“Connecting through Change” Encourages Collaboration
In October, Principia College hosted its fifth annual International Perspectives Conference (IPC). The conference’s main objectives are to educate others to become global citizens, embrace perspectives and approaches different from their own, celebrate diversity, and unify humanity. With these goals in mind, the IPC Board, consisting of nine Principia College students, chose “Connecting through Change” as the title of the conference.
Preparation for the conference demonstrated 21st-century learning in action with a Skype call with Creative Collections, an international cultural education organization that focuses on uniting students and cultures across the world through art. Representing Creative Connections, Principia alum Tim Steckler (C’18) facilitated a livestream videoconference with the groundbreaking Mandala Theatre in Nepal, including a workshop on change-making during which students put their acting and problem-solving skills to use to address local and global issues.
The IPC Board approached speaker selection with the goal of bringing together speakers from around the world with diverse backgrounds and expertise. In total, five sets of speakers shared a variety of ideas and perspectives. The keynote speaker was College alum Vincent Herr (C’12), whose talk was titled “A Power of an Idea: Why We Can All Make a Difference.” Herr has worked primarily in Germany to promote change, including securing free Interrail passes for young European Union residents to support and encourage interaction, understanding, and unity among people from various countries and backgrounds. Herr also shared details about his work with the “he for she” movement, which promotes the idea that men should support women’s causes and participate in breaking down barriers for equality.
Following the keynote, Janet Horton, CS, the first female Christian Science chaplain in the United States Army, shared a metaphysical talk that included inspiring and uplifting stories from her diverse cultural experiences as a chaplain. A common thread through her stories was Mary Baker Eddy’s phrase “one grand brotherhood,” which Horton illustrated in many inspiring ways (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 518).
Additional speakers and activities included artists Rob and Harriet Fraser from the Lake District in England. Their talk was titled “Making Sense of Here: Artful Approaches and Multiple Perspectives.” Sammy Aloyo, from Sunrise School in Kenya, delivered the talk “How to Unify Humanity through Global Citizenship and Embracing Cultural Diversity.” In addition, conference attendees played the 2030 SDGs Game, a card-based simulation game focused on peace-building strategies. Its inspiration came from the fact that there are many games simulating war but not many focused on peace or building a better world.
Senior Marie Sherman, one of the three IPC directors, commented, "Our speakers, though they came from a multitude of backgrounds and life experiences, came together beautifully to share with Principia’s campus a powerful message . . . . We each have the ability to create change, and connecting with our communities and the world is the most effective way to do so.”