Out of hundreds of groups representing their universities from all over the world, our Year 3 student, Paula Sun, and her groupmates were one of the few selected to present their social project entitled “20/20” at the 50^th UNIV Congress in Rome during 8-16 April 2017.  The social project was a book compilation of interviews they had conducted with refugees and asylum seekers in Hong Kong.  Every year, the UNIV Congress has a different theme related to the global issues of today, and this year’s theme was “A World in Movement”.  Paula and her groupmates were the only group to represent Hong Kong to participate in this event.

“Through the presentations of the other selected projects from countries such as Honduras, Belgium and Russia, I have become more knowledgeable of the social issues related to “A World in Movement” in these respective countries, such as the problems and consequences of high unemployment rates in Honduras, the lack of education of children in Russia and the resistance of refugees in Belgium.  By becoming aware of these problems, we have also learnt about the ideas and solutions presented by the students.  It was so uplifting to be surrounded by so many young people who are acting on the intentions of making the world a better place.  Seeing that so many young students from all parts of the world have the same vision for the world has made me realize the power we have as young people to change the world, starting from our own countries or cities.

Not only were we able to discuss solutions and ideas through our projects, but we were also able to visit one of the most historical and religious sites in the world.  As a Catholic, being in Rome during Holy Week has been a valuable experience that I would always treasure. In my opinion, the highlight of the trip was being able to see Pope Francis with my own eyes, just ten steps away from him!  The beauty of the cathedrals and churches dating back to the third century was breath-taking!

I highly encourage more university students from Hong Kong to participate in this congress and take pride in representing our city.  Knowing that our efforts and time spent during the process of our project has contributed to making a world a better place and has enkindled the inspiration of other university students has been such a humbling experience that I would never forget.

Paula Sun (ELED/3)”