Reflections on RSIC2026 Sydney

Perhaps one of the most frequent student delegate reflections on the Round Square International Conference at Barker College in Sydney, Australia, is a recognition that they left with a wider world view than they arrived with.

striking things about listening to students reflect on RSIC2026 Sydney, hosted by Barker College, is how many described leaving with a bigger view of the world than the one they arrived with.

For Maddie from Rothesay Netherwood School in Canada, the realisation came from simply being surrounded by more than 1,100 people from 35 countries.

“It shows me how much bigger this world is than just me and my school and my community,” she said. “We’re all coming together for a common goal to do something that’s so much greater and beyond ourselves.”

Others spoke about discovering that meaningful connections can form across cultures far more easily than they had imagined. Esther from Ermitage International School in France described her homestay as giving her “a real sense of Internationalism”. Hosted by an Australian family with Sri Lankan roots, she found herself learning about two cultures at once. What she remembers most, however, is how quickly a stranger became a friend.

“She was born the same day as me, which we found out the first day,” Esther said. “And then everything was natural from then.”

That feeling echoed across the conference. Manqoba from Bridge House School in South Africa reflected on making friends from Canada, Colombia, Peru and many other countries.

“Round Square is such an amazing thing because you just make so many friendships from different countries and it’s just natural.”

For Beatrice from Ashbury College in Canada, the significance of those friendships was not simply that they were international, but that they would never have happened otherwise.

“It’s good meeting people from so many different places that honestly, if we didn’t come here, we wouldn’t have met even.”

Parin from UWCSEA in Singapore spoke about the value of “talking to a lot of different people with different backgrounds and perspectives” and hearing opinions that challenged or expanded her own. Lily from Rothesay Netherwood School in Canada reflected on a similar lesson.

“It doesn’t matter what gender people are, it doesn’t matter their culture, where they’re from. Everyone can learn from their new experiences and their cultures and take it on and grow new things in their life.”

For some students, the biggest shift was not in how they viewed other people, but in how they viewed themselves.

Tina from Keystone Academy in China reflected that much of her previous service experience had focused on her local community in Beijing. Through service projects in Sydney and conversations with students from around the world, she began thinking differently about what it means to contribute beyond the place where you live.

“This experience has taught me the importance of stepping outside of your current environment and exploring more into other things around the world.”

She spoke about helping with environmental projects and sorting donated clothing, but her deeper takeaway was that everyone has a responsibility to contribute, even when they are outside their own community.

Fergus from Scotch Oakburn College in Australia arrived at a similar conclusion after taking part in the service activities. Reflecting on discussions around clothing donations, consumption and waste, he said the experience challenged some of his assumptions.

“Round Square to me is more than just trips around the world and meeting people. It’s what you do back home. It’s the way you treat people.”

The Urban Challenge appears to have reinforced another lesson. Students were asked to navigate an unfamiliar city with people they had often met only days earlier. Success depended on listening, sharing responsibility and finding common ground.

Brevado from Ntare Louisenlund in Rwanda said the challenge required teams to develop “one common understanding” before they could move forward. In doing so, they learned from one another’s perspectives and experiences. Lily from Schule Schloss Salem in Germany noticed how quickly confidence grew when students supported one another.

“Everybody supported each other to do those tasks and everybody got really confident.”

By the end of the conference, students were already planning visits, exchanging contact information and talking about seeing one another again. Yet what emerges most strongly from their reflections is not simply that they made friends in Sydney. It is that they left with a broader understanding of the world, a greater appreciation of different perspectives and a stronger belief that they have a place within a global community.

As Noah from St Stithians Boys’ College in South Africa put it, one of his biggest takeaways was “creating friends and gaining connections that last forever. Knowing that I have friends internationally and not just in South Africa, I think means a lot to me.”

Photos from Barker College – Round Square International Conference – Grant Leslie Photography