By Shambhawi Sahoo
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Anagha and Priyasha Chakravarti are twin sisters who are seniors at International School, Manila, The Phillippines. They are deeply passionate about international affairs and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They presented to a group of about thirty participants as to how they can contribute to the SDGs and provided a brief description of how they can participate in the upcoming Yale MUN.
The workshop kick-started with a brief introduction to the SDGs and the role they play in our society. Anagha then asked the participants to define sustainability in their own words. The answers ranged from inclusive policies, a continuous fight against injustice to protecting our future and taking the needs of future generations into consideration. She went on to aptly define sustainability as ‘meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Next followed a jamboard session where the participants had to briefly introduce themselves and write which SDG needs to be in the lens of policymakers in their country. Priyasha explained how countries contribute to the fulfillment of the SDGs. They try to create awareness among their citizens through articles, videos and local and community based projects. They take action by passing UN resolutions and enacting legislation in different sections of the society. The countries could be held accountable for their work through data monitoring. Further, by addressing the ideas of youth and implementing them they can create a better environment.
The session went on to make the audience familiar with the various types of activism and the impact they create. Slack activism is characterised by posting petitions and reposting images related to a concerned issue. Anagha pointed out that this type of activism fails to bring about a change in the situation, such as the Black-Out Tuesday where netizens posted a black image in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Performance activism is brought about through virtual fundraisers and sending mails to policy makers and officials. Real activism is when people march out on streets and protest against injustice and force the concerned authorities to look upon the situation.
The second part of the workshop revolved around the Yale MUN Conference for which the sisters serve as ambassadors. First up, they asked the participants to display their understanding of a Model UN conference in one word. The answers ranged from diplomacy, leadership and learning, to collaboration, debate and discussion, amongst many others. Anagha went on to introduce the Yale MUN (YMUN) Conference which would be held virtually from 21st to 24th of January 2021. This conference will allow participants to learn about the workings of global politics and engage them in international topics, adopt new perspectives and develop solutions to global problems. Prior to the conference there will be a Social Impact Challenge conducted by YMUN based on the theme “Empower others.” It will be a competition that will involve creating and proposing your own SDG project. The winners will receive funds and mentorship to bring their project to life. The first round will include submitting a written idea statement outlining a problem and the proposed solution. The second round will ask the participants to submit an essay and project description with a detailed recount of the social challenge and the solutions. Finally, the third round will involve the teams submitting a short video where they will present their refined ideas to a panel of judges.
In the next part of the workshop Priyasha talked about the various initiatives they have taken part in. They got involved with an organisation called Ramakrishna Mission which organised a free dental check up as well physiotherapy sessions for residents of a particular area in Manila. They also got involved with Puno, an organisation aimed at protecting the environment and took part in launching an ebook called Perla’s Pasig River Adventures. They distributed tablets with this ebook in a local school to raise awareness about pollution of the Pasig River in the Phillippines.
The workshop rounded the basic elements of leadership as well as international affairs. It encouraged the participants to get out of their comfort zone and bring about a change in their community.
The full recorded session of this workshop can be accessed here.