Time | Content |
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13:30 | Opening Remarks Professor Jin-Guang Teng, President, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
13:40 | A New Global Landscape : Invited Presentations and Panel Discussion World-renowned speakers and practitioners will share about their work and experience on social betterment, impacts of their work towards the community before, during, and after the coronavirus, and insights for the young generations
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15:00 | Closing Remarks Professor Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University |
Time | Content | |
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15:15 | Global Reconnection Hackathon | Global Reflection Workshop |
Students will work together to brainstorm, design and prototype innovative products that address the theme of reconnection under the context of COVID-19, world-pressing challenges and help the community. Their innovation and solutions will be presented, and outstanding ideas will be awarded. (This session will last for 24 hours) |
Students will complete a guided reflection study before the Summit. At the Summit they will discuss their work with other students from all over the world. They will compare and contrast their findings/experience, get to understand different issues under various contexts around the globe, and conclude the Summit with creative means in a handcraft workshop. (This session will last for 3 hours) |
Welcome to the “Global Youth Leaders’ Summit 2020”! Themed “Transforming Crisis into Re-connection”, this Summit is a unique world-wide platform for young people around the globe to ponder, to share thoughts, feelings and ideas, and to pull together actionable insights for the betterment of the whole world.
2020 has been an eventful year. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted us all at multiple levels – individually, socially, and even at the national and global levels. The challenges brought about by the pandemic have certainly affected our day to day life and the resulting uncertainties have shaken up the lifestyle and beliefs we have adopted for years. At a broader scale, the crisis compels us to re-examine the prevailing idea of “globalization”. We cannot help but wonder – will this bring globalization to a stop? Not just the economic side of it, but also, the sharing of cultures, the collaboration of ideas, the inter-relatedness of humanity – will this survive the pandemic? How can all of us throughout the world overcome different global challenges to reconnect with others under the circumstances, and to continue to foster intercultural collaboration for the well-being of the community?
This year’s Summit endeavours to adapt to these challenges. From an intensive in-person encounter, we move to a digital experience. We are honoured to have eminent speakers Dato Dr Kim Tan, Ms Jennifer Neelsen, and Mr Jeffrey Andrews to share with us their remarkable work in realizing their visions for a better society. It is also our delight to have global actors from over 10 universities from all parts of the world here with us. They are encouraged to develop empathetic solutions in response to the global pandemic and to engage in rigorous discussions with peer participants.
In every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. I am sure the occasion is going to be a great chance for young people to re-connect one another, and hand-in-hand we shall uncover that unseen opportunity.
I warmly invite you to enjoy the Summit!
The pandemic in 2020 is drastically redefining our beliefs and pursuits in sustainable development in an era of globalisation. International services and works have been forced into suspension by this unprecedented coronavirus outbreak – and this health risk is believed to stay for good. What does this mean for globalisation? Will it continue, or will this be brought to a halt? What does this mean for the efforts to build up global understanding and a global outlook?
This is a good opportunity for young people around the world to take a pause and review their roles and positioning. How should they overcome the different global challenges, reconnect with others under the circumstances, and continue to foster intercultural collaboration for the betterment of the community?
The “Global Youth Leaders Summit 2020: Transforming Crisis into Re-connection” is organised by the Service-Learning and Leadership Office (SLLO) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Scheduled for 24 October (Hong Kong Time), this is an online platform for youth leaders from all over the world to share and reflect on their experiences under the different pandemic contexts, and to discuss, plan, and act together for future social initiatives to take place among the involuntary social distancing and other crisis and challenges.
Global Youth Leaders Summits encourage youth leaders to transform their vision into action. Upholding the tradition, the Global Reconnection Hackathon gathers students from different universities to brainstorm, design, and prototype solutions to address the theme of “Reconnection” under the context of COVID-19. Youth leaders from various disciplines and cultures, who dream and innovate, will be working together to develop tangible technology-driven solutions.
This hackathon lasts for 24 hours (excluding preparation events) and teams will collaborate online simultaneously during this period. Entry is open to teams and individuals/small groups who are interested in collaborating with other groups in a multi-institution context.
The final expected deliverable of the Global Reconnection Hackathon is a short video proposal, which will be judged by a panel of social innovation experts. The video proposal is expected to motivate and describe the technological solution, and to provide a prototype demonstration (if appropriate). Outstanding solutions will be recognized with awards.
Go to the Global Reconnection Hackathon
The Global Reflection Workshop will guide youth leaders to conduct a social study, which is designed to lead them to understand the unique challenges faced by specific groups under the pandemic, compare and contrast the situations of these groups, and learn to empathise across regions and contexts through in-depth and guided discussions. They will reflect on the influence of the outbreak on self, others around them, and people in a distance. The Workshop especially focuses on how young people should re-connect and re-respect in the era of a challenged globalisation.
Time | Content |
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To be arranged by the facilitators | Pre-summit introduction, team-building, and guided studies |
13:30 | Open session of the Summit |
15:15 | Self-introduction, ice-breaking, and expectation setting |
15:30 | Student presentation on the social study |
16:15 | Facilitation and discussion |
17:00 | Conclusion |
17:15 | Handcraft workshop (about 45 minutes) |
Dato Dr Tan is the Chairman of SpringHill Management Ltd (www.springhiluk.com), a fund management company specializing in life sciences and social venture capital investing. He is the Founder Chairman of Inqo Investments, an impact investment company in South Africa and a partner in a number of social venture capital funds including Springhill Equity Partners (US), Novastar Ventures (East Africa) and Garden Impact Investments (Singapore).
Dato Dr Tan is a trustee of the John Templeton Foundation and the Centre for Enterprise, Markets & Ethics and a member of the advisory board of Johnson & Johnson Social Venture Fund and a Pro-Chancellor of Surrey University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK). He is a co-founder of the Transformational Business Network (UK) and the co-author of ‘Fighting Poverty through Enterprise’ and ‘Social Impact Investing: New agenda in fighting poverty’.
He was the founder Chairman of the NCI Cancer Hospital in Malaysia and the former chairman of Surrey & Hants Innovation Growth Team, a UK government organization supporting high growth companies in the south of England. He is a former board member of the APEC Life Science Forum and a former director of Saracens Rugby.
Jennifer is an experienced humanitarian who has spent the last decade in fragile states and humanitarian emergencies, in 12 countries, across three continents. Her focus has been on leadership, strategy and quality in humanitarian and development settings. Over the course of her career, Jennifer has led teams of up to 500 staff and managed budgets exceeding USD 70 million. She has a Master of Public Health from Tulane University (with a specialization in complex emergencies) and a Bachelor of History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Jennifer is currently the National Director for World Vision in Lesotho.
World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian, development and advocacy organization which works in 90 countries to address the root causes of poverty and injustice. Its community-based approach focuses on the most vulnerable children in each community. In 2019 alone, 20 million people, including 13 million children were helped in 76 humanitarian response across the globe; 3.4 million people gained access to clean water, including children who benefited from more 1000 water sources installed in schools. 90% of the more than 136,000 acutely malnourished children treated made a full recovery, helping to improve their health and growth; and, 218,000 women and men joined local savings groups, helping them to become more financially stable.
An Indian by descent, Hong Kong-born and raised Jeffery Andrews is one of the first ethnic minority registered social workers in Hong Kong. Committed to helping refugees and minority rights, in 2014 he travelled to the United Nations in Geneva to speak about the issues of segregated schools He has been included in numerous documentaries, news articles, TV programmes. He has received The Secretary for Home Affairs' Commendation awarded in recognition of his dedicated service and outstanding contributions to the enhancement of racial harmony and integration. Recently been selected as 2019 JCI Top Outstanding young persons and also Cathay Pacific’s ChangeMakers award. He has been with Christian Action’s center for refugees for 11 years as a social worker.
Vice President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in charge of student and global affairs before she retired in 2018, and is now Hon. Professor of its Department of Applied Social Sciences. She has been actively involved in the development of social work and higher education in Hong Kong, Mainland China and the international arena. She was President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work from 2008 to 2012 and Founding Chair of the University Social Responsibility Network. In Hong Kong, she is Chairman of the Executive Board of the Keswick Foundation, Co-Chair of the Hong Kong Social Service Professional Alliance of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Hon. President of the Hong Kong Social Workers Association and Hon. Advisor of the Hong Kong Academy of Social Work. She was a member of the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong from 2012 to 2018. In the Chinese Mainland, she is Hon. Advisor of the China Association of Social Work Education and World Vision (China), Hon. Professor of Peking University, Sichuan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Xian Jiaotong University and China Women’s University. She was awarded Justice of Peace in 2002, and Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2008 by the Hong Kong SAR Government.