By: Josephine Chloe Confido, Secondary 3

The world is in a constant state of change, and it is our job to believe that we can make the change for the better. The first step to changing the world is to first believe that we are capable of it, by understanding the circumstances in which we live' it's our world, after all. One common setback that a student might face is the doubt that they can make even a ripple in the constant passing of the world's situation, much less a wave of difference in our temporal concerns.

Here are what Mr. Nicholas (Global Perspectives and Research/ Sociology teacher of BBS Semarang) and Mr. Bradley (English General Paper/English teacher of BBS Malang) respectively have to say on some issues discussed during the Bina Bangsa School Model United Nations 2023:

'To change the world, a person must first understand the situation. You have to understand the situation that is happening if you want to make a change. People tend to generalise the issue and that's why it's growing into a problem. For example, if a person thinks that all unfortunate people are lazy, then they should spend a month in the village to see how early they start to work. If they undermine the discrimination against racial minorities, then they should visit a place where this form of violence is growing big' United States of America, for example' and really take a look at how the world is for the people there.' Mr. Booth explained.

When asked about the changes in the world that have to be made at a certain degree of cost, we asked Mr. Bradley for his input, to which he expressed his opinions on the situation.

(Context: Countries like Germany have begun replacing real animals with holograms in zoos and circuses to minimize abuse against animals, especially those that are endangered.)

'There are things in this world that we cannot change, of course. When we're talking about change in the world, we want to keep it as authentic as possible. We need to learn to practice discipline; I, for example, have a son who I take to the zoo every now and then, and the way his face lights up when he sees the apes is absolutely priceless. That sort of experience is something we want to preserve while ensuring that the conditions are safe for the animals as well. We can keep the animals in enclosures that are similar to their natural habitats and preserve it so that they are as comfortable in the zoo as they are. Many of these spaces are very cramped. We could expand their areas so that they will experience their home in these zoos without suffering the stress of it.'

The Model United Nations event happened as a way to educate students on the matters in the world and provide a simulation as to how political powers all over the world are striving to fix it' putting students to a realization of the situation of the world's current states and other problems that may occur in the future. When asked why it is important for students to be concerned and learn about the world at a young age, this was what they said:

'Because you are going to be the ones running the world someday, you need to understand the problems of people' like we've mentioned earlier, sympathy is part of the big factors as to how the change will happen. You are going to be the ones experiencing the world and making the big changes, so it's important for you to first understand it from a young age so that you can learn and understand it fully."

May all our school programmes such as the BBS MUN bring all of us to a realisation that we, the youth of today, have a crucial role in the world! Let us not waste the chance to make a positive impact from now on!