Economics has undoubtedly been my favourite subject this year. And Economeast provides me with an avenue to apply the theory we learn about in class, to reality. In addition to writing articles, and thereby exploring different current affairs in great depth, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the core leadership team which consists of the chair, vice chair and secretary.

Being the secretary has demanded me to keep track of others’ work – to ensure they have written their articles, and that they have been peer edited, corrected by editors, and are ready for the final check by Ms Price. Following up with students who have not met deadlines is another difficult conversation to have,  but my exposure to Economeast has enabled me to have this discussion in a calm and diplomatic way – another skill that will always remain crucial in life.

Another major aspect aspect of printing a magazine is ensuring that we have sponsors. Economeast is completely non profit, and should we not receive enough sponsorship, we would have to cut back on the scale of printing. Over the years, Economeast has built a strong rapport with many sponsors, which includes Seoul Education, Prepzone, Math Vision, Camden Medical etc. However, one challenge that we faced this year was that one of our sponsors (Sky Sing Chinese Language Centre) decided to withdraw their sponsorship. As a result, we have been looking around for other sponsors for a while now. As the secretary of the activity, I have had to maintain minutes for every meeting, to ensure that commitments are followed up on, deadlines are met, and that we are making good progress.

Here is the link to the minutes, and an example of what it looks like. 

Further more, the ongoing process of publishing this magazine has helped me understand the technical part of journalism. Writing the article, is perhaps one of the easiest parts of the process. Responsible journalism requires us to identify a target audience and ensure that our writing fits their needs. Finding sponsors, editing the articles, marketing the magazine, finalising the cover and the format of the magazine are also crucial parts of creating this product and it requires an immense effort, and results in great pride.

As the December break draws to a close, we will be looking to continue our search for more sponsors, as we start to write our second articles.

Learning outcomes highlighted:

• increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth
• undertaken new challenges
• planned and initiated activities
• worked collaboratively with others
• shown perseverance and commitment in their activities
• engaged with issues of global importance
• developed new skills