Confluence 2006 - 19 August 2006The inaugural Confluence Global Students' Ministerial Dialogue and Networking Fair was held on 19 August 2006 at the Raffles City Convention Centre. Jointly organised by UKSSC and its American counterpart College Scope, Confluence marked the first-ever independent collaborative effort between overseas students all over the world in bringing people together to discuss Singapore's future. The forum discussion, aptly themed 'Singapore - The Next 40 Years', saw a lively exchange between some 900 students from various universities and the panel of speakers which was chaired by Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean. A wide spectrum of issues were addressed, ranging from the terrorism to political expression and an open society. Other panellists included Members of Parliament Mr Hri Kumar Sangaran and Mr Masagos Zulkifli, and Citigroup's head of private banking, Ms Tan Su Shan. The students' eagerness even spilled over to the high tea reception in the foyer, where Mr Teo gamely continued to take questions from young Singaporeans who were, for various reasons, concerned about the future of the country. Apart from the ministerial dialogue session, there was also a careers forum held in the morning, where some 500 students listened to presentations from prominent corporate representatives about prospective career options - including public service, energy/petroleum, banking and entrepreneurship, followed by a question and answer session at the end. All throughout the day, students were also free to browse around the foyer where corporate representatives from some 18 organisations tended their booths, handed out free gifts, and accepted CVs from some eager applicants. The spirit of the event was succinctly summed up by Mr Teo, who, in response to a question asking what reasons he had to feel optimistic about the future, remarked that if young Singaporeans continued to be as concerned and engaged as Confluence showed, then the country had more than enough reason to feel optimistic. Click here to view newspaper clippings More Details on Confluence Website Reported by Benjamin Lee |
