Round Square

RSIC 2022 Report

The 2022 Round Square International Conference held in Oxford, UK, was the first involvement with Round Square for Kinross Wolaroi School on a global scale. We were excited to immerse ourselves into Round Square and  find out how Kinross Wolaroi could deepen its understanding and involvement within it. All delegates stayed at the university colleges and our delegation was placed into The Queen’s College for our food, accommodation and our baraza discussions. The theme of this conference was 'Take Less; Be More'.

Click below to watch our RCIS 2022 video.

We met people from many different countries and schools, including Northern Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Bermuda, The Bahamas,  Namibia, England and Canada. However, there were over fifty countries in attendance. On the cultural performance night, we celebrated our cultural differences through song and dance, such as the Gumboot Dance from South Africa. 

The term ‘baraza’ is a Swahili term that means meeting place. The idea of baraza group for Round Square is to discuss and debate relevant and important ideas and theories. Each group consisted of 10-15 delegates. In these groups, we discussed our views on keynote speeches, important social and political issues, and how each school explores the ideas within Round Square. This, at its heart, embodies the key Round Square 'IDEAL' of Democracy.

Environmentalism was the key IDEAL explored within the keynote speech by Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford, who spoke about the ramifications and changes needed in global economic policy to achieve climate justice. Emily Penn, who is an Oceans Advocate, talked about her experiences in founding eXXpedition, a foundation led by a group of women with the aim of analysing and drawing attention to ocean pollution. We also learnt from fellow delegates about their personal experiences with climate change, such as those living in Bermuda and The Bahamas who will have been affected by rising sea levels and natural disasters. 

We enjoyed a speech by adventurer and broadcaster, Ben Fogle, who shared his life journey, including the experience of climbing Mount Everest and having his oxygen tank crack just 50 metres from the summit. 

While in Switzerland, we saw the clouds clear from around the alps, to reveal a spectacular view of the snow line, which was something truly special. 

The fifth area of focus in within the Round Square IDEALS is Leadership. Leadership was linked through several features of the conference, firstly through the Round Square alumni speakers. A key theme was advocating for others. Whether it be service projects, or day-to-day life, we need to ensure we lift up those who otherwise can’t do it themselves. Round Square isn’t about making yourself seen or heard, but making sure others are. We must be leaders and take initiative with the restoration of the environment. Our impact on the environment is our responsibility and we must take ownership.

We were lucky to hear from some inspiring speakers that have helped change and shape our worldview for the better. We heard from Elliot Berry, founder of “The Noah Initiative” who spoke about his campaign to provide disadvantaged young men and single mothers in Kenya with positive mentors. The Noah Initiative currently supports more than 60 boys, rescued from human traffickers or a life on the streets, and helps them to thrive in school. Josceline Cluff is a Safeguarding Manager for the Better Cotton Initiative, a non-profit, multi-stakeholder governance group that promotes better standards in cotton farming and practices across twenty-one countries. After hearing from these inspiring speakers and many more, we realised that service doesn’t need to be huge; but if we all start small and give back as much as we take, we can leave everyone in a better place.

By the end, each of us had branched out and connected with many like-minded people within this global network and many solid friendships were made. We all learnt so much and had this great experience thanks to the hard work of our teachers, Ms Anderson and Mrs Gavin.