Starbucks and CSCLF join forces to show the way forward for university students

A total of 64 students from 10 universities across the country participated in the finals of a key national youth training program, jointly organized by Starbucks Coffee Company and China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, which concluded recently in Beijing.

The 2016 Starbucks China Youth Leadership Program finals were the climax of the training program that kicked off in November, involving students from universities across the country in a training camp designed to hone their management skills, perseverance and charisma, among other traits commonly expected in leaders.

The four-day national finals, which were conducted from July 25 to 29 with the theme "Youth, Future," featured a team building competition at the Great Wall, cross-cultural experiences, some ecological welfare program visits, as well as presentations.

Yang Fan from the Beijing Hospitality Institute and nine other students were awarded the title of "Starbucks Annual Youth Leaders."

Three public welfare programs, two from Southwest University for Nationalities, and one from South China Normal University, won the top three prizes of the competition.

Following its launch in November, the program was introduced across 10 universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha.

Under the guidance of tutors, 500 students formed 100 teams to research, experiment and do presentation roadshows to create a positive impact for their local communities.

The efforts of the students impacted over 100 local communities and schools and 10,000 local residents - and attracted the support of 110,000 netizens on social media. The finalists were selected based on the impact of their roadshows, social media voting and university recommendations.

"Through the Starbucks China Youth Leadership Program, we have witnessed our university students' great sense of social responsibility, the immense potential in their future careers and their strong planning and communications abilities," said Jing Dunquan, vice-chairman of China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

"The post-1990 generation is creative and passionate in their actions. They have each contributed positively to the community and have been exceptional in bringing their philosophies to life through creative ideas, such as drama and literary works. Without doubt, these students are no longer bystanders of society, but true participants and leaders," Jing added.

With the program's support, university students have found motivation to support the needs of disadvantaged groups, such as children in remote mountainous regions, sanitation workers, the visually-handicapped and rural left-behind elders.

They also discovered new interests in the heritage of traditional handicrafts, including the art of paper cutting.

Students were able to apply knowledge gained from their majors at school - such as new media technology and software development - to elevate the impact, reach and publicity of their welfare programs.

Zhang Yongxin from Southwest University for Nationalities said: "Through these programs, I was exposed to real social issues and started to think about ways and methods to solve them.

"What a meaningful learning experience. I now understand that leadership is neither a label, nor a slogan. It is a call-to-action."

Starbucks said it thought the program had achieved meaningful things for the participants.

"We are thrilled to witness the students' growth and development, which reaffirms our commitment to make "supporting youth a critical and long-term strategic priority for Starbucks community investment," Starbucks China Vice-President Cui Fuqiu.

Looking ahead, Starbucks said it will continue to invest in supporting the growth and success of young Chinese university students, to help them broaden their horizons and strengthen their leadership abilities.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 08/18/2016 page15)