My Experience to WORLD LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2009 - Singapore

WORLD LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 2009
SINGAPORE
June 15 – 19, 2009


Organized by ECO Singapore, the inaugural World Leadership Conference was a landmark 5 day international conference which have gathered youths from all over the world and have engaged them in meaningful discussions on the ethos of leadership, and the central tenets of how the world works through predominant current affairs, inclusive of the environment and the economy.

ECO (Environmental Challenge Organization) Singapore is a non-profit organization that aims to establish a voluntary environmental movement, thereby creating opportunities for active involvement by Singaporean youths, instilling a sense of commitment and awareness of environmental issues and global hazards.

Being admitted into the prestigious World Leadership Conference immediately recognizes me as an individual at the pinnacle of leadership development efforts in my country.

I was able to re-conceptualize the definitions of leadership via introspection and peer evaluation, and the interchange of opinions on leadership between different individuals for the sharing of best practices. With the help of Mr. Martin Tan, Executive Officer of ECO Singapore, broader yet simple concepts of leadership were presented to the delegates for better understanding and clear elaboration.

In addition, the conference have provided valuable insights into the contextualization and the role of leadership in two issues that are pertinent to the needs of youth—the environment, which governs the world in which we live, and the economy, which satisfies our desires and enables us to enjoy what this world has endowed us with.

As a participant in the World Leadership Conference, I have learned at the feet of esteemed experts hailing from organizations across the globe the topics ranging from the pervasiveness of this financial crisis to the importance of understanding carbon trading mechanisms and clean development directives.

The submission of a position paper on a group basis has also enabled me to mark my learning process as an outcome of the World Leadership Conference 2009. Another valuable, once-in-a-lifetime experience presented itself in the form of networking opportunities with other like-minded delegates across the world, where I was able to conduct peer learning discussions and presentations on the case studies in my own country.

As a first timer to go abroad, the amazing race activity made me realize that individual differences such as race, language, culture and religion cannot hinder every youth all around the world to understand each others’ feeling and intellect.

The amazing race has different team building activity in each station. This includes the “Human Entangle” Activity in Singapore Park near the City Hall; “Listen to Your Steps” in Pemerentahan Jepun; and Reading Comprehension Activity in Singapore Art Museum and Fullerton Hotel.

I believed that the camaraderie formed during that 5-day conference, not only the 5-hour amazing race, would always be part of our reveries in Singapore.

I have also realized that this conference doesn’t only aim for a Low-Carbon Economy in the near future; otherwise it also aims to let the participants of this event be mature enough and sensitive enough regarding the importance of international socialization and networking amongst delegations.

This activity gave us an opportunity to observed and be amazed to the Singaporean community.

The National Library of Singapore is one the most renowned infrastructures in the country, and perhaps the best, for having a unique and superb architectural design that is eco-friendly and energy efficient.

Mr. Toh Eng Shyan, CEO Representative of National Library of Singapore and the BCA Green Mark Scheme, presented us valuable insights about the green buildings and the building of Singapore National Library. With the topic “Towards Sustainable Built Environment in Singapore”, we were able to understand how these buildings/infrastructures work and how these buildings received the BCA Green Mark.

The World Leadership Conference 2009 indeed has made a big difference in my life. The hardest part in this event was the fact that this event won’t last any longer. As day pa**** by during the conference, the bonds between the delegates are getting stronger and harder for us to accept the fact that we won’t be able to see each other again.

This conference has provided me lasting bonds between both local and foreign participants, and have enabled me to gain new insights on leadership skills, and grasped the fundamental instincts of managing economic and environmental challenges that present themselves in the near future. I was hopping that the major takeaway that participants would have comes in the form of lasting, resilient partnerships that transcend cultural and geographical boundaries.