Upon entering the ninth DEN International Student Conference at the University of Westminster, I was struck by the diversity of its participants. Many of the students come from places that I would never have dreamed of sharing a conference space with, such as Central Asia, Eastern Europe, etc. When entering the conference, you could feel this global representation in a positive, not overwhelming, way. Each person had different experiences, perspectives on the world, and reasons for attending. The diverse backgrounds created a unique atmosphere that was alive, curious, and unlike any academic event I had ever participated in. The ease with which everyone conversed was what surprised me the most. The interaction would be somewhat formal and a little uncomfortable, as with many academic events of this nature. However, the conversations just flowed freely from many different places: in the hallways, at coffee breaks, after a presentation, etc.
Someone would mention their research, and you would become genuinely curious; or someone would ask you a question, making you contemplate something that you had never thought of before; or you would see the participant engage, just as you will, in a shared willingness to have a conversation with one another, creating a comfortable and relaxed environment in which to participate. The variety of projects people were working on demonstrated the tremendous reach of DEN. Students presented on a plethora of topics ranging from AI, to migration; education; democratic participation and in hearing all these topics presented, it was amazing how much these issues connected with one another and to people’s lives and their communities and were not simply related to an academic exercise. It reminded me that the quality of conversations you have with someone, especially about the world we live in, are so much better when they are based on personal experience rather than theory alone.
I left yesterday’s conference with a feeling of having met a number of people I would never forget. Not because of something dramatic that happened; but because the DEN_Network provided a unique experience in bringing together so many different perspectives in an environment where they could all be heard and accepted. The 9th DEN Conference was exactly that type of experience for me, and I left with a more open-minded view of the world around me.
Mawera kazmi