BEIJING, December 18, 2009—today the 1st Inspired in Action program was successfully concluded here, with 21 student projects recognized for “best project result”, “most valuable policy recommendation” and “most innovative project”. Inspired in Action was an initiative co-sponsored by the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and the World Bank to identify and fund the best and most innovative ideas from university students to provide community services and help the poor and vulnerable groups.  Inspired in Action was modeled on the China Development Marketplace using a similar application assessment process.

CYDF is best known in China for Project Hope, a program to support access to basic education in poor rural areas by building schools and assisting poor children.  Project Hope also assists children of poor families to go university. “In recent years, CYDF is shifting its focus from providing financial assistance to also helping students enhance their capabilities. Inspired in Action is a result of this,” said Gu Xiaojin, Deputy Director-General of CYDF. “This initiative encourages university students to engage in community service, facilitates teamwork and builds capabilities in the implementation process. It will help lay the foundation for their future employment and entrepreneurship.”

 “The World Bank is honored to co-sponsor this important initiative with the China Youth Development Foundation,” said Elaine Sun, World Bank’s Acting Country Director for China. “By supporting community service projects designed and implemented by university students, it offers a good opportunity for them to be involved in social development, understand social needs and contribute to the society. The participating young people not only provide help to the poor and vulnerable groups with their knowledge, wisdom and enthusiasm, but also enhance their own self-confidence and capabilities and fostered a sense of social responsibility. This is also a way of exercising citizenship.” Exercising citizenship is one of the five pivotal phases of life[1] identified by the World Bank in its 2007 World Development: Development and the Next Generation.

The eligibility for the 1st Inspired in Action was restricted to university students in Beijing who had benefited from Project Hope financial assistance. The call for proposals attracted a lot of interest and response. Since its launch in February 2009, 287 proposals were received, with project ideas on a range of activities related to basic education and health, environment, community services, vulnerable groups, and social policy research. 47 projects were selected through two rounds of assessments by panels of experts and received funding support of RMB 10,000 yuan per grant.

These projects showed the wisdom and innovativeness of the participating students. For example, in one project, students went to a home for the aged to interview old people and write memoires for them.  In another project, students collected used clothes from the campus, sold them to migrant workers at a nominal price after laundry and sterilization, and donated the revenue to a rural school. Another example was trying to introduce face mask or other health interventions to stone-carving workers who were exposed to the risk of dust-related lung disease.  In addition, research projects conducted by students focused on street pedlars, recycling of used pesticide bottles, and university student-turned-village officials and provided policy recommendations to address the problems identified.

Kui Haikuo, a student from the Capital Medical University expressed her appreciation for the initiative. “The project, from start to finish, has had an inestimable impact on my growth. “ As a medical student, through working on the project related to health intervention for stone carvers, she gained a better understanding of public benefit and a deeper sense of professional ethics and social responsibility as a future health worker. “Though the project has been completed, I will continue to focus and reflect on public health issues,” said her.

Training was provided to help students implement their ideas more effectively for better results. During project implementation, representatives of two project teams were invited to the Y2Y Global Youth Conference 2009 held in the World Bank Headquarters in Washington in October. And representatives of 11 teams visited Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to meet students there. At the concluding forum, the participating student teams shared their project experience and lessons learned.

More information on the Inspired in Action program in Chinese, please visit: http://www.jilixingdong.cn/