IARSLCE + China

Organising the (1) English-speaking IARSLCE APCoP X ICSL International Conference on Service-Learning together with (2) the Chinese Speaking SL conference together was a huge logistical challenge.  The ISCL has been an on-going undertaking of PolyU, with participation mainly from Asia, to promote scholarly work and research in SL.  

On the other hand, the IARSLCE has been an international organisation with little participation from Asia Pacific.  There are very practical reason for it. Most of the IARSLCE conferences are in the USA, which is a high distance from all the countries in Asia.  It is very expensive for Asian delegates, in terms of time, effort, and financial expenses.  There is a desire from IARSLCE to incorporate more input from Asia.  There is also desire from Asia to be more connected to the world wide community.  Hence the purposes of IARSLCE and ICSL.  That gradually led to the formation of Asia-Pacific Community of Practice (APCoP) and the organization of the joint conference. 

In the mean tine, the SL community in Mainland China is growing, leading to the organization of the Chinese-speaking national conference.  PolyU is the common thread among these three trends.  We sense a desire of the Chinese-speaking community on SL to connect with the global community as well as a curiosity of the global community in the Chinese-speaking community.  Hence the co-location of the two conferences in Hong Kong.  In fact, at Hotel ICON on PolyU campus. 

The result is encouraging.  There were a couple of join sessions between the two conferences, with simultaneous translation.  And people cross over from one to the other.  Many delegates make very positive feedback. Contacts and collaborations are being discussed.  The world is full of divisive tendencies.  We are glad we can make a small contribution towards bringing people together.