Student leaders and guests pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the Global Social Entrepreneurship & Partnership Program held at the Hong Kong Productivity Council on Aug 3, 3023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Dozens of young leaders from 10 countries and regions on Thursday gathered at the Hong Kong Productivity Council to put their heads together to consider how to enhance global youth leadership and youth collaboration.
They were attending the opening ceremony of the Global Social Entrepreneurship & Partnership Program (GSEP), which is a part of the Global Youth Leadership Summer Camp, running from August 2-11.
The program is orchestrated by the Young Global Leadership Foundation and the Global CSR Foundation, along with other supportive organizations.
Zhao Jing, CEO of the Global CSR Foundation, said at the opening ceremony that 41 students from 10 countries and regions joined the GSEP, one of the largest international youth programs held in China following the pandemic.
Dean Fusto, a recipient of the 2020 Klingenstein Fellowship at Teachers College, Columbia University, delivered a keynote speech at the ceremony, calling on participants to set a goal for the upcoming nine days of the program and to rethink their approach every day.
Youth representatives in the GSEP held a panel discussion on young global leadership as part of the opening ceremony, which was moderated by Madeline Xie, a student from Montverde High School and founder of GSEP
GSEP, founded as a youth leadership summer program, aims to foster the next generation of young leaders, and seeks to inspire global vision, cultural understanding, and a commitment to social impact through leadership development, social entrepreneurship, and cultural exchange.
Student leaders and gueasts pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the Global Social Entrepreneurship & Partnership Program in Hong Kong on Aug 3, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The program is orchestrated by the Young Global Leadership Foundation (YGLF) and the Global CSR Foundation, along with supportive organizations.
Among them was Oh Jia-yi, a student from Hong Kong who studies at St. Margaret’s Co-edu English Secondary & Primary School and was also the first runner-up in the “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition 2023 (Hong Kong Region), held by China Daily.
Oh said that her motivation to participate in the GSEP is her passion for creating a positive social impact through entrepreneurship.
As a youth social entrepreneur who is committed to creating businesses that prioritize having a social and environmental impact, Oh believes that social entrepreneurship has the power to create lasting change, and the business sector has a responsibility to use its resources and skills to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
She added that she is particularly excited about having the opportunity to learn from other social entrepreneurs from around the world.
Alex Qi, a student from the University of Pennsylvania in the US, said in the panel discussion that his early experience with social entrepreneurship was gained when he was part of a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) box program at high school. The program worked by packaging small-scale science experiments into boxes that were distributed to libraries in Texas, he added.
Qi added that the program helped some impoverished households learn more about STEM education.
Angel Yuan, a student from Sydney University in Australia, said she co-planned and successfully held the Model United Nations activity for students at the University of Sydney.
Yuan added that she could see each participant grow and develop during the activity. Rather than just defending their own country, participants were able to think globally and seek common interests and solutions, she added.
Sofia Cesarone, a student from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign of the United States who arrived in Hong Kong just early in the morning on Thursday, said she is part of a social entrepreneurship club on campus called Enactus, and worked on prototyping and branding for a startup called Apex, which creates vests with breasts to put on CPR dummies in order to raise education in CPR for women.
Student leaders attending the Global Social Entrepreneurship & Partnership Program visit the Hong Kong Productivity Council facilities in Hong Kong on Aug 3, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Lawrence Cheung Chi-chong, chief innovation officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, said he believes that innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices are crucial for driving positive change.
HKPC aims to inspire and empower young talent to become the next generation of leaders and change-makers through our state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories, and advanced technologies. HKPC is a sponsor of this event.
Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com