Written By: A-In Choi (Class of 2024)
This past weekend from September 15th until the 17th, over 20 of Wells’ high school students attended the 13th annual ServICE Conference at NIST International School! The ServICE conference is a collaborative, largely student-led event organized by various international schools in Bangkok. The aim of the conference is to inspire, connect, and empower students to create meaningful changes within their communities and surrounding environment.
The conference provided students with opportunities to share and learn from each others’ experiences in collaboration with numerous local projects and organizations. This was achieved through various activities, such as the impassioned keynote speeches, ‘How-To’ sessions for students wishing to raise awareness about nationwide NGOs, and most memorably, the ICExperiences where students were able to gain firsthand experience with the missions of nonprofits.
On the first day of the conference, students were welcomed with a lively icebreaker, setting the tone for the day, followed by brief meet & greets from the ICExperiences. Followed by another popular event amongst students: the ICE Fair where organizations sold trinkets and were able to raise awareness and funds for their respective causes. To end the day, ‘How-To’ sessions were introduced as students made their way to the first rounds. Keynote speeches were delivered throughout the day as students reconvened in the auditorium to wind down and listen to their peers’ unique experiences.
The second day of the conference followed a similar schedule to the first day; however, it was far more hands-on as new students had familiarized themselves with the events prior. The icebreaker energized students once more as students immersed themselves within their ICExperiences for the majority of the day. Students were placed in diverse groups giving them the chance to network and mingle with other students while simultaneously supporting community organizations, including RoyRak, Shark Guardians, Rescued Glass, Bangkok Soap Opera and Love Wildlife. Needless to say, countless friendships were formed during these workshops and students were able to collaboratively engage in direct service!
The third day was the most hectic, but the most rewarding as the conference came to an end. It was truly bittersweet as our seniors rejoiced over a successful experience, but realized this would be their last conference. Needless to say, the day went by in a flash with most of the day dedicated to ‘ICE Action Planning’ to spark change for the remainder of the school year, carrying on ServICE’s legacy beyond the conference. The ICE Fair was also brought back for the second time before the closing ceremony, marking the end of the 13th conference. Students bid their newly-made friends goodbye, and promised to cherish the memories made over the past few days and continue inter-school collaboration.
Special acknowledgements to a few of our student leaders: Sana Shibuichi, Rachel Kim, Franny Pandya and Tunn Sayamipuk (Class of 2024) for leading a How-To workshop on repurposing plastic bottles to combat plastic pollution in today’s world and raise awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability.
Overall, all of our students left the conference feeling inspired and empowered. It was energizing to interact and collaborate with peers from other schools. Wells would like to thank NIST for their exceptional job hosting the conference, as well as the teacher advisors for their ongoing support with this event.
We look forward to seeing what students will do with their inspiration from the conference, and how they will continue to make a positive difference in the school and local community. We are also very excited to announce that next year’s conference will be hosted by Wells International School at our new Chonburi campus! We look back at the 13th with fondness, and look forward to the promise of the 14th!
