Global Youth Leadership Program (GYLP) is a new 2-year leadership learning initiative jointly organized by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Peking University (PKU).
It aims at promoting holistic development of a group of outstanding students selected from the two universities, particularly, helping them better understand contemporary China and the world from a global perspective.
Comprehensive in its approach, the Program consists of varied components, including workshops, credit-bearing service modules, learning trips to Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Vietnam and the United States.
Running from 13th-19th January 2014, the Hong Kong trip featured a one-week intensive program of discussion, visits and experiential activities designed to encourage students to understand and analyze the issues in nowadays Hong Kong society from multiple perspectives.
Research and preparation
From the beginning of fall semester2013, we were given the task to undertake extensive research on poverty as part of the preparation for our presentations at the “Youth Forum on Poverty in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland” set in January 2014. We looked in-depth at the “phenomenon”, “causes”, “government policies” of poverty, and at the question of “what our young generation can do to alleviate poverty”. The Forum was designed to create a platform for us to develop and sharpen our leadership skills. For many of us, being second year students whose majors are not social science, what we’ve acquired during the 4-month research were not only academic skills related to data, case analysis and presentation, but also team spirit and work efficiency.
Lectures
During the 7-day trip in Hong Kong, several lectures covering a wide range of topics were arranged, giving us background knowledge useful for getting our firsthand experience in Hong Kong. For example, we attended the lecture on “Environmental Challenges Confronting Hong Kong and Mainland” given by Dr. Kitty Poon, Former Undersecretary for Environment Bureau ,the lecture on “Social Welfare System in Hong Kong” delivered by Dr. Chung Kim Wah, Assistant Professor and Director of the Centre of Social Policy Studies, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU, and engaged in a discussion with Ms. Regina Ip, Member of Legislative Council of the HKSAR following her presentation titled “A Brief Overview of Hong KongLegislative Process”.
Talks& Visits
In a series of Practical Dreamers seminars, we had an unique opportunity to participate in interactive dialogues with community leaders from all walks of life, including Dr. Chiang Chen, founder of Chiang Chen Industrial Charity Foundation, Ms. Agnes Chen, founder of Love Foundation Ltd., Ms. Yuen Han Yan, founder of Half the Sky Public Education, and several young graduates from Yale University, who established their own NGO, Philanthropy in Motion. Their stories greatly broadened our horizons. In addition, various visits to the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, New Life Psychiatric Organization Organic Farm and Hong Kong Christian Service Ethnic Minority Services further enriched our understanding of the significant contribution of non-governmental organizations towards the deprived groups in Hong Kong.
Experiential Activities
In order to give us firsthand experience and all-round knowledge about poverty in Hong Kong, the Program partnered with Oxfam Hong Kong and arranged an array of unique experiential activities, such as undertaking role-play,sleeping in the street, scavenging cardboard boxes to make money for lunch, and visiting a privately run restaurant in Sham Shui Po which serves free orlow-priced meals to the poor. Through these activities, we got a real sense of what those people were suffering and gained a new perspective on poverty.
Youth Forum
All the aforementioned hard preparation gave birth to the “Youth Forum on Poverty in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland” held on 18 January 2014. The Forum was co-organized by PolyU and Wofoo Leaders’ Network and sponsored by TsimShaTsui District Kaifong Welfare Association. The opening ceremony was hosted by Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and Member of Commission on Poverty, Prof. Daniel Shek, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) of PolyU and Prof. XiongYuegen, Professor and Director of the Center for Social Policy Research, Department of Sociology of Peking University. Joined by over 120 participants including student leaders from various universities in Hong Kong and interested members of the public, the Forum includes stimulating presentations and discussions on current social issues faced by Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, and presented engaging voices, ideas and reflections of our young generation.
