Round Square Conference "We Walk Together"

The Conference logo

This October our school hosted the International Round Square Conference. I can proudly say that our “We Walk Together” conference was a great success. The conference was very significant for me because as a Barazza leader I was going to be highly involved in almost all the activities. I was going to facilitate some Barazza sessions (discussion groups), perform, speak and dance on the stage. The thought that there were going to be 800 delegates all from different countries made me very excited but at the same time nervous as well.

What were my aims?
My objectives for this conference were to get to know as many different people from different schools as possible, to increase my confidence and do something that I hadn’t done before.I hoped to develop myself as a better communicator, knowledgeable and as a risk taker person.

What did I do?
On the first day of the conference we all did some service. I myself was supposed to meet the delegates, give them some drinks and take them to their boarding houses. This was tiring because I had to stand or walk for 5-6 hours but it helped me to get to know some people before the conference actually started.I also had to perform short performances and introduce key-note speakers on the stage.


What difficulties did I encounter?

"We Dance Together" the final dance of the RSC

I was nervous because it was the first time that I was going to get onto the stage in front of 800 people, including His Majesty King Constantine and his family. Besides my nervousness I was incredibly happy that I had that opportunity to do something that I hadn’t experienced before. I remember the moment that I first went onto the stage. I was going to perform a three minutes dance with one of my friends, to represent “WE DANCE TOGETHER” subtheme of our conference. Before the music started I was felling so nervous that I wanted to run away from the stage. But NO! I didn’t, I tried to calm down telling to myself “This is a challenge. Don’t be afraid of it. Challenge is what life is about”. And guess what? The long lasting applauds made me realize that I could overcome that change. I was more than happy because after that dance gave me a huge experience and more confidence. After that I was not that nervous when I had to get on the stage again and do a small performance and a speech. That same 800 people didn’t scare me already.

All Barazza leaders on the stage

   As I mentioned before I am a Barazza leader and I should lead three Barazza sessions. The problem that I was afraid to face was that I might have some English problems (as I am not a native English speaker) and ruin the session. But fortunately everything went very smoothly with lots of interesting discussions and ice-breaker. The best appreciation was that the people from my Barazza group told that they really enjoyed the sessions.

What did I achieve?

This “We Walk Together” conference was a great success not only for my school but certainly for me as well, as I get to know other people and me better. It helped me to achieve my goals that I hoped to achieve. I could see myself developing as a communicator, as I was able to work corroboratively with the members of my Barazza group, and other participants.
I became more of a knowledgeable person, as during Barazza sessions i facilitated our group discussions, exploring concepts,ideas and issues that have both local and global significance (like poverty, corruption).
I developed confidence and new skills, acting as a risk-taker and performing, dancing and speaking in front of 800 people. I also realized that if I don’t know something or I haven’t done it before I must not panic, but try to calm down and balance my emotions.

WE ARE TOGETHER