International Tutors' Magazine June 2019 | Page 10

INTERNATIONAL TUTORS’ MAGAZINE
yourself with the skills necessary to achieve
them. Shveitta Sharma’s talk, “Disconnect:
Listening to Your Inner Voice”, taught us
about the universal struggle for happiness
through the story of her journey to
founding the School of Happiness, relating
to us on a very human plane and reciting
the mantra, “Happiness is a choice!”.
“Connecting Across Cultures”, was a call for
social mindfulness and an understanding of
different morals in different cultures and
how we can respect and connect across
those differences, rather than let it become
a base of awkward misunderstandings.
This same goal for understanding was also
championed by Eric Yau, founder of Beach
Volleyball Hong Kong, who uses sports
Justin Santini, president of Hong Kong as a way to connect across cultures and
Sacred Spaces Society, shifted these ideas language barriers put up between friends,
of self-connection to connecting with the colleagues, family, and even love interests!
outside world. He expressed a need for
developing a sense of ownership and respect Listening to the talks, there were moments
towards Hong Kong heritage and historical when all our differences slipped away, and the
sites. He described the opportunities audience of over two hundred people melted
we have to connect to a preserved past, into one. There was a deeper connection
open to all people regardless of cultural brewing with each applause and each new
or ethnic background. Joy
speaker. The auditorium
Huo also talked about
thrummed with the
our connection with the
spark of community and
outside world, sharing a
togetherness. With the
concern for the excess of
final standing ovation,
plastic waste suffocating
we transitioned into
the environment that was
the closing ceremony,
contagious. Through her
with speeches, thanks and
talk about how she came to establish her zero photos. Connections, and subsequently
waste online shop, BasicYeh, Joy taught us disconnections, run through and around
to “Reconnect with Nature and Ourselves”. all of us at every given moment; as time
passes in a blur, there are pockets of
Taking care of our environment also comes clarity where we find ourselves belonging
with the people we share it with. Emma and revelling in it. The evening of
Buchtel, professor of social psychology TEDxEdUHK was once such moment for
at EdUHK, presented next. Her talk, me, something I hope to not soon forget! v
The audience
felt the spark of
community and
togetherness.
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