On Sunday 8th October, five student delegates from Form XII namely Niyatiba Zala, Rhea Kureekat, Adnan Unawala, Tanishq Narania and Prince Ram arrived at Brookhouse Schools accompanied by two adult delegates, the RS Head of school Mr Yash Saxena and RS Representative Ms Jyotis Jacob to attend the Round Square International Conference 2023 – The New Africa – in Nairobi, Kenya. They experienced a warm Kenyan Karibu (welcome) on day 1 and after registration a variety of activities kept the students occupied throughout the day. After a restful first night, a total of 1,200 delegates from 160 schools from across the RS community made their way to Bomas of Kenya the next day for the opening ceremony, where the Guest of honour, Margaret Kenyatta, opened the ceremony, amidst vibrant musical and dance performances. On days 3-5 of the Conference, the delegates split into three carousels which were spread across two campuses, enabling students and adults to mix. Each carousel experienced the same three days in a different order: Democracy Day, on which they heard from guest panellists, keynote speakers, and participated in Baraza discussions before heading to their homestay for a taste of Kenyan hospitality; Adventure Day, on which delegates ventured into Nairobi’s National Park for a mini safari and overnight camp; and Service Day in which delegates worked at Brookhouse’s community partner schools in the Nairobi area, refurbishing classrooms, gardening, and playing sports with the children and the day ended with enjoying cultural performances from many of the delegate schools. The Conference ended on 13th October with a Keynote address by Paralympic Athlete Henry Wanyoike, followed by a Closing Ceremony, including student performances, a tribute to Round Square’s late president, King Constantine, and a spectacular live performance from Kenyan chart-toppers Sauti Sol. The delegates returned back to Rajkumar College on 15th October and the Conference was a fantastic experience for all of them and would forever be a cherished memory in their hearts and minds.
