Written by: Alethea Tan
Edited by: Dominic Koek
Photos by: Timothy Bay
“Leadership is a lifelong task of learning and experience. [What matters most is the] kind of impact we make, and how much our leadership touches the lives of others,” YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Bin Mohammad, Prime Minister of Malaysia, said to an audience comprised of 1,000 members at the annual University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS). USLS is an international symposium organised by Humanitarian Affairs (HA) Asia. The programme aims to raise awareness for pertinent social issues, as well as inspire youths to be leaders of change. This year, USLS commemorated its 10th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event spanned across 7 days, from 1 to 7 August 2019.
During the programme, we had the opportunity to meet peers from Thailand and United States
The theme of this year’s symposium was “Together We Serve”, which emphasised the importance of collaboration within the community, and youths as vehicles of change. The symposium featured many notable young social entrepreneurs, including the founder of Ryan’s Well Foundation, Ryan Hreljac. Today, Ryan’s Well Foundation is an established charitable organisation that provides fresh drinking water to less developed countries. Yet, this organisation had humble roots; it was born out of a fundraising event Hreljac participated in during his Grade One. Discomforted by the vast inequality between himself and children his age in less developed countries, Hreljac started saving up, bit by bit, to raise funds to build a well in these areas. Over time, Hreljac’s community began getting involved, and eventually this idea became a reality.
Apart from the importance of community in enacting social changes, Hreljac also stressed on the importance of naivety in inaugurating any project. “It’s okay to think like a six year old” who is full of wonder and ambition, especially against the backdrop of possibly depressing social predicaments, Hreljac mentioned. Other speakers also reiterated Hreljac’s points by emphasising the need to take risks in all endeavours and perseverance, especially when failure appears imminent.
The symposium also featured refugees and their stories. USLS hosted 3 former refugees who gave impassioned speeches about their home countries/regions. The speakers spoke of love and lost, and desire for a home which they could no longer return to. In addition, the delegates were given the opportunity to interact with former refugees during the highly anticipated roundtable discussions. These refugees hailed from all over the world – from Somalia to Syria – and were eager to share their way of life with the delegates. The session with the refugees concluded with speakers urging the delegates to step out of their comfort zones to enact the much-needed change in our society today.
In line with this advice, the delegates participated in a Service Day, where they had the opportunity to interact with disadvantaged communities, such as indigenous children and refugees, to gain insights of the latter’s traditions and way of life. Some delegates also helped to refurbish the buildings in these communities to improve the community’s quality of life.
Photo taken during Service Day with refugees
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, USLS concluded the programme with its first ever Gala Ball, organised by none other than the founder of HA Asia, Mr Kim Soloman.
Final year Accountancy & Business student Pay Sek Ee, Communication Studies student Justin Yeo & Esther Rim, together with their new African friend
Overall, USLS was an extremely eye-opening symposium which provided NTU-USPians a platform to interact with like-minded individuals who are passionate and driven to improve society. This symposium was deeply inspiring and reminded us the importance of giving back. “[You should] take risks and love big, because you have the opportunity to do so,” Geraldine Cox, Founder of Sunrise Cambodia said. “If we do so,” she added, “[their lives would be] good and fair and full of love.”
About the Author
Alethea (third from left) is a second year Public Policy and Global Affairs student, and a scholar of the NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP).
