Written by: 
Y11 Daehyun Ko, Y11 Iris, Y8 Evelyn, Y8 Isabella 

On Saturday, March 16th, 2024, The HK SDG Summit 2024 hosted by the International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS), was a gathering orchestrated with the primary objective being to encourage active involvement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and empower students to effect positive transformations within their communities. This educational event, which was complimentary and accessible to individuals aged 13 and above, offered strategies for initiating, assessing, and amplifying tangible contributions towards the 17 SDGs. 

The first session was the ‘Keynote Speech’ delivered by David Begbie, a Director at the Crossroads Foundation, a humanitarian aid and development organization situated in Hong Kong. Mr. Begbie imparted valuable insights into how Crossroads has sustained its commitment to sustainability over a span of 28 years, encompassing aspects such as financial resilience, impactful projects, and the broadening of volunteer and service outreach. 

Furthermore, in the ‘NGO Panel Discussion’ session, distinguished non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Hands On Hong Kong, Mighty Oaks Foundation, and HELP for Domestic Workers participated in a panel discussion moderated by Romina Phillips. The leaders of these NGOs shared their knowledge and firsthand experiences in delineating, strategizing for, evaluating, and expanding positive influence. 

After the break, workshop activities were initiated. During the workshop session, we participated in two different workshop sessions, which were interactive and skill-based respectively. Each of the two different workshop sessions was conducted for approximately 45 minutes. There were lots of clubs from various schools in different regions or NGOs in each workshop session that explained or let us do some of their activities. Students were required to select the organization that they would like to participate in during the workshop session before attending the event. Then, during the workshop session, they were at the assigned specific room in the school corresponding to their selection of organization. 

Inspirations: 

Another organization for an interactive workshop, “Mighty Oaks”, a foundation about the elderly, allowed me to understand the struggles of the elderly community in modern society. The workshop included simulations about the struggles elderly people go through daily, and it made me feel like I was experiencing the issues in the simulation. The information was presented to me in a more engaging way and that inspired me to use simulations as a strategy in the future to present my information. Not only is this strategy a great way of informing, but it also allows the audience to be more engaged and helps communicate the message to the audience more effectively. 

In the skill-based workshop session, one organization was the Non-profit organization called ‘Plastic Free Seas’, which is an organization dealing with the issues of wasting plastic in the ocean. They aim to ‘plastic-free seas’, trying to eliminate the wasted plastics on the beach and ocean by raising awareness of the seriousness of wasted plastics in the environment. Since 2019, they have not only cleaned up oceans in person but also taught plastic issues to students in different regions with specific events. During the workshop session, the Co-founder and Exclusive director of the organization ‘Dana Winograd’ herself came and explained the plastic issues that have been occurring in Hong Kong currently. This time, she concentrated on the ‘coffee cup’ plastic issues, letting us know that approximately 5 million tons of plastic cups are thrown away per day in Hong Kong as well as plastic is broken down into so small plastics that plastic exists everywhere we are. Also, we had the activity answering the each of questions about the ‘definition of campaign’, which were identifying the problem, related stakeholders, pros and cons, the knowledge we need to know, and so on. Those questions were considered to be not only reliable but also useful for creating campaigns in school. 

Inspirations: 

In another organization for the skill-based workshop, “MUN (Model United Nations)”, we were given a task to develop a short speech addressing an issue from the 17 SDGs. It was great practice, as we got to use some speech-developing strategies. I learned from this workshop that public speaking isn’t exclusive to a certain group of people, and this inspires me to create other public speaking opportunities besides MUN to work towards decreasing the exclusivity of public speaking.  

After participating in interactive skill workshops, we attended the “Impact Fair”, an event where clubs dedicated to specific societal and environmental issues showcased their work and offered volunteering opportunities. Delving into these matters deeply, I was touched by the passion people showed for tackling global challenges and helping others. The fair broadened my understanding of societal and environmental issues and inspired me to contribute positively to society. 

Later on, everyone gathered in the auditorium to listen to club leaders deliver their speeches, which was the ‘Youth Talks’, sharing their experiences and motivations. Seeing others my age already making significant contributions was very inspiring. One speaker, the leader of the “Making Waves Club,” stood out to me. Her passion for filmmaking and the ocean led her to create a club that combines her passions and produces impactful films. It’s also very impressive how they have won several awards with their films already. Also, she really allowed me to have a clear understanding of what it was like to develop a club on top of one’s passions. She inspired me to understand how easy it was to enjoy something one is passionate about and be impactful at the same time. 

Consequently, the HK SDG Summit 2024 furnished students with invaluable perspectives and practical guidance to apply in their own service endeavors. Moreover, young change agents recounted their personal journeys towards effecting meaningful changes within their communities during the Youth Talks segment of the event.