An Experience that Makes a Difference at the Global Transformation Forum

21-22 October 2015 – 12 Student Ambassadors and 6 students from IMU were given the opportunity to attend the Global Transformation Forum (GTF) at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. These students were sponsored by the University to attend the Forum organised by BFR Institute, hosted by the Government of Malaysia in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Around 3000 delegates were involved in this forum ranging from corporates, leaders, and even students of other universities. The theme of the 2-day forum is “Operationalising Transformation: Shifting Dialogue to Effective Action” and the purpose of the Global Transformation Forum is to implement sustainable change, to achieve Big Fast Results (BFR), and providing global learning in transformation practices, in conjunction to the transformation agenda from the United Nations Development Programme. Distinguished panel of speakers were invited to share their knowledge that can be harnessed to transform the world.

A wefie at the Forum

Source: GTF Forum Facebook Page

“We departed early to KL Convention Centre in the morning to avoid traffic jam and ourselves registered for the forum. Despite this, the queue is still very long. After registration, we proceed to the auditorium and there were an enormous amount of people sitting inside. We had to opt for the seats further back. The talks were about how transformation can be carried out in different settings ranging from international bodies, countries, governments, businesses, social topics, and even up to a personal level. Representatives from each aspect shared their knowledge and experience on how transformation was done and how did it affect the outcome. “It was truly an extraordinary experience to attend a prestigious event like the GTF forum! As a student ambassador, I am honoured to be able to experience and listen to speeches from famous speakers such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Helen Clark, Kevin Rudd, Goh Chok Tong, Lord Sebastian Cole and Carl Lewis! I feel more motivated to begin my transformation as a student leader and hope to bring more positive impact to people around me and my everyday life!” —-Angeline

“It was an enlightening experience to hear what the world leaders had to share. GTF was also a great platform for us to socialise and this provided exposure to many ongoing and upcoming projects in our country.” —-Jowynna

During break time, we were invited to attend an attempt to break the Guinness World Record on making a painting with the most number of contributors. This painting, named The Tree of Life, was drafted by Alena Murang and Leon Jala. It was segmented into multiple parts, and each part was painted by a contributor, reaching a total of 2,339.

“As healthcare students, we generally do not have as much knowledge about the corporate world. GTF had been a medium in reconciling us with it. It raised awareness of certain aspect of the modern world (eg. Feminism), and provided first-hand perspectives and experiences from the leaders of the world.” —-Joseph