A total of 50 student delegates from all over China gathered at the Affiliated High School of Peking University to participate in the World Youth Forum of China recently.

The participants talked to world-renowned figures about how to make contributions to the world.

The forum was supported by the United Nations Association of the USA, and was organized by Plan Spark, a student society that organizes a Model United Nations Conference for students.

Troy G. Wolfe, senior manager at UNA-USA, who encouraged Chinese students to try boldly and think creatively, gave a keynote speech at the forum.

Shen Gang, deputy editor of the 21st Century, an English language learning newspaper in China, also attended the forum and talked with the students about how the media can perform better in the civil society.

"Some media outlets in China are misleading public opinion, as they report stories and facts inaccurately, which is quite an unprofessional act for media practitioners and has an ill effect in society," he said.

He told students that every person should learn to think and view news events independently, instead of being easily led by media coverage. Moreover, they should question the media at all times instead of relying on them, he added.

The World Youth Forum of China, which will be held every summer, was launched by Plan Spark, which comprises elite university students from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China and China Foreign Affairs University.

Plan Spark aims at creating platforms for communication, fostering critical thinking and cultivating global citizenship. The team has launched a series of free courses for more than 100 high schools in 14 areas in China, training students and spreading the sense of global citizenship. This idea is also greatly appreciated by the UNA-USA, and has been endorsed by its Global Classroom brand to serve as part of its program and as the only cooperator in mainland China.

The forum aims to boost the cooperation with institutions like the UNA-USA, and to provide a chance for middle school students in China to develop their aptitudes.