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Yūgen 2.0 February 22Pathways World School, Gurgaon
Yugen 2.0 is a Virtual conference hosted by Pathways World School in collaboration with Round Square from 12th to 13th February 2021.
The agenda of PWS Yugen 2.0 was to provide the youth with a collaborative platform to understand the burgeoning importance of media literacy. The conference aimed at stimulating productive discourse among the delegates regarding media and its different forms to delve into their roles as global citizens and work towards the Round Square Ideals. More than 230 delegates (ages 14 to 18) from 28 international schools across 5 countries participated in this conference.
Yugen 2.0 encompasses the 21st-century approach to Media Literacy. In the present climate, media literacy is of utmost importance, especially for the youth. The ability to recognise different types of media and understanding the nature of its message is a crucial skillset.
It is required more than ever to navigate in the age of ‘fake news’ and ‘cancel culture’. Through the course of this conference, delegates enthusiastically took part in intensive discussions on several important topics associated with media, such as the effects of media advocacy on social issues and the role of social media.
The opening ceremony helped set the tone with guests of honours Mr. Kanak Gupta and Mr. Abhimany Basu. The Closing Ceremony perfectly concluded the conference and sparked ideas that delegates took back with guests of honours Mr. Dhruv Mookerji and Mr. Deborshi Barat.
Some more highlights of the conference include the motivational and insightful speeches by the eight keynote speakers who work in the media and associated industries, all of them gave the participants a unique outlook on the theme of media literacy, including two of Pathways' alumni Dr. Jaskiran Bedi and Mr. Aditya Raghav.
In the Baraza groups, the delegates discussed various prevalent issues associated with the theme and their understanding of media as a whole. Furthermore, they participated in fun and informative games such as icebreaker activities, Kahoot, fun debates among many others. These activities sharpened their analytical skills and trained them against media manipulation.
An inter-group activity was also held on the second day “How best to advocate for a cause using the media?” The delegates were presented with one prevalent global issue and were asked to come up with the most efficient proposal in the form of a template or a short movie or a poster etc. Some of the topics chosen were discrimination against South Asians, racism, queerphobia, sexism and many more.
Throughout the two days, delegates displayed a great deal of dedication and passion towards the theme of this conference, it was remarkable to see them working hard towards one of the most important issues of our time!