NEWS

ICU student attended Athens Democracy Forum as a student representative

Update: October 26, 2022

From September 28th to the 30th, ICU third-year student, Aoi Watanabe, who is now studying abroad at Tilburg University as an exchange student, participated in the Athens Democracy Forum an annually held forum organized by the Democracy and Culture Foundation, with the support of the New York Times.

Marking its tenth anniversary, the theme of the forum was set as "A Decade of Democracy: What Now", and a number of sessions by specialists from various fields were held from September 28th to the 30th.

Ms. Watanabe was selected as one of the student delegates from the Global Liberal Arts Alliance to which ICU belongs. With 20 other amazing students from all over the world, Ms. Watanabe spent one week in Athens to work on the pre-forum preparation to the post-forum reflection of the forum, and also enjoy the beauty of Greece.

In the forum, Ms. Watanabe was one of the speakers to provide 'youth hacks' for the "Digital Tool Kit" session. She also had the privilege to talk with Mr.Ban Ki-moon, the former secretary general of the United Nations, and hear insightful opinions of such a prominent individual who has been at the frontline of international affairs for decades.

Student Comments

The ultimate question of "what is democracy" was raised frequently in the forum. There is no unified answer, and rightfully so. But, in my opinion, what is important for establishing and maintaining democracy is to keep on questioning what is around you. Take the Ukrainian invasion, for example, a central topic at the forum. What countries have done for the past several months has been pointing fingers at each other. As a result, nothing has been achieved and only the innocent ones are being treated brutally. The term "critical thinking" is a common word in ICU but was mentioned also in the forum. As much as I felt the hardships of putting it into action, I strongly felt that critical thinking is not something that should be given up in the name of difficulty. After my trip to the forum, I came to believe that our doubts and questions as a result of critical thinking are what shape a democratic future.

Not only was I glad to be a part of the forum itself, but I was also grateful that I got to meet young ambitious individuals from different parts of the globe. Their comments and opinions showed me new perspectives and inspired me to strive to become an individual who can give a positive impact on the world. Greece itself was such a beautiful place to see, as we got to visit places such as the Acropolis, the birthplace of democracy itself.

If anybody is thinking about applying for the forum next year, I would highly recommend you to do so. I admit that to be selected out of 60 nominees - 2 from each university- might be tough; however, being able to study in Athens for one week is all worth the effort.

Lastly, I'd like to thank Professor Bondy, the Top University Project office, Simon and Mickey from GLAA, and of course my fellow student delegates.