APEC VOICES 2015

On day 2 we were given the opportunity to have very own special dialogue session with the ABAC members. This opportunity was unique as youth delegates got the opportunity to deliver first-hand the issues that they felt were pertinent to youth in Asia Pacific region. 5 delegates from Canada, China, Peru, Singapore and oUSA got the opportunity to address overarching concerns that represented our delegation, these included sustainability and the call for action on climate change and allowing a better connection between the youth and nature, governmental investment in human capital in relation to better quality education for youth to be able to have a brighter future, creation of innovation ecosystems to allow youth to benefit from the future digital age, sustaining growth opportunities to improve regional growth and enhancing regional trade agreements to help SMEs benefit from international trade.

The questions asked were taken by the ABAC members as very impressive and the responses given were comprehensive and constructive. It was very interesting to hear the different perspectives from the various ABAC members on these matters. The opportunity to ask questions to such high caliber business leaders gave a sense that youth are in fact being taken seriously and provided a sense of additional self empowerment.

Field Trip to Gawad Kalinga - Enchanted Farm

Another highlight was the field trip to visit Gawad Kalinga, a Community Development Foundation making significant waves in the field of Poverty Alleviation. The organisation aims to bring five million families out of poverty by 2024 and has already succeeded in raising one million Filipino out of extreme poverty in the Philippines. The organisation was founded by Antonio Meloto or “Tito Tony,” a successful Filipino entrepreneur with a background in economics and a heart for helping those trapped in systemic poverty. Gawad Kalinga aims to help, educate and train people to help themselves by building integrated, holistic and sustainable communities for those formerly dwelling in slum areas.

As VOF delegated we were treated to a VIP visit to the Enchanted Farm, where we not only had the chance to meet the incredibly inspiring Antonio Meloto, but were able to hear and see how the organisation has achieved such remarkable results. Meloto maintains the key to eliminating poverty lies in enabling the youth and young leaders. With this in mind the organisation has a constant stream of talented young entrepreneurs (many of which are still studying at some of the world's top Universities) which partner with and mentor young Filipino entrepreneurs, who have created enterprises that employ those removed from the slums.

We were all given a tour around the farm and were able to see, talk to and be inspired by the amazing stories of poverty, survival and success that those living on the farm have experienced. The farm produces a wide variety of produce and we were able to visit the small businesses operating within its walls, many of which are extremely successful and continuing to expand. The model Gawad Kalinga perfected is now being implemented in nearly 2,000 communities in the Philippines and further afield in other developing countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.

It was incredibly inspiring to see young people our age making such a widespread, positive difference in the world. The foundation emphasised its desire to continue expanding and alleviating poverty, highlighting their enthusiasm to accept further volunteers and particularly University students, to take part in internships and exchanges. After hearing that Australian Universities have just begun offering students exchanges to the farm as part of their curriculum (along with British, French, German and US Universities) we were given the details of the Internship Director and sincerely hope to see other young New Zealand entrepreneurs take up the opportunity… at least two of us are already considering a second visit to the Philippines after the experience.

Spectating dialogue at the APEC CEO Summit

For the final three days of the Voices programme, we were privileged to spectate the APEC CEO Summit and were given insight into the dialogues between Political Leaders and CEOs. Their discussions emphasized the need for harnessing the power of technology to overcome issues facing our respective economies, but also to promote open economies and investment in developing member economies. Seeing Prime Minister John Key speak about trade agreements and New Zealand’s position within them made the delegation realize how fortunate New Zealand is to have trade relationships with many APEC member economies, as trade is essential in the running of our economy. US President Barack Obama spoke about the need for member economies to focus on the issue of Global Warming to ensure that we can achieve the goal of sustainable and resilient growth in the future.These discussions aligned with our discussions over the first few days of the Voices programme about using technology and the internet to solve issues, but also to educate people on more efficient (both environmentally and socially as well as economically) ways of growing the member economies in the APEC region.

Further insights to bring back to New Zealand

As with any experience involving numerous cultures and country, the strengths and weakness of your own country become evident when contrasted with other countries. The New Zealand student delegation was incredibly well-liked and as students and made many many genuine friendships among the other delegates, and learned a lot from each other. We also discovered our openness and genuineness strengths in both networking and leadership opportunities during the conference. It was however evident that many of the other student delegates (particularly those from the United States) were well trained in oral presentation skills and speech-making. As students we remarked that young New Zealanders (particularly those entering the business or political spheres) would benefit from programmes similar to those currently existing in US Universities, which produce confident and competent public speakers.

We also found the diversity of our own cultural, academic and geographical backgrounds an advantage. Having representatives from all over New Zealand and from a wide range of study fields gave us an advantage as a team and allowed each of us to contribute their strengths to the team. Bradleigh and Faiz’s musical talents also came in particularly valuable when it came time to perform a 5 minute cultural performance at the closing ceremony. We discussed after the event that if future conferences had similar requirements it would be much more impressive if the group were able to take traditional maori dress to perform in, as many other countries did.