Australian NCP Scholar Takes Part in the 2024 APEC Youth Capacity-Building Workshop in Taiwan
The Ministry of Education’s 2024 APEC Youth Capacity-Building Training & Model APEC conference was held at Taipei Tech's APEC Education Innovation Development Center on July 4 and July 5. It’s designed to contribute to the development of the international leaders of the next generation. Twenty-nine young people took part as representatives of 13 APEC member economies and discussed multinational solutions for global issues. The Model APEC conference simulated an international summit and the representatives deliberated ideas for solving problems faced by APEC member economies.
Joshua Wong was the only Australian delegate at the Model conference. He is a New Colombo Plan Scholar and a Health and Medicine student from Australia who hopes to combine his passion for developing tomorrow's international policies with a career in health.
During the simulation discussions, he contributed ideas based on his Australian experience, including multidisciplinary teamwork, the recognition of diverse cultures, and the unique challenges posed by Australia’s geography.
Joshua noticed that cross-cultural competency was required to garner support for his ideas. He not only needed to communicate his ideas effectively but he also had to consider their implications for the diverse cultural and political backgrounds of the other panel members. This challenge helped him to develop a deeper appreciation for the cultural sensitivities involved in navigating international cooperation and he was grateful for the learning experience that came from listening to people whose life experiences and perspectives are very different from his own. It was also an opportunity to network and develop friendships with a wide variety of people he would otherwise not have met.
Joshua recommends the APEC Youth Capacity-Building Training & Model to students of international politics and to anyone interested in exploring the inner workings of international relationships and expanding their intercultural awareness. He feels that he’s only scratched the surface of foreign policy related matters and he’s looking forward to deepening his understanding of related topics in his future pursuits.
