This is not a fun holiday. Joining the seminar of the Frans Seda Foundation means hard work. Moderator and organiser Rennie repeats his motto one more time, on the third day of the 2017 seminar, the day all participants will start their actual work.

We have been singing, eating (a lot), we have been travelling, we have visited the offices of Kompas Media, we have listened and learned from the daughter of Frans Seda, we have made fools of ourselves at the airport (and laughed about it), we have listened to speeches, to pitches. But today’s the day we get to work.

 

We have been split up in five groups of four, each group discussing a theme we set in separate meetings both the Netherlands and Indonesia. All of them are connected to this year’s overall theme: Global Citizenship. In a world where borders are being built to protect a certain sense of identity, whether it be religious, cultural or ethnically, how can we build bridges to overcome these differences, as Frans Seda has always strived for during his live? How can we become global citizens, rise above differences, eliminate inequality, give everyone a chance in life?

These are of course quite broad questions, to which probably no one has the definitive answer. But by connecting the questions to themes this years participants hope to sharpen their  thoughts and, hopefully, come up with concrete ideas. So this is what the different groups have been discussing: political populism, creative economy, digital citizenship, shaping identity and talent development. First steps were made in reaching a concrete goal yesterday, first presentations were given.

Serious topics doesn’t mean serious surroundings, by the way. Groups could be find around the swimming pool during the day, at the lobby of the hotel, in the restaurant. Some were suspiciously often seen at the table with cakes and puddings.

In between discussions, two speakers were invited to share their thoughts on their work and on global and national challenges. Arnold Egg, Chief Technical Officer of the Lippo Group, one of Indonesia’s biggest conglomerates, is the first speaker of the day, Lippo Group owns, amongst other things, hotels, schools, universities, fintech companies, cemeteries, malls, shops, hospitals. Egg, who calls himself a startup guy on steroids,  is responsible for thinking up new businesses for the group. He recently finished a project in fintech and is now planning to start something hospital-related. A true entrepreneur, Egg mostly talked about perseverance.

In the afternoon Surayah Ryha took the stage, an inspiring young woman who talked about her non-profit organisation Project Child Indonesia and her project Pasar Mandiri: an Organised Act of Kindness. Many felt inspired by her motivation and her passion for the work she does and the people she helps. (If you want to know more of her work, please visit the website: http://projectchild.ngo/ )

So yes, it was a long day, full of hard work. But a very inspiring one as well.