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"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."

Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop

Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe. ~ Elie Wiesel (holocaust survivor)

To me it seems that to give happiness is a far nobler goal than to attain it: and that what we exist for is much more a matter of relations to others than a matter of individual progress: much more a matter of helping others to heaven than of getting there ourselves. ~ Lewis Carroll

It is a brave and honest person who can stand apart from the masses and openly challenge its most treasured beliefs. ~ Donna Evans

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. ~ Leo Tolstoy

Now is a rushing river. There are those who would hug the shore, but there is no shore. Push off into the stream. Hold your head above the frey. See who else is in the midst of things, and celebrate. ~ Native American saying

Only those who risk going too far can possibly know how far they can really go. ~ T.S. Eliot

The only true failure in life is to stop trying. ~ Unknown

The possibility that we may fail in the struggle should not deter us from supporting a cause we believe to be just. ~ Abraham Lincoln

The man who moved a mountain is the one who started taking away the small stones. ~ Old Chinese Proverb

A hundred years from now it will not matter the sort of house I lived in, what my bank account was, or the car I drove...but the world may be a better place because I was important in the life of a child or one of God's creatures on this earth. ~ Anon

Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears. ~ Richard Wilkins

St. Clare's, Oxford in association with IBSCA (IB Schools and Colleges Association of the UK and Ireland) present the UK IB Students' Conference 2004.

This is an annual conference, open to IB Diploma students in IB schools and colleges in the UK and Ireland. This year's IBSCA Students' Conference takes place on Tuesday 8 June. A detailed programme of the day will be available when students register, but the general format is as follows…

Theme
It is often suggested that young people feel themselves to be powerless and yet they are concerned about the future. Many see the need for society to change to deal with issues ranging from environmental degradation and globalisation to inequality and conflict. Too often, they see "the system" as being impervious to their concerns. But, if they look, they can find examples of people who have made a difference - people who have pushed aside their familiar routines to facilitate change.

For this year's conference, we want to expose students to case-studies involving people who have tried to make a difference and to then facilitate debate on what they can do, including discussing the legitimacy of various modes of action.

The theme of this year's IBSCA Student Conference is therefore:

From Personal Change to Social Action

Organisation of the Conference
Pre-Conference
Visiting students, and their accompanying staff, are very welcome to arrive in Oxford on the afternoon of Monday 7 June. Accommodation will be available in one of the St. Clare's houses.

On the Monday evening we will organise events in Oxford combining social activities with opportunities for visitors who are unfamiliar with the city to see more of it. We sincerely hope that students from a number of schools will take up this offer so that the degree of social interchange between students can be as wide as possible.

As another pre-conference event, we intend to screen a feature film such as Erin Brockovich, Gandhi or Schindler's List if there seems to be demand for this.

Timings
The Conference itself is on Tuesday 8 June. General timings for the day are:

08:45 - 09:15 Registration (allocation to groups etc.)
09:15 - 09:45 Discussion group meeting #1
10:00 - 10:45 Study session A
11:00 - 11:45 Study session B
12:00 - 13:00 Study session C
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch groups
14:00 - 14:45 Study session D
15:00 - 16:00 Discussion group meeting #2

Discussion Groups
Each student will be allocated to a discussion group. Each discussion group will be arranged to include students from as many schools and as many nationalities as possible. Each group will contain approximately 14 students. The group's first meeting will be for students to get to know each other and to start to explore issues relating to social change.

During the day, students will attend four different Study groups. The day will be arranged so that the members of each discussion group attend different combinations of Study groups. Then, in the final discussion group meeting, they will report back on the issues that they explored during the day and discuss the legitimacy of different modes of action.

Study Sessions
During each of the four Study sessions, there will be presentations and workshops.Full details on the presentations and workshops will be in the conference programme. However, these will include:

• Taking risks for human rights - Peter Tatchell describes his use of direct action (eg his attempted citizen's arrest of Robert Mugabe)
• The anti-globalisation movement
• Cycling from Cape Town to London to raise funds for Anti-Slavery campaigns
• The risks of resistance during the apartheid years in South Africa between 1948 and 1994
• Making the Personal Political (how to start a charity organization, how to promote/raise awareness of an issue, how identity and a sense of personal responsibility can make a difference, and how to effect change from abroad)
• Working with the poor in Pinochet's Chile
• Student politics in Côte d'Ivoïre
• Supporting asylum seekers in the UK
• Working with mentally-handicapped adults
• The contemporary struggle for queer human rights (discussion group with Peter Tatchell)
• Charity work in Madagascar
• Voluntary work during your Gap Year
• The struggle for Palestine
• Bringing Jews and Arabs together in Israel
• Campaigning by Oxford University Students' Union
• Charity work by Oxford Students' Union
• Non-violence, pacifism and the Quaker Social Testimony
• Political action in a local context
• Effecting change through involvement in local councils
• A campaigning group for environmental awareness
• The forgiveness project (www.theforgivenessproject.com)
• From drug abuser to campaigner for drugs education
• IB students talking about projects that they have undertaken on their own initiative
• IB students talking about particularly successful Service projects

Visiting schools are encouraged to add to this list through presentations by their staff and/or students. They are also invited to give short presentations on distinctive Service projects or other similar ventures.

Lunch Groups
During lunch we are hoping to set up further discussion forums where students can share their perceptions of the Diploma Programme and/or university preparation.

Visiting schools are invited to suggest topics/themes that they would like to include in these discussion forums.

Post-Conference
Visitors are also welcome to join in with activities after the Conference and to stay overnight if they need to. But, we would like all visitors to leave by 9:00 on the morning of Wednesday 9th (so that our normal teaching can resume).

Costs
Overnight accommodation costs £22 per person.
The day's conference (including lunch) costs £8 per person.

Registration
Visiting schools are asked to register students and staff by 24 May. A registration form can be found here.

Contact
Please address queries on the Conference to:
Keith Allen, Vice-Principal
St Clare's, Oxford
139 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AL

Tel: 01865-552031
Fax: 01865-310002
Email: keith.allen@stclares.ac.uk