Ambassadors and their parents
End of project report for “Youth Ambassadors of Manchester” Culture Exchange project between Manchester and Chinese Cities, September 2007
With the support from the Manchester City Council Youth Opportunity Fund and the Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhan, Manchester’s twin city in China, the Youth Ambassadors of Manchester Cultural Exchange Project was successfully completed in July 2007.
This was the first project that involved young people of both nationalities since the link was established between the cities 20 years ago. It has provided a unique opportunity for both British and Chinese youths to work together promoting cultural understanding, academic development, economic cooperation and world peace by increasing international awareness and understanding through shared cultural experiences.
This project was jointly organised by the Manchester Chinese Centre (MCC), local schools, and the Foreign Affairs Office of Wuhan City. The project was launched in March 2006.
On the 18th April 2007 an official delegation from Wuhan City, led by the Deputy Mayor of Wuhan, Mr. ShanLa Yuan was invited by the Economic and Urban Policy Group of Manchester City Council to meet our Youth Group. The Deputy Mayor expressed his appreciation of the hard work done by these students for the project. He also praised their efforts in trying to bring young people of both nationalities together thus facilitating further international cooperation between the two cities.
On 21st June 2007 the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Mr. Glynn Evans, has invited the Youth Group to the Lord Mayor’s Suite at the Town Hall. His Worship presented our group with “Youth Ambassador” certificates and medals. He was a delightful host and encouraged our young people to be confident and positive when meeting different cultures, thereby helping to improve links in the future with our Chinese twin city.
Training and preparation
As soon as the project information was dispatched to Wuhan in February 2007 we were inundated with enquiries from China requesting the setting-up and running of workshops in their schools. To our intense disappointment, due to limited time, we were restricted in the number of workshops we could give. The Youth Ambassadors have worked extremely hard to cope with their GCSE / A Level exams and the training. These sessions had a significant impact on the Chinese students, and it is our sincere and heartfelt wish that this unique project could continue to help these children broaden their horizons and improve their lives.
Students from local schools had been taking part in the MCC Chinese Cultural Outreach Programme, the “Teaching English as a Foreign Language” project. This involved teaching English to the Chinese community, and they themselves receiving an introduction to the Mandarin language and to Chinese culture at MCC. The training programme was rigorous, requiring participants to attend the MCC (during school term time) on weekday evenings, and extra sessions at weekends. They were required to choose and prepare - thoroughly and in writing - their various workshops.
Workshops in Chinese schools
Each workshop was designed to cover the following subjects:
1) An introduction to British culture by PowerPoint.
2) A speech by British students about their impressions of China and Chinese culture.
3 )Group study to practice English speaking skills, singing English songs and dancing together.
These activities were slightly varied according to each school’s requirements.
The workshops raised the awareness of the differences between the two cultures. Both Chinese and British students gained valuable experience by acquiring new knowledge and developing teamwork, communication, organisation, decision-making and leadership skills.
The Young Ambassadors bravely faced the challenges of a different cuisine, very hot and humid weather and a completely new environment and lifestyle. They tried their best to make the project run smoothly. His or her courage and hard work impressed everyone involved in the project.
During their stay, the Youth Ambassadors visited the English Language “Corner”of Beijing University. The Chinese there were practicing English in preparation for working as interpreters at the Olympic Games in 2008. Our Ambassadors were able to help develop their speech and reading skills. This unplanned session was very much appreciated by the Olympic Volunteer Organizer.
The workshops organized by our Youth Ambassadors have made an outstanding contribution to the international community. These young people demonstrated great qualities of leadership, confidence and the ability to express ideas and gain international recognition. We feel very proud of our British youth and acknowledge the part played by their schools, and support from their families.
The Chinese Authorities could not have done more for our ambassadors. They facilitated meetings with important officials who were in charge of the Economic Development Department of Wuhan city. The Ambassadors were invited to ask questions about the local Economic Development Policy, and visited a number of high-tech electronics and fibre-optics factories. Hopefully in the future these students can help to bring more opportunities for the improvement of economic cooperation between Manchester and Wuhan.
Cultural Exchange
In these three weeks the Youth Ambassadors travelled across Eastern China by train and coach, from Beijing to Wuhan – over 1200 kilometers. These wonderful journeys gave them the opportunity to experience and understand the Chinese public transport service and network and also travel with the local people. They realized that even though the Chinese mainland is vast compared to the UK, public transport is significantly more convenient and less expensive.
Through the process of trying to speak new languages and exploring another country and culture, these students have developed their love of learning and the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in and contribute to a diverse society. As the global community becomes increasingly interdependent and subject to change, today's young people face numerous challenges on the journey to becoming tomorrow's leaders.
The Cultural Exchange Project has created an opportunity for youth of both nationalities to open their minds, develop new points of view, plan future careers, embrace these challenges and discover new opportunities that will help them achieve their dreams.
MCC had quite a challenge meeting everyone's dietary requirements. We managed and now understand more about each other's religions and the important part tradition and belief pay in everyone's lives.
International Day
On 26th July the Youth Ambassadors were invited to take part in the International Exchange Conference for high school students in Wuhan. Over 300 students convened from Japan, Korea, China and Britain. There were songs, dances, and speeches from all four countries, and a wonderful friendly atmosphere. The Wuhan local government held an official dinner that night for all the delegates and bestowed high praise on the efforts made to improve cooperation among nations through the Youth Exchange Project.
Chinese Host Family
Each youth ambassador was invited by a Chinese friend to a sleepover and meet family, neighbours and friends. This experience taught our young people about the Chinese community's lifestyle: most of the neighbours were work colleagues as the companies for whom they work provide housing for their employees.
Acknowledgement
Every day was full from early morning to late evening. The Manchester Youth Ambassadors were treated as VIPs and the wonderful hospitality and welcome by the people of Wuhan City was out of this world. The young people stayed in the best hotels and ate in the best restaurants. Surprise, treats and excitement were a feature of the whole visit. The effort Wuhan City put in to making the visit unique and memorable was just amazing, humbling and out of this world! Many thanks to them all!
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff, Jenny Wong, Elaine Yan Li, Andrew Mckie, Ashley Hern, Jane Byrne, Janet Gaskin and Manchester Youth Ambassadors' schools for helping their students prepare the workshops. We would also like to thank all parents for their support. Last but not least, thank you, Youth Ambassadors, for your wonderful achievement.
We are grateful to the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Mr. Glynn Evans, the Vice Mayor of Wuhan City, Mr ShanLa Yuan, Councillor Tony Burns and Head of Economic and Urban Policy Group-Mr. Wayne Shand for creating this wonderful opportunity for our young people both in Manchester and Wuhan.
This project would not have been successful without great help from the Wuhan Foreign Affairs Office. We also thank Mr Gong Jian Zhong, the General Consulate for his great support for this project. We are grateful to Mr YunGen Weng, Mr Jin Liu, Mr GeXin Cai and all the staff from the Wuhan government for their warmly given help and their hard work. Finally, we would like to thank The Manchester Children Service, Youth Deputy Principle Director Mr. Mukhtar Khares, The panel of the Youth Opportunities Fund, and Youth worker Miss Lynn Fullard, Community North West, and Mr. Dave Hannay Regional Director of Community North West for their wonderful support.
Manchester Chinese Centre
18th September 2007
Wuhan Exchange 21th July 2008 武漢青少年文化交流代表團
武漢與曼徹斯特成為姊妹城市已經二十多年，去年是第一次由華人之家舉辦中英文化交流活動，英國青少年大使對武漢的訪問極大地促進了兩個城市同齡人之間的交流。今年 曼城市政府及曼城華人之家邀武漢青少年及老師作教育文化交流活動。為這兩個姊妹城市之間的友誼留下一個新的 里程碑。
七月廿一日由武漢教育部趙仲喜Zhongxi Zhao先生領隊，一行20多人到達曼城。曼城市政府代表Louise Hope 及曼城華人之家的代表黃葉莉薇帶領十多位來自不同主流 學校的靑少年大使及Kim Shore、David Helman、Stephen Evans、羅傳智等到曼城機場歡迎接。面對熱情的迎接，武漢代表團表示他們得到了一個驚喜。曼城的靑少年大使們協助武漢代表團安頓住處，安排好他們休息之後才離去。
次日，曼城華人之家為代表團安排文化訪問工作。Manchester Grammar School for Boys 這所有五百年歷史的傳統貴族學校 迎來了來自中國的客人。該校培育了不少政治家，金融家，醫生和律師，是曼城市每個父母都渴望自已孩子能夠就讀的學校，家長們都不惜重金付費讓孩子入學。這次經曼城華人之家安排，武漢團順利地與他們展開交流活動；並與其他普通學校的學生一起參與學習，這是雙方文化交流項目中破天荒的第一次。
“傳統貴族學校，平時沒有人能進去” 黃葉莉薇說：”藉此機會放下階級種族的問題，讓不同學校的青少年人一起承擔招待遠方客人的責任。大家能溶合一起聊天和認識各方的背景，對每一個參與的年青人都能擁有一個公平的機會去學習多元文化活動。多好！”
他們的歷史老師Ashley Herns 凖備好午餐和充滿英國特色的下午茶招待武漢代表團。隨後他又為學生們介紹英國的風土人情、社會、醫療體制、福利制度、教育等等。學習完畢後武漢代表團的靑少年大使們為Manchester Grammar School for Boys表演歌舞。
武漢團還參觀曼城市政府各機構、曼聯、劇院、利物浦，讓他們能瞭解整個曼城市政府機構的工作；還會見市長Manis Smith 及中國駐曼城總領事龔建忠先生。
曼城華人之家還特別安排曼城市的靑少年大使前往湖區、南港等著名旅遊景點。這樣他們可以一邊旅遊一邊練習英語對話。當天天氣炎熱，整潔的郊區和綠油油的草樹，猶其是湖區的農場石圍牆和農屋，其典型的英國風情給他們留下了深刻的印象。黃葉莉薇給他們講述歷史故事、Miss (Beatrix) Potter 的電影、兒童教材及她對英國The National Trust無價的貢獻。
最後，活動圓滿結束，中英靑少年在火車站依依惜別，雖然行程短暫，但大家已經建立起了一份難捨的情誼。通過這次文化交流活動，中英靑少年互相體驗和瞭解了各國多元文化，學會如何互相尊重民族文化，增進了民族感情。