ANU’s Asia Pacific Week 2022 was a wonderful interdisciplinary event rich in academic discussions where learners, observers, lecturers, and culture practitioners weaved together the existing reality of the Asia Pacific region through the art of story-telling. As a lecturer at the College of the Marshall Islands teaching Pacific Studies and Micronesian Studies and as a PhD Candidate in Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific, I felt that this Conference was a nice opportunity to build my own understanding of the dynamics of the Asia Pacific region while opening up to new stances of interpreting the need for historical justice by practising greater cross-cultural empathy. I had the opportunity to observe this first-hand through Asia Pacific Week where I got to see this in action with young delegates, young professionals, and young academics displaying greater cross-cultural empathy making me more optimistic about our collective future.
Akash MehtaAPW 2015 proved out be an immensely irreplaceable experience for me. First, I got to know so many people from around the world, about their diverse views on Asia and the Pacific regions and their experience so far. Secondly, I got an opportunity to meet not only the highly knowledgeable PHD scholars but also the government officials, professors and last but not the least, the conference organisers did a commendable job in packing up the sessions with knowledge and information and at the same time sparking the debate in and outside of the sessions. One of my favourite moments of the conference was "The Great Debate" which showcased three of our fellow delegates in an oxford style debate against ANU's finest academics on the topic ' Is local pop culture more influential than western popular culture in the Asia and Pacific regions'.
I think ANU is the best place where one can interact with notable scholars and wonderful students from all around the world.
When I first saw ANU Asia Pacific Week 2020’s (ANU APW 2020) ad on YouthOp, I knew I had to sign up. My seniors once told me about their extraordinary week in Canberra, learning about Asia and Pacific regions more than they ever did during our daily classes. As I also have taken interest in the region, it became my dream to experience this event firsthand. If it weren’t for YouthOp, I would never know that ANU APW was still conducted, even amid the pandemic.
I was very happy throughout the event. I was constantly motivated to find out more about the topics discussed by the panel and delegates. I don’t think that I have ever attended a conference this lively and substantive. The committee was very wonderful, and the other delegates were very insightful and friendly.
My favourite part of the entire conference has to be the Pacific Dance Workshop. I never thought that I would ever have the chance to learn such a beautiful dance from a country so far away from Indonesia, let along learning about it online. The fact that the committee was able to execute a dance lesson perfectly online is beyond my comprehension. I was able to have so much fun with 80 other delegates from all around Asia and the Pacific regions through my screen, and that is an experience that I will never trade for anything else.
It is safe to say that ANU APW 2020 were one of my 2020 highlights. I made new friends and gained new insight. I was also able to experience things that I could probably never have gone through if the pandemic didn’t happen. So, I thank the ANU APW committee for accepting me as one of the delegates, as well as YouthOp for giving me exposure towards this wonderful event.
The 2018 Asia Pacific Week (APW) was a well-organised and thought-provoking multidisciplinary program balancing between academic-policy panels and social activities, intellectual stimulation and friendship-building. In a professional manner, we unpacked contemporary issues – from international security and environment to public health and untold stories of indigenous Aussie communities – with a very competent calibre of junior researchers, professors and practitioners from across the world. It was incredible to engage in thorough discussions on my research project – ‘alliance recalibration’ of US’ allies in the Pacific – deepening personal insights from Australian, Filipino and Japanese viewpoints. We also visited the Australian parliament, had night walks and most importantly, photographed our memories (make sure you don’t miss the serenity of ANU’s lake!).
Not only were the delegates top-notch and sociable but equally the organising committee, making APW unforgettable. Having delightedly attended on an APW scholarship, in partnership with Youth Opportunities, and compared it to several programmes in Asia, Europe and the Arabian Peninsula, I happily recommend attending APW 2019 for the outstanding quality of the conference, competence of delegates, invaluable friendships and networking opportunities. Canberra won’t disappoint you as any airport immigration officer would indicate upon arrival - I promise, there is a lot to learn and earn at the Australian National University’s Asia Pacific Week!
Lewe PaulAsia Pacific Week 2013 proved an immensely valuable platform for putting my knowledge into context. Asia Pacific Week allowed me to see what is beyond one’s own specialised but also biased lens, and to challenge each other’s perspectives and appreciate a whole new view of Asia and the Pacific regions. The program offered more than the traditional panel discussion — the organising committee prepared innovative setups like a war game simulation and an ambassador’s panel, constantly shifting the delegates’ mindsets by exploring unfamiliar concepts.
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