be on winning the hearts and minds through open conversations and to resort to condemnation as the last resort. We were also really privileged to hear the experiences of undergraduates who have first hand experience in advocating for causes that were considered social taboos in the past.

2. Small and intentional efforts lead to big changes

The talk was motivational and eye opening, as it provided a glimpse of the different professional opportunities available. It was encouraging to see that a world of opportunity awaits us and we are not limited just by the careers we see around us. My greatest takeaway was, “small steps make meaningful contributions to all of our experiences.” Speaker Reana shared that she felt like even the smallest incremental change in her life – taking up the chore of doing dishes or cleaning the toilet – taught her many essential values that she still carries with her today. As such, we learnt that we should focus on the quality of the experience rather than the professional repute of said experience.

3. Research is an integral part of advocacy which can inform efforts to make social change

​​While there are different research methodologies, there are certain guiding principles that you should keep at the back of your mind. One best practice is the cost-benefit analysis: does the risk associated with that research outweigh the benefits for the society/individual, or vice versa?

4. The importance of overseas exposure in developing cultural competencies

The seminar discussed the importance of overseas exposure in our development as global citizens, and recommended that we look for overseas internships. To achieve this, we were recommended to build up cultural competence before the journey, and to network with potential employers with bases overseas. However, one key point raised during the talk was that it was ok to zoom in on an area of the world one had interest in. Our reflections on this suggest that this is because having an interest in a certain area of the world facilitates the building of cultural competencies in that region, and narrows our options for networking, allowing us greater efficiency in the endeavour.

5. The distinction between global and local in an increasingly globalized yet culturally distinct world, and how one might seek to institute social change within said context

During the seminar, two interesting questions were raised: 1) where is the distinction between local and global; and 2) how else could we end up in a position where we can strongly influence change?

As to the first question, the panelists believed that the distinction is becoming more blurred. They stressed the need for cultural competence, because the interconnected nature of the world calls for people to ‘think global’ but ‘act local’. Lacking cultural competence in either the local situation or the target location’s situation precludes the ability to do so.

As to the second question, some of the panelists had been in positions of political power before, but they acknowledged that businesses might be another way to institute change. This is an interesting concept that could have been explored further, if there had been more time. World-spanning businesses may, in fact, have much to contribute to the development and acceptance of global citizenry. It remains to be seen how they may implement this in future.

6. The importance of Linkedin as a tool of social and cultural connectivity

Linkedin is an important platform to gain connections, don’t think of it as a hassle because it will really help you to get traction for your organisations and help you to find like-minded people who are interested in the same cause.

7. Getting business onboard to advocate for social causes alongside you can be a powerful tool for change

In that regard, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a rising phenomenon today that activists can tap on. Some countries mandate businesses to have a social reporting component so CSR is mandatory for them. Be aware of how their mission and vision may align with your social cause and network with them.

Submission by: 

Goh E- Jie Aloysius, Year 2, PPGA

Ryan Tan Swee Keat, Year 2, ECPP

Ben Tan Kai Xiang, Year 2, ADM

Priyadharshini D/O Chockalingam, Year 3, PSY

Lim Ziqian, Year 3, PPGA

Chong Han, Year 4, LMS