Global Resilience Conference

A group of students of class XI attended a Conference on Resilience, Integrated Learning and Leader Development organised by the Global Challenges Forum Foundation (GCF), UNITAR and the ACTS Group of Institutions on 3 October 2018 at IIC, Lodhi Road. The four students - Anshika, Himadri, Rajat and Tanya were accompanied by Ms. Deepa Chugh to the event.

The conference began with a welcome address by Chairman, Mr. John Samuel and Dr. Sanaya Nariman. Dr. Walter Christman, chairman of GCF, spoke on Resilience and Innovation in the 21st Century. He talked about the true meaning underlying resilience and how it should not just aim at restoring status quo after a crisis- the goal should be to end up stronger than before. One should be prepared to bounce forward he said. He described resilience as the ability to prepare for shocks and stresses, how to recover from them and, lastly, how to learn and adapt in their wake.

Next, a panel discussion on leadership skills development saw distinguished panelists- Mr. Raymond Marciano, Mr. Sebastien Hofbauer, Ms . Sargun Laila and Mr. Pavan Duggal exchange views on how to develop a leader, leadership skills and data security breaches. The discussion was followed by an interaction between the panelists and members of the audience.

In the post-lunch session, the chancellor of the ACTS Group of Institutions, Dr. Ken Gnanakan , spoke briefly on how learning should not be divided into different subjects, rather it should be connected or integrated for the holistic development of the child.

The talk was followed by a panel discussion on Integrated Learning to Develop Resilience. The panel of notable speakers included Dr. Vani Vasudevan, Dr. N. Saravanakumar, Dr. Sanaya Nariman and Dr. Tony Marik. They deliberated on the need for a better and improved education system in India. Thereafter, the panelists and the audience engaged in a meaningful dialogue and brought the days events to a successful conclusion.