EF Summit about the impact of water on society: From Curiosity to Enthusiasm

The EF Summit held in Berlin about the impact of water on society, which I was lucky to be able to attend, was an impressive and different experience for me. I am used to the day-to-day atmosphere at school and there I felt I was completely out of my comfort zone.

At first, when the school offered the option of attending this event in the German capital, I became curious about it and mentioned it to my parents. However, despite my curiosity, I wasn’t sure about participating. Fortunately, my family, friends and teachers advised and motivated me to try it. Finally I was convinced and I certainly didn’t have any regrets about my decision.

Before attending the summit, I first had to apply by making a one-minute video where I explained to the panel of judges why I was the best candidate for the summit. When recording my video, I decided to think out of the box, so instead of  telling them why they should choose me, I told them why they shouldn’t choose me. I felt it was something new and original that would demonstrate my interest in learning from my mistakes through the experience. Fortunately, it worked and I was selected!

Before I left, I thought the summit would just be three days that would go by very quickly and then I would return home. But I was wrong! I arrived at the event thinking that I wouldn’t do much, that I would just meet new people over the three days and that my teammates would be stereotypical Americans. But that’s not how it went.

On the first day of the event, I met the seven members of my group. It was difficult to carry on conversation with them because we didn’t know one another and there was a sort of wall between us. But as the weekend progressed, that wall began to come down and we got to know one another better. And as I grew to know them, I realised that the stereotypes I had were completely wrong and that I was meeting people who were truly worthwhile.

I also felt different within myself: I felt free to speak and dialogue with them, without feeling weighed down by what others were thinking about me.

Whilst at the summit, I felt as though a new me was born, one that was more open and carefree, who wanted to communicate with others and not worry about what they thought.

Most of the participants were from the US, but there were also representatives of a number of European countries such as the Netherlands and Greece, and I also learnt a lot from them. The hall where the summit was held was absolutely enormous. Plus, we were privileged to be able to attend conferences given by worldwide experts in the field of marine conservation and I heard stories that really impacted me, such as that of Gunter Pauli. All of them made me more aware of the solutions available to solve problems related to water, and even though many people may think the problems aren’t important or that it’s too late to act, they’re very wrong.

In conclusion, this summit not only broadened my knowledge about the problem we have as a society with water and lit a spark inside me to do something about it, but it also helped me to grow as a person and learn how to work well with people I don’t know. Additionally, it allowed me to discover that if we cooperate as a society and follow our passions, in the end our efforts will be rewarded.