WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT – THE ENVIRONMENT OR THE ECONOMY
MELBOURNE 2020 LISTEN , DEBATE , CHANGE
ABOVE : THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE , HOST OF THE MCWHIRTER FOUNDATION ’ S ANNUAL MELBOURNE CONFERENCE . FAR LEFT : WILSON CHENG ( YEAR 11 ); LEFT : RYAN AHL ( YEAR 11 )
ENCOURAGING STUDENT VOICE ON A GLOBAL SCALE
Fruitful and invigorating ideas abound
Student voice is integral to Scotch education . Providing opportunities for boys to engage in real world conversations , while developing their thinking , empathy and global understanding is crucial .
The McWhirter Foundation held its inaugural annual Melbourne Conference in 2019 . It aims to gather world class experts and mesh them with youth who have a strong interest in global issues , giving them an opportunity to learn , and to develop their understanding and global competencies .
The conference is one of our Extension Studies Program opportunities and is held over two days in the July school holidays . It is open to Year 11 students . In 2020 , we attended the conference .
Following the onset of COVID-19 , it has become even more important for the youth of this world to engage in fruitful and invigorating conversations to discuss and decide the future of the world . This was the focus of the McWhirter Conference , which stems from Oxford University . Over the course of two days , 90 students from across Victoria got together to discuss the question : ‘ Which is more important post-COVID-19 – the environment or the economy ?’
While listening to speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds who proposed differing pathways , McWhirter participants were able to pose their questions and share their opinions on the merits
of an economy-based society or an environmentally-based society , and discuss whether both extremes can coexist to provide a balanced future .
Speakers included Gigi Foster , Professor at the UNSW School of Economics and co-host of Radio National ' s The Economists ; Peter Gregory , Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs and co-host of the Young IPA podcast ; and Nick Cook , a former aviation journalist who is interested in using defence and aviation technology and infrastructure to combat global issues . Nick Cook opened the discussion , weighing in on varied factors such as the consequences of the Victorian lockdown and the state of the Australian Defence Force .
We were extremely lucky to be able to overcome the physical restrictions stemming from the pandemic through the online conference platform , Zoom . The online format allowed us to listen to speakers not only from across Australia but from across the world , with many of them tuning in from the UK . Despite not being physically present at the conference venue , we are grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in such meaningful and insightful discussions .
The environment or the economy after COVID-19 seemed like a fairly basic question with surely a simple enough answer . Rather , we were rocketed into four wholly different viewpoints and four professional speakers adamant about where they stood on the issue .
Our perspective on the importance of the economy weighed against the environment swivelled after almost every talk , so persuading was every speaker . The system of syndicate groups which we returned to throughout the two days encouraged us to connect with the others and worked really well , even over the internet . These groups , where students from across all sectors of education added their opinion to the pot , enhanced the quality of discussion .
The speakers strove to make their speeches interesting , however the incredible diversity of viewpoints expanded our thinking of possibilities . It ’ s not every day you hear that aerospace and defence companies can single-handedly solve climate change or that someone ’ s life ’ s value should be predicated on their economic contribution .
The McWhirter Conference provided an array of ideas and expert input , and proved to be an inspiring opportunity for experiencing student voice . We absolutely recommend it .
RYAN AHL AND WILSON CHENG – YEAR 11
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 27