Words by Yudi Ashari Putera & Jonathan Putera XLFL B4 Bandung

The Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Conference 2017 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, brings together 300 privileged delegates from the world’s top universities and 100 notable speakers from a wide variety of specialization to discuss the most pressing issues in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference is comprised of six unique tracks namely, Humanitarian Affairs, Business and the World Economy, Entrepreneurship and Technology, Environment and Sustainability, Governance and Diplomacy, and Health and Social Policy. Delegates are separated into small groups in accordance with their interests and area of expertise.

The theme for this year’s conference is Navigating the Future in the Age of Innovation. The conference consists of both large and small classroom style talks where delegates can listen and raise questions to a wide array of global leaders and change makers. Delegates are also assigned to work in a team to solve case studies based on their respective tracks. Each team is to present their ideas through presentation and draft resolution in front of judges and other delegates. The judges then assess the results and announce the winner in each track.

For us, being able to be in the global sphere of the HPAIR conference was more than just a rewarding moment. Delegates were not only given the opportunity to represent their respective countries but they were also given a full access to enrich knowledge, establish global networking, and explore the prestigious Harvard University.

The HPAIR conference is not only a forum to showcase public speaking or prowess analytical thinking skills but more than that, this forum is a bridging program in which connect talented delegates with today’s leaders and foster long-term relationships among global young leaders. The board of speakers in which predominantly occupied by top world business leaders, high rank officials of the UN, and professors from MIT and Harvard University have leveled up the standardization of the program as a whole. The conference also manages to achieve a fine balance of dynamic forums and also relaxed networking opportunities.

Attending the HPAIR conference 2017 has been indeed a great experience in which the substances of the program will always lead us to do better in the future especially in addressing the social issues throughout the country. Being able to learn from prominent world leaders and also work together with delegates from diverse background is also a priceless experience. We realize now that we still have much to learn if we truly want to be a leader which can thrive in the age of innovation. With the world now becoming a global village, it surely makes more nations more closely intertwined; a better understanding of each other’s paradigm will be the center of importance.