From February 15 to February 19, 2024, Honors College provided subsidies for two students, Wu Shixun and Cai Ruiyi, to attend the 2024 Asia Youth Leadership Study Camp (AYLTLC) in Singapore. The camp activities included: ice-breaking games, lectures by speakers, visits to the Environmental Exhibition Center and the Singapore Urban Planning Exhibition Center, group reports, and the final closing ceremony.
After check-in on the first day, the participants, coming from various countries, made the evening's activities especially unique and enriching. To promote cross-cultural exchange and build international friendships, the camp activities included ice-breaking games and interactive sessions. These activities deepened interactions among team members and helped them gain a better understanding of the characteristics and uniqueness of other cultures.
During the group report session, each team selected a topic of interest and extended the discussion, testing their collaboration skills. In the group work and exchange phase, each team consisted of members from different countries. This diverse mix gave team members the opportunity to share their cultures, values, and life experiences. Through mutual exchange and discussion, they broadened their perspectives and built deep friendships and trust. The session where teams answered questions opened windows of thought, guiding everyone to approach the world's problems and challenges from different angles. It encouraged deeper exploration and sparked innovative thinking to solve issues. The evening’s activities not only laid a solid foundation for future collaboration and communication among the participants, but also marked the beginning of their joint growth and learning, establishing an important step in building cross-cultural understanding and friendship.
On the second day of the camp, several lectures were arranged, such as those explaining the composition of Singapore's population and languages, revealing that Singapore is a country with a rich blend of Asian cultures. Singapore has four official languages: English, Mandarin, Malay, and Tamil. It may sound abstract, but in some areas, even Japanese can be seen. According to the local students, Japanese is used for tourists, highlighting that Singapore is also a popular travel destination. On the third day, the group learned about Singapore's water resource management through a visit, followed by a group activity.
On the fourth day of the camp, each team chose a topic for their group report. The Honors College team selected the topic of using plastic bottles as shoes in the developing world. This idea came from a student from China. Through a team activity, students from different countries were able to present and discuss the topic together, which truly broadened their perspectives.
On the last day, everyone was asked to wear traditional attire from their respective countries. The Honors College team chose to wear blue-and-white flip-flops. While not exactly traditional, it is one of the distinctive garments that represent Taiwan. Finally, during the farewell segment, seeing many teammates tear up was very emotional. Although the five days were neither long nor short, they left us with precious memories. The most important thing to be thankful for in attending this camp in Singapore is the support from Honors College. In addition to the subsidy provided by the college, the seniors and tutors shared their insights about the nature of the activities before departure, which was very helpful and made the preparation process smooth. The two Honors College students supported each other from the pre-departure stage to being abroad, from applying for passports to the final moments, making the international exchange easy and enjoyable. In Singapore, we met a variety of people, including an Indian team leader with a natural leadership presence and a great sense of humor, a very talkative student from the Chinese literature department, and cheerful and open-minded students from around the world. Although there weren’t many Filipinos we met, from their responses and presentations, they stood out as the most capable and eloquent, earning our admiration!
總結：“In conclusion: "Understanding the world! It is through exchanging with people from different countries, as if opening a new path."”
Text/Images courtesy of: Honors College second-year students Wu Shixun and Cai Ruiyi.
Compiled by: Gongguan Student Affairs Division, Honor’s College.
