On the 1st of September, I participated in my very first Initiative For Peace (IFP) Peace Day Conference that was held in UWCSEA Dover. The day’s agenda included fully student-led sessions, each with a distinct purpose of directing the thinking of participating students.
Walking into Dover’s school compound I felt an anxiousness in my chest that came with lacking in understanding of what I was going into. I had very limited knowledge of what IFP was and felt unsure about embarking on a conference that would last for the better half of the day.
I chose to try out for IFP because I was keen on experiencing what people had described their IFP experience to be. From all those I had asked, they expressed variations of contentment and a sense of achievement in finally having a medium in which they could put their long-standing beliefs into action.
During the four workshops held, thought-provoking questions were posed to us and it made me think about the following:
- What do I stand for and how does that align with the school’s mission and the mission of IFP?
- In what capacity does IFP allow me to take action in what I stand for?
- What are the practical lifestyle changes that I am going to make that is in accordance with what I believe in and advocate for?
Throughout the day, I continued to mull over these questions, even after the event had ended. After participating in the workshops, what spoke out to me the most was how the mission of IFP was truly just a nuanced variant of the school’s mission with the intentions of direct action. I was able to meet and interact with wonderfully like-minded people from both East and Dover, all who recognise that they have the capacity to effect change. Conversations were thus animated and passionate, leading to meaningful discussion and at times, heated debates. I went away feeling eager to partake in an activity that advocates for peace education and putting words into action.
