​This past May, I competed in PilotDC* with 3 teammates. In 24 hours, we planned, programmed, and presented an original project to a board of judges. In short, we created a collaboration platform and forum for students worldwide – Help!Me. Described as “Collaboration at its best,” our platform allows students and experts to receive help with projects on a variety of subjects, especially coding, math, and writing. A live editable code editor keeps track of comments and suggestions from others in the community in order to help you improve your projects. Unlike traditional forums, our live editor allows users to keep comments and edits contained uniformly instead of cluttered pages. Co-founding the Help!Me platform is by far one of my proudest achievements, and the most meaningful.

Leadership is easy to come by – a plethora of clubs and positions are available at every school. However, significant, meaningful leadership is far harder to come by. Often times, school club positions are for namesake only, to impress colleges, for bragging rights. However, it is out of school where the difference between true leadership is especially revealed. As co-founder of Help!Me, I learned first-hand the amount of effort, work, and responsibility. My other leadership positions, which I do value, seemed to be from a different realm when compared with leadership outside of the controlled environment of school. Leadership is not just driven by public speaking skills or popularity, but by passion and willpower. Help!Me provided incentive for me, and a vessel, for a passion that would have otherwise been left smoldering inside of me.

The concept that at this moment, my platform is allowing students, people similar to me, communicate and receive help is mind-boggling. Instead of simply pursuing a title, I was truly pursuing a project that had tangible effects. Although the audience is small now, the platform has a massive capability to grow and serve as the basis for future forums and similar platforms. Help!Me is not significant because of revenue, prestige, or popularity, but because of the social consequences. In fact, it was the second highest social-impacting project at PilotDC. Donald McGannon reiterates my newfound understanding of leadership aptly, “Leadership is action, not position.” I believe that the ramifications of my contributions to Help!Me are far-reaching; the platform is akin to a mass, large scale community service contribution. Although the platform is small, I am immensely proud of the project and excited to watch the future growth.

*“Pilot is a national organization that holds hands-on educational events for high school students. Students form teams, brainstorm ideas, work together to bring one of those ideas to life with technology, and then demo and pitch the apps/websites they created for awards and prizes. We engage the local community by bringing in engineers and designers who mentor these students over the course of a day and help them bring their ideas to life. Through this process students learn how to think creatively, pitch and demo their projects and more practical skills like how to code and design. Most importantly, they learn how to learn.

A Pilot event is a day long creative competition when people who are always thinking up new ideas come together for a weekend and collaborate to build them. Entrepreneurs, designers, and developers work in teams to create hacks and apps for web or mobile platforms—in our case, these creators are high school students.” –GoPilot.org

W​hile I may only be considered a student right now, creativity and perseverance is the heart of my experiences, choices, and character. As with other students of Asian descent, such as Bruce Lee, I’ve learned something of a world that is not a traditional part of Chinese culture.  It was the world of freedom, and the personal discipline to drive my own future. Even in media, Asian students seem to be lining up for 2 careers – doctor, or engineer. I cannot refute the stereotype by any means, I may as well fit the stereotype, but I can confidently assure myself that my decision to pursue leadership opportunities is one of personal choice rather than the product of “Tiger-mom” parenting.  Hollywood told Bruce Lee that he was too Asian to be anything more than a masked sidekick. Lee subsequently cranked out 3 immensely popular, albeit low production, films from Hong Kong. In a similar vein, engineering is much more than just a math and physics career, it is more than just the popular choice of major for Asian students. The challenge to not only hold a position, but to also extend the reach and capability of humanity as a whole by creating new possibilities for everyone; the reasons for leadership that I have gathered are merely the first few notes of my own life masterpiece.

Wonderful, I thought. On a cool, foggy morning that still had drops of dew condensed on the grass blades on my church’s front lawn. In the fingers of my right hand, I flicked a simple toy invisible ink and light pen, but the pen failed to illuminate my coded ciphers that I had drawn to show children the capabilities of science. Even worse, only a few short moments remained before the arrival of 86 children throughout the day – the leader of the Imagination Station was in quite a situation. With a few working pens, I guided the children through the day’s activities, but I dreaded packing pens for the children later; what if their pens didn’t work? In a decisive respite after the lessons, I took a pen apart in an attempt to remedy the crisis. A simple solution, ensuring the batteries were secure, revealed to me a lesson I myself had never noticed. The value of taking lead, even in a childish setting, could not have been highlighted any better. The oversight of others, the lack of a solution from others, and the failure to properly respond revealed to me why oftentimes, stepping up to a position should not be about the title, but about the reason.  

The generic leader is often times envisioned as a CEO, the President, or a team captain. Even I have fallen into this misconception. Leadership is not solely about building ones reputation, but fulfilling the needs of others. Model United Nations, Science Olympiad, Envirothon are all competitions that allow individuals in teams to pursue other interests. Another aspect, less observed, is the fundamental desire to work, learn, and win - an essential process that drives humanity. The variable of creativity has never been accurately measured before. Nonetheless, the creativity of leaders is what I admire the most – the ability to solve an unlimited number of problems, obstacles, and hurdles in order to achieve victory. Just as the simple pens illuminated for me, leadership is not about the bridges or skyscrapers, but the ability to problem solve. Although I’m sure a similar ideology exists elsewhere, my personal understanding of leadership now has allowed me to focus my attention at applying myself in a meaningful way to the world. Other students tick off the leadership check box automatically as a result of preconditioned raising. However, although I plan to tick the very same check box, I have full confidence in my own motives that hold that pen. Bruce Lee once explained that he did not choose Hollywood because of his father’s acting career, but because he enjoyed the thrill of martial arts combined with media. Although I am no Bruce Lee, I understand his sentiments. The tears of children at Vacation Bible School enlightened me to a fresh understanding a passion I had previously not harbored any extraordinary feelings for. Now however, I look forward more than ever to a leading others in the future on all kinds of projects and reasons. Leaders are rarely defined as indecisive or afraid – with my newfound passion and competitive nature that has been honed into a tangible tool by MUN, Science Olympiad, and Envirothon – I hope to develop my skills to further strengthen people by helping them with their individual weaknesses.

I think a lot about the difference between banality and wonder, between disengagement and a full on, heartfelt zeal, between being unaffected by the here and now and being bewitched, enthralled by the multitude of wonders of life that surround us. One of the greatest difficulties and hurdles for humanity, and our progress, is habits. 

Once we create a comfort zone, we rarely venture beyond the line we set for ourselves. And yet, you must wonder, why do we willingly limit ourselves? Why do we tell ourselves, that this is the line, this is safe and that is danger? This is actually something called “hedonic adaptation.” The overstimulation of the same thing, again and again, the daily –  the actions that compromise our actions, every second, millisecond, and every nanosecond – the exposure to the same stimuli over and over renders the said stimuli void, invisible. Our brain has already mapped it and routed the stimuli in our nerves, and we are no longer actively engaging our minds with the stimuli. We have mouths, yet that no longer speak, we have eyes that no longer see, we have ears, but do not hear, and hearts that no longer feel nor understand. 

It’s been said that one method of escaping is “scrambling our brains temporarily” to allow the world to seep in through our receptive senses. I’ve said before that, even a single caterpillar, when given the proper care and nourishment, becomes an infinitely magnificent butterfly that is exponentially wondrous – that butterfly will give birth to another caterpillar, and that caterpillar will give birth to another – mathematically, the significance of a single butterfly can be truly infinite. Even Darwin once said, "Attention, if sudden and close, graduates into surprise; and this into astonishment; and this into stupefied amazement.” That is what progress is, that is what illumination is, that is what humanity has been chasing for millennia. But the question remains, how do we do that? T.E. Lawrence said that “Happiness is absorption.” We must dive into the depths of the unknown. Our creativity, our ability to transform not only what is at our fingertips, but also the world, our ability to imagine new possibilities, our ability to probe and prod at the perimeters of possibility, and our ability to warp and mangle the present into the future. Creativity is just connecting things, as described by Steve Jobs. These adventurers, who are able to envelop themselves in this shadow of the future, such as athletes when they’re in the zone, scientists when they have their eureka moment, and artists and musicians who enter a flow state in the midst of their best performance. Thanks to neuroscience, we have gained access to a window into “the zone” that humans enter – the part of the brain responsible for self-censorship and editing literally goes dim – the superego stops dampening your thoughts and senses. Professional athletes and artists, even with their 10,000 hours of practice, but then they go into “the zone” where it is not just about control, but their ability to let go. They shut down their prefrontal cortex, and gain access to the wonder, the numinous, the realm where dreams are able to become real.  But again, how? How does this, passion for awe and creativity link you, to there? How does your passion connect you to the world? Perhaps the questions should be, how do I shake the world? 

Gandhi once said, that in a personal, gentle way, you can shake the world. This is why I’ve been describing my passion for awe, my passion for creativity. It is up to us, to ensure that the moments of our lives are each individually vast and as grand as possible. We should aim to make a masterpiece out of it, one that we would willingly live again and again, for all eternity, and that is what we should strive for. And I love this idea, of composing your life as an aesthetic beauty, italicizing, boding, underlining our experiences, turning my story into “the story”, turning my narrative into “the narrative”. And this is where I’ll borrow a literary concept, the “Hero’s Journey”, an archetype where one endeavors to depart from the ordinary. A chance to learn something new, a chance to quash adversaries, a chance to dominate, and a chance to step out of your comfort zone and liberate yourself, your entire being from self-imposed shackles of habit, that’s where I have found the gateways to the bridges, to the stepping stones, to the entire world. Life is a journey that reveals the strength that you already have, but have not found. In order to contribute to the global community, you must be able to first transcend your own limits. If we are able to turn our life into a masterpiece, then we become the hero. 

Therefore, motivation is only limited by our own habits and insecurities. However, by striving to break free of our self-imposed shackles, we, me included, can definitely continue to progress.​

Kintsukuroi is a Japanese art of fixing pottery, meaning “to repair with gold”; in other words, embracing the flawed or imperfect. A unique philosophy of wabi-sabi, the Japanese valued the aesthetics caused by wear and tear over time, even after is has broken. In a mindset extremely different from the contemporary attitudes of Americans today, who embrace the ability to buy and replace objects, the Japanese justified mistakes and flaws of an object. Christy Barlett commented on the topic of kintsukroi, “Not only is there no attempt to hide the damage, but the damage is literally illuminated…The vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks, the knocks, and the shattering to which ceramic ware too is subject. This poignancy or aesthetic of existence has been known in Japan as mono aware, a compassionate sensitivity, or perhaps identification with, [things] outside oneself.” Failure is not an end, just as success is not an end. Actually, I’ll borrow a concept I used in the Optimist Oratorical contest – “We should aim to make a masterpiece out of it, one that we would willingly live again and again, for all eternity, and that is what we should strive for.” One of the many blemishes of my life was my failure to sufficiently plan, prepare, and execute an engineering project, Scrambler, as a member of the Fairfax Science Olympiad team, as well as a collective failure as a team.

Fairfax High School’s Science Olympiad team once was dominant, once State Champion, and once the top dog. However, in recent years, we’ve fallen out of the leader position in Science Olympiad. From 1st we dropped to 5th place. However, as a team, we were motivated more than ever – 2 coaches joined us, and we were ready to do our best in pursuit of the first place trophy at the state level in order to advance to Nationals. Apprehension and our devotion was apparent in all of our lives for 2 months; not only did we stay after school to study, prepare, and test, but meeting outside of school and using every free moment available to study or design. Some friends commented that it seemed we were somewhere else during class, and they were right. When the responsibility of not only an event, but the expectations of a team are burdening your shoulders, but also the thrill of competition, I was willing to go as far as I needed to succeed. I volunteered to focus on less events, I chose to work on our weakest areas. I clearly recall a teammate and me discussing at length with our engineering teacher if elastic or string would better transfer the energy from the weight to the vehicle. At the time, I was obsessed, in hindsight, I was enjoying every minute of it. 

However, not everything was peachy. Although I volunteered to work on the weakest areas, the team and thus the teammates were not finally announced until only 2 weeks prior to competition. But, with a total of 3 designs, 5 prototypes, and countless late nights, we had a finalized design. All that remained was testing and calibration – by then we only had at most 3 days until the State competition.  Nonetheless, we were confident in our contraption. Unfortunately, on the day of competition, due to our lack of secondary measures and proper planning, our Scrambler experienced an early retirement. A nail was unattached, and our crippled Scrambler was brought to the testing grounds and made a valiant effort – but that effort was effectively worthless. Expecting top 6, but finish 14th was a harsh blow, but a learning experience for our next attempt at States and Nationals. The failure on the part of the administration and leadership to properly assign a team with ample time actually compelled me to run as Captain for my senior year. The mistakes we made as a club were simple but deadly, in fact, I believe that next year, we will be able to reclaim our throne as #1. My campaign is short and simple: stricter measures to enforce proper time management, earlier finalization of the team, and accepting only the best. We weren’t fortunate enough this year to have had a perfect plan, but then again, plans never go according to plan. Of course, I’m not happy with my performance, or the team’s performance, but the past is the past, and the past is a lesson. Kintsukoroi, and its related aesthetic wabi-sabi, both represent a mindset or view centered on the acceptance of imperfection. The aesthetic is often described as one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.” In fact, wabi-sabi emphasizes the appreciation for the ingenuous integrity of nature – of natural events and hurdles that we must overcome in life. The concept of living a life as an aesthetic beauty, a  composed of our experiences, is one that I have taken to heart. Friedrich Nietszche once commented that man is great because he is a bridge and not a goal. Failure is not the opposite of success, but simply another outcom​

​

“The grass is always greener on the other side.” 

I argue that instead, the grass is greener where I water it. As a student at a Northern Virginia Public School, I am more than aware of the opportunities, chances, and resources provided to me. I've also seen, however, the stark contrast between the differences between a public school and a very specific charter school beginning with Thomas and ending with Jefferson High School for Technology and Science. The PilotDC program is actually derived from the annual Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Hackathon, and played into the hands of their school. Despite the advances I've made outside of my classes in personal projects, I was humbled, intimidated, and awed simultaneously at the talent, knowledge, and most importantly, ambition and passion of other students.

My high school prospers from a strong economic student body, financial capabilities to provide resources, and the healthy competition in and out of school. However, these finances, these programs, and these focuses are determined by a school board that is not composed of students who have had a first person view of the stark differences between the capabilities of a typical Fairfax and TJ student. To view the disparity quantitatively, TJ boasts 9 times the amount of computer science courses than my school. And just to sprinkle more salt in our wounds, our computer science class is being discontinued. The students at my school are neither as self-motivated nor realize their potential. The co-founders of the Help!Me platform are a mere 4 high school students, but 3 are from TJ. At PilotDC, I was the sole representative of my school. Imagine, however, if the STEM capabilities of TJ were available at a normal public school such as mine – with a student population of over 2000, statistically, are nearly guaranteed to be capable of producing projects on an array of topics. 

Furthermore, a gap exists between the top percentile of students and the rest of the student population. In fact, I’ve noticed that there is a natural hierarchy of sorts – the top students can be commonly found in the Science Olympiad, Model UN, Science Honor Society, and a crop of other smaller but intellectually demanding clubs. The rest of the students however, seem to almost be scared to even attempt at joining or competing with the top tier students. Although I understand the differences in intellectual ability, the schism that exists between these “tiers” is unnecessary and harmful to the overall nature and mindset of the students. The top tier students only face competition from a small group of similarly minded, while the rest are relegated to less competitive and less potentially impactful clubs. I hope that eventually, by slowly supporting other students to join any appealing club, and not consider the intellectual demands as a limit, but as a learning experience.

My high school is fortunate enough to have the socioeconomic background that few students have to worry about their next meal, but I hope that our students eventually can dream bigger than just the track team or watching TV at home. Andrew Carnegie commented once, that “While the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department.” Eventually, I’m sure that the STEM opportunities will be available, and I look forward to the increased competition of school. 

​I think a lot, we all do. But I think a lot about the difference between banality and wonder, between disengagement and a full on, heartfelt zeal, between being unaffected by the here and now and being bewitched, enthralled by the multitude of wonders of life that surround us. One of the greatest difficulties and hurdles for humanity, and our progress, is habits. Once we create a comfort zone, we rarely venture beyond the line we set for ourselves. And yet, you must wonder, why do we willingly limit ourselves? Why do we tell ourselves, that this is the line, this is safe and that is danger? This is actually something called “hedonic adaptation.” The overstimulation of the same thing, again and again, the daily – the actions that compromise our actions, every second, millisecond, and every nanosecond – the exposure to the same stimuli over and over renders the said stimuli void, invisible.

Our brain has already mapped it and routed the stimuli in our nerves, and we are no longer actively engaging our minds with the stimuli. We have mouths, yet that no longer speak, we have eyes that no longer see, we have ears, but do not hear, and hearts that no longer feel nor understand. It’s been said that one method of escaping is “scrambling our brains temporarily” to allow the world to seep in through our receptive senses. I’ve said before that, even a single caterpillar, when given the proper care and nourishment, becomes an infinitely magnificent butterfly that is exponentially wondrous – that butterfly will give birth to another caterpillar, and that caterpillar will give birth to another – mathematically, the significance of a single butterfly can be truly infinite. Even Darwin once said, "Attention, if sudden and close, graduates into surprise; and this into astonishment; and this into stupefied amazement.” That is what progress is, that is what illumination is, that is what humanity has been chasing for millennia. But the question remains, how do we do that?

T.E. Lawrence said that “Happiness is absorption.” We must dive into the depths of the unknown. Our creativity, our ability to transform not only what is at our fingertips, but also the world, our ability to imagine new possibilities, our ability to probe and prod at the perimeters of possibility, and our ability to warp and mangle the present into the future. Creativity is just connecting things, as described by Steve Jobs. These adventurers, who are able to envelop themselves in this shadow of the future, such as athletes when they’re in the zone, scientists when they have their eureka moment, and artists and musicians who enter a flow state in the midst of their best performance. Thanks to neuroscience, we have gained access to a window into “the zone” that humans enter – the part of the brain responsible for self-censorship and editing literally goes dim – the superego stops dampening your thoughts and senses. Professional athletes and artists, even with their 10,000 hours of practice, but then they go into “the zone” where it is not just about control, but their ability to let go. They shut down their prefrontal cortex, and gain access to the wonder, the numinous, the realm where dreams are able to become real. But again, how? How does this, passion for awe and creativity link you, to there? How does your passion connect you to the world? Perhaps the questions should be, how do I shake the world?

Gandhi once said, that in a personal, gentle way, you can shake the world. This is why I’ve been describing my passion for awe, my passion for creativity. It is up to us, to ensure that the moments of our lives are each individually vast and as grand as possible. We should aim to make a masterpiece out of it, one that we would willingly live again and again, for all eternity, and that is what we should strive for. And I love this idea, of composing your life as an aesthetic beauty, italicizing, boding, underlining our experiences, turning my story into “the story”, turning my narrative into “the narrative”. And this is where I’ll borrow a literary concept, the “Hero’s Journey”, an archetype where one endeavors to depart from the ordinary. A chance to learn something new, a chance to quash adversaries, a chance to dominate, and a chance to step out of your comfort zone and liberate yourself, your entire being from self-imposed shackles of habit, that’s where I have found the gateways to the bridges, to the stepping stones, to the entire world. Awe and creativity only reemphasize the strength that you already have, but have not found. In order to contribute to the global community, you must be able to first transcend your own limits. If we are able to turn our life into a masterpiece, then we become the hero. Friedrich Nietszche once commented that man is great because he is a bridge and not a goal. In order to shatter the chains, I pursue what our ancestors pursued; I channel my creativity and strength for the concept of awe; I elicit awe by embracing the aesthetically stupefaction into my own masterpiece.

Results on Academy News page 

Dreams have driven the very gears of human progression from the beginning of time. Just as a clock could not tick without the clicking of internal gears, dreams form the core of human thought. The concept of attainment spurs us to work harder and persevere towards goals. Subsequently, increased perseverance and motivation further escalate the chances of obtaining and fulfilling our dreams. Dreams lead to success by allowing us to optimize our own internal gears in order to better ourselves in the hopes of attaining an end result. Whether the optimization includes studying for school, or the first step towards the goal does not matter – we, as individuals, must overcome unique sets of hurdles and setbacks in order to accomplish our dreams.

Pokémon is the second largest global media franchise, originating from Japan in 1996, and appearing on the cover of Time Magazine in 1999. The Pokémon series revolves around the perseverance of a single ten year old youth named Ash Ketchum

“I will carry on
​Yeah, this dream will last forever
​This dream will never die
​We will rise to meet the challenge every time
​Yeah, this dream keeps us together
​…Because we always will follow this dream.” (Quoted from Pokémon Advanced Challenge English Theme Song)

As evidenced by the theme song, Pokémon details the willpower and strength that a dream can seemingly materialize within one’s self. Ketchum, in addition to receiving a late start in his journey to become the very best Pokémon trainer, was catapulted into the stark distrust of strangers in large, distant cities. However, by upholding an ambitious dream, such as becoming the very best Pokémon trainer, Ketchum quickly learned diplomacy and negotiation in order to create a friend group to facilitate his journey. In order to properly acknowledge his dream, Ketchum made arrangements in order to complement his own needs – a more mature maternal figure and a paternal support. The rapid growth of Ketchum’s maturity can only be attributed to his vehement desire for achievement. In modern society, rarely do we even allow minors to travel; Ketchum began a solo journey at age ten. Yet somehow, a mere ten year old is able to work towards a dream that we would deem impossible, unreasonable, or even absurd.

In addition to Ketchum’s intense maturity, he also possesses the resolve to repeatedly battle his rival, Gary Oak; he is the same age as Ketchum, but has been bestowed far greater luxuries including first pick of Pokémon, a red convertible, and posse of cheerleaders. In fact, fans often ask, “When has Ketchum beaten Oak?” rather than vice versa. Therefore, although dreams do not overcome obstacles for us, they grant us strength in the form of a tangible end. The series emphasizes Oak’s dominance freely; on multiple occasions asserted his dominance and achievements to Ketchum. However, note that Oak trains out of obligation – Ketchum trains towards a dream. As a result, Ketchum remains undeterred by the taunts and instead works on improving his own skill. The rivalry, as well as Ketchum’s dream miniaturized, climax in a decisive battle in the Silver Johto League. Although Ketchum’s original dream was not to beat Oak, his victory can be seen as a stepping stone to becoming the best.

Ketchum however, has not fully substantiated his goals, despite surpassing 800 episodes. Some may protest that since Ketchum has not become the ultimate Pokémon master, his goal and efforts have been in vain. However, although the abstract concepts of the dream may not correspond to the practical products, a dream can only be considered successful at the discretion of the dreamer. Without the foundation built by his dreams, Ash himself would not be able to steadily progress towards a goal. Therefore, dreams do not hold our hands all the way to our goals, but instead allow us to perceive a destination. As such, although I will certainly encounter hardships on my own personal quest towards a dream, I possess a greater fortitude and perseverance that allows me to create my own stepping stones towards a final destination, or greater picture.

Yiliang “Doublelift” Peng once commented on his own failures and successes regarding the League of Legends World Championships,” I learned that there's no such thing as best, only world-class. If you strive to be the best you'll never get there, but you can fall a bit short and end up world-class. Anyone can have a bad day and lose to another godlike player, but it's all about the bigger picture.” Ketchum’s dream to become the greatest Pokémon Master may not have been achieved literally, but as a result of his dream, Ketchum possesses the attributes of resolve, humility, and perseverance required to further pursue his dreams and personal success. Although he may never be number one, he has and certainly can continue to work towards being the best he can be with a dream in mind.

Works Cited

Pokemon. Master Quest English Theme Song: Believe in Me. David Rolfe, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

​Background:

During the Spring of 2005, the UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution designating Yozo Yokota and Chin-Sung Chung to undertake a 3 year study in collaboration with various organs of the UN including the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, xenophobia and Related Intolerance; the ILO and Unesco. Dalit activists praised that, unlike previous attempts, the Indian government did not block the passing of the resolution nor its adoption. The study published its final findings in 2009 containing a set of draft principles and guidelines in order to properly work on the social inequality.

Policy:

The United Kingdom has taken large leaps and bounds towards social equality in recent years. In addition to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, the UK has taken its own steps to combat the issue of discrimination.The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." During the last reporting period, 2008-2013, the United Kingdom Government’s equality policy has yielded only partial results. Many of the crucial issues raised by the CEDAW Committee in the 2008 examination remain unmet and there has been regression in some key areas. Key issues raised in the UK include:The lack of implementation of a gender-sensitive framework of equality and non-discrimination

in the UK continues to impact negatively on women’s lives. The material effects of this include:

• the continued failure to address the high level of violence against women and girls and the embedded causes of this, and to sustainably fund specialist dedicated women-only services for these women
​the reduction in legal support and access to justice for women suffering discrimination and violence

• welfare reforms which are pushing more women into poverty and insecurity

• the inadequacies of healthcare support and provision for women

• the incomplete support for women with ‘no recourse to public funds’ and refugee and asylum seeking women.

Possible Solutions:

The UK has performed self-assessments with cooperation from organizations such as the Fawcett Society in order to properly recognize weaknesses of our approaches. The UK would like to bring to the attention of SOCHUM the particularities of our strategies in relation to combatting social gender inequality worldwide. Suggestions include:

• A gender equality impact assessment of the programme of public funding cuts should be carried out alongside an assessment of economic strategy from a gender equality perspective

• Develop a common model of analysis, for national and local government, and public bodies, to predict the likely equality effects of policy including gender responsive budgeting

• The needs of women within a particular locality need to be assessed in order to develop local strategies to address discrimination and enable appropriate provision of services

• Ensure that policies and mechanisms, especially those of the Human Rights Act, put into place are able to remain in force despite the negative rhetoric shrouding human rights

• Take measures to mitigate the disproportionate effect of education cuts on women and to mainstream gender equality curricula across all levels of education

Works Cited

"CEDAW 29th Session 30 June to 25 July 2003." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.

"Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women." UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

"UN Study on Discrimination Based on Work and Descent." International Dalit Solidarity Network: Sub-Commission Reports. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

"Women's Equality in the UK." The Fawcett Society Womens Equality in the UK Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

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​Background:

The United Nations' human rights committee has unanimously condemned the "systematic, widespread and grave" human rights abuses in North Korea, citing its reported use of torture, the death penalty for political and religious reasons and numerous political prison camps. North Korean diplomat Kim Song vehemently rejected the resolution, which was sponsored by the European Union and Japan, saying it was "politically motivated" and promoted by the United States and its followers "in their attempt to achieve their goals of undermining our system". The resolution highlights "inhuman" conditions of detention, public executions, collective punishments extending up to three generations, the extensive use of forced labour, limitations on every person who wants to travel in the country or abroad and severe punishment of refugees or asylum seekers returned to North Korea. The UN Human Rights Council commission of inquiry has heard evidence in London, Tokyo and Seoul and will be in Washington from Wednesday.

The inquiry has heard harrowing stories of labor camps in the isolated state ruled by Kim Jong-Un as well from relatives of Japanese believed abducted by North Korean agents and families divided since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Policy:

The United Kingdom has never been reluctant to investigate North Korea’s obstinate behavior in the national scene. In fact, the British Embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea supports British interests in the DPRK. The embassy’s work concentrates on counter-proliferation and human rights in North Korea. North Korea has been extremely receptive to negotiation and diplomacy with the United Kingdom, going as far as to broadcast the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham on state television on the 10th anniversary of our relations. The amiable relationship we have has existed since 1966.

Policy:

The United Kingdom, following the establishment of our embassy in North Korea, has persevered in providing English language and human rights training to DPRK officials, as well as going so far as to suggest visits to the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights which oversees bilateral humanitarian projects in North Korea. Currently we have no plans to withdraw our presence from DPRK. In fact, the UK would be extremely comfortable in leading diplomatic negotiations on behalf of SOCHUM in order to further the advancement of human rights in DPRK.

Possible Solutions:

The UK would look favorably upon incentivized negotiations with North Korea. In addition, we would be wary on allowing nations with poor relations with DPRK to heavily influence this tactic.

Works Cited

"Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

"Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

"'No Plans to Withdraw' UK Diplomats from North Korea." BBC News. BBC, 04 May 2013. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.

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Background: 

 When Burma gained independence form Great Britain on January 4th 1948, it was originally institutionalized as a democratic nation. The region, however, had a multitude of ethnic diversities that failed to unify after independence. Overtime, the original democratic government collapsed, replaced by military rule that is similar to the Soviet Russia.

The United Kingdom believes that ethical divisions are a major contributing factor to the violence, with political alignment is derivative factor. There are over three different civil wars that occur on and off sporadically over the last decade. The primary belligerents are Kachin Independence army, the Shan, Lahu, Kareen, and Rohingya. All of which are in conflict with the official government. In addition, the military coup by General Ne Win created a socialist culture among some parts of the population. There were many protests and retaliations against a military government that were quickly suppressed. There have been many attempts to restore a democratic form of government in Burma. Efforts of the National League for Democracy have created a lasting aware of the condition in Burma, and helped create the starting of a possibly new form of democratic government.

Policy: 

 The United Kingdom has always been advocates for Burmese democracy and human rights in the region. The main organization, which encourages active peacemaking efforts and reform, is the UK sponsored Burma Campaign. The Campaign has a critical role in bringing awareness about the Burmese conflict and attempts to help solve the horrific violations of human rights that occur in the country. The United Kingdom has opened embassies in both the Burma mainland and in conflicting areas to act as a buffer of international support to lessen future conflicts. The British government has also made Burma one of its top priorities in international agenda. The main priorities include:

• Increasing Business with Burma.

• Supporting Development in Burma.

• Supporting Democratic Reform and Good Governance in Burma.

• Reducing Conflict in Burma.

• Improving Human Rights in Burma.

Institutions such as the Burma Campaign and United Kingdom’s international objectives help Burma in transitioning to a democratic and free nation. The policies have had lasting effects, such as making the Burmese condition aware to the UN Security Council and the SOCHUM.

Possible Solutions: 

 The United Kingdom believes that more UN intervention and support is necessary to maintaining the fragile government in Burma. In effect a widespread international effort will be needed to insure democratic stability.

• Have world powers facilitate peace talks between the official government of Burma and the rebel forces and ethnic divisions. An open and honest discussion will help solve misunderstandings to encourage cooperation.

• Put pressure on the government to keep the nation democratic in nature. If necessary, a UN peacekeeping force may be kept on standby to have a presence of authority to deter any radicalists.

• Establishment of UN sponsored workshops to help educate the public about ethical diversities in the country. Such workshops help foster mutual understanding and trust between factions and ethnicities.

Adequate aid given to Burma of the 30% of citizens who live in poverty because of the conflict. Helping the destitute solve immediate needs facilitate the long-term goal of stability in the region.

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