Applications open for the 2024-26 cohort of Engage with China Scholars for young British pupils to study their A-levels in China. Based on the success of our first cohort which travelled to China in September last year, Engage with China is proud to announce that its partnership with Wycombe Abbey Schools in China is expanding to enable another 30 lucky students to enjoy a full cultural immersion in China from 2024-2026. Deadline for application has been extended until 25 March.
Pioneers they have been // Ambassadors they are // Global citizens they will be
Including return flights, a choice of 30+ A-level subjects, wrap-around extra curricular activities from sports to music to debating and cultural trips, this EwC Scholarship programme is a life-changing opportunity. The three school sites are in the famous cities of Nanjing and Hangzhou as well as in the new energy zone of Changzhou. All of the cities are within easy reach of Shanghai on China’s amazing high speed rail network.
I wake up every morning with a smile on my face! Thank you for giving me my dream!
Michael S, 2023 EwC Scholar
Find out more about what a life-changing experience this scholarship programme from a recent video featuring our scholars in China. There is plenty of information in the brochure below to help you as you consider applying. Complete an application form to give yourself the chance to change your life! Interviews will take place in mid April. Departure to China at the end of August.
NOTE: Please send a copy of the application submission by email to us via info@engagewithchina.org
Good luck and we look forward to receiving your applications.
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If two years seems too long – why not consider joining one of our two summer camps in July 2024? This action-packed itinerary will delight curious young minds and build cultural and language skills, enhance STEM learning and build global perspectives. Find out more here.Use code HJ2024 to benefit from £50 off per pupil.
More than 200 pupils from twenty-three schools and from four continents took part in a climate change themed Model United Nations Conference on Friday 02 February 2024. Using their best negotiation skills, pupils debated and negotiated to find consensus on the resolutions from COP28 as well as on single-use plastics, fast fashion and food waste.
This student-led ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’ event was the third organised by Engage with China, a UK registered educational charity which works in UK schools to build China understanding amongst young people. Pupils from countries including the UK, Sri Lanka, Brazil, China, Zambia, Nigeria, Hong Kong and Dominica participated in the conference giving them all an opportunity to come face to face with students their own age from very different backgrounds and life experiences. Each school delegation spoke from the perspective of another country enabling them to develop research skills, team-work and empathy. One of EwC directors, Theresa Booth, said,
By representing another country at the conference students experienced a flavour of what real global negotiations are like and appreciated that respect and good listening skills are essential if consensus is to be achieved.
Conference President and A-level pupil at The Grange School in Cheshire, Remi Livesey, aged 18 highlighted that,
The beauty of this type of MUN debate is the chance to speak from another perspective. This ability is a great 21st century soft skill. Everybody absolutely did an amazing job and it was a really good debate with some great points and some high-level thinking. I was privileged to be this year’s President.
This annual Model United Nations Conference is unique in three key ways, namely the decision to remove the competitive element usually integral to MUN conferences; giving pupils an opportunity to share the lived reality and impact of climate change in their own country or local area during the opening plenary session and inviting participation from schools in both the independent and state sectors.
Three schools from Worcester in the West Midlands in the UK took part including The King’s School Worcester (KSW) and Christopher Whitehead Language College (CWLC) and Bishop Perowne College. They represented China, Vietnam and Brazil respectively.
Riya Mayilvahanan, 18 years old and from KSW chaired a debate on financing vulnerable communities. She said,
The quality of the debate was excellent. Thank you to Engage with China for enabling us to compete on this unique, international level.
Another student from CWLC who gave a vote of thanks said, “it was really helpful to debate together and acknowledge that climate change is really happening. We learnt today that we do need to change.” CWLC is a state school with very little MUN experience. Despite this, its delegation was applauded by the chairs of three of the breakout debates for their excellent debating skills and overall contribution to the event.
Dr Lorraine Earps, Headteacher at The Grange School said,
“as a school we value this conference for its ability to bring another dimension to learning for our students. It is important that all our young people are able to develop the skills of diplomacy, understanding how to work towards consensus and finding ways to overcome the challenges that we face globally now and in the future. This is our third year hosting the event and we are committed to growing it as a platform to enable young people from across the world to come together building relationships and finding shared solutions to global issues. There is a real magic in seeing our future leaders joining in the discussions from across so many time zones sometimes even given up their own holidays for the chance to be involved.
Chair of Governors at The Grange, Cheshire, Trevor Brocklebank, was also very excited about the school’s involvement in the annual Good Cop Bad Cop conference and how it might expand in the future. He said,
Today we live in a global society where time zones and travelling distances no longer significantly impact worldwide activities such as trade and communications. As we all strive to retain our individual identities, cultures and beliefs, as part of this vast community we must be mindful that we don’t put up invisible barriers. We need to stay open-minded and receptive to all points of view, especially when debating the big issues. This MUN Conference is an outstanding example of how we can actively encourage students to adopt this inclusive and empathetic approach to take with them into the working lives. Good Cop Bad Cop provides a platform where they can develop the leadership, negotiating and diplomacy skills that ensures future generations work together. As a school we are delighted to host this event and will explore opportunities to grow participation and increase the reach, potentially looking to involve businesses and other key stakeholders.
Senior figures were also invited as guest speakers to encourage the students to develop skills and to take climate action seriously. These included Dame Caroline Wilson, UK Ambassador to China, herself a fluent mandarin speaker, and Madame Zhang Jin, Minister Counsellor from the education section at the Chinese Embassy in London. Also speaking included Julian Hobbs from Vestas, producers of wind turbines and George Harding-Rolls from Eco-Age, an agency seeking to create a post-plastic system and reduce individual plastic footprint.
Engage with China recently founded a Scholarship Programme thanks to the support and funding of Wycombe Abbey School in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, in China. The programme started in September 2023 enabling ten British students to study their A-levels for two years there. Many of those Scholars also participated in the conference and were able to welcome their Chinese counterparts and wish them a Happy New Year of the Dragon in perfect mandarin. Applications for the 2024 cohort of Scholars will open later this month with interviews in mid April.
At the heart of our annual Good Cop Bad Cop Model UN Conference is negotiation around climate change, the biggest challenge of our times. Pupils aged 15-18 from 10 countries, including China, UK, Brazil, Dominica and Sri Lanka, will speak at our upcoming conference on 02 February 2024 from the perspective of another country whilst developing their understanding of the challenges and complexities, the consequences of (in)action and the clean-up required. Resolutions include those negotiated by national leaders and delegations at COP28 but also our own resolutions focusing on single use plastic, food waste and fast fashion. The idea that consumerism leads to climate change is likely to be at the heart of the discussion – and who should be responsible for the clean-up to a greater or lesser degree.
Now in its 3rd year, our conference has become an annual fixture for many participating schools. Zooming in online from across multiple time zones, pupils come face to face with the realities and the human stories behind climate change.
This student-led conference hones multiple skills from cross-cultural communication to presentation, listening, empathy, research and leadership. It also forces pupils to confront their own behaviour, prejudices and understanding of the world. Hearing from inspirational VIP speakers, they are also encouraged to think how they can bring about change and make a positive difference in the world. This year’s speakers include UK Ambassador to China, Dame Caroline Wilson and Minister Counsellor, Education at the Chinese Embassy in London, Mme Zhang Jin.
Open to schools from the state and private sectors, this unique platform brings together a diversity of pupils and experiences.
We look forward to welcoming back our Conference President, Theo Innes, and thank The Grange School, Cheshire, for being our Host School for the third year.
It may be windy, wet and gloomy at the start of 2024 but we are filled with optimism & hope for the year ahead as we continue to build engagement, opportunity & China literacy in the classroom. So why the optimism?
Despite school budgetary constraints, covid catch-up & capacity issues in schools, multiple schools and 6th Form Colleges have already booked us in to deliver our curriculum enrichment China Challenge Days. These days will take pupils on cultural journeys enabling them to understand the impact of of China on the world today as well as encounter thousands of years of history from the technological advancements of the Shang dynasty; the rise of the Qin dynasty & the ‘Terracotta Emperor’ and the obsession with porcelain & tea in British society.
Our third and largest, global ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’ Model UN conference takes place on 02/02 involving 350+ young people to discuss the climate crisis.
Our first cohort of EwC Scholars have settled in brilliantly into boarding school life in China having been there already for six months. They have enjoyed cultural trips, taken part in Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, competed in fencing, public speaking and swimming competitions as well as rowing, playing basketball and music alongside their full-on academic classes.
And that’s not all…. registrations are now open for the ‘Global Perspectives’ summer camps, July 2024 in China.
Designed for curious, young minds who imagine a world beyond their experience, this camp will delight and inspire pupils as they discover China’s culture, history, language and tech advancement during an action-packed schedule at our partner school, Wycombe Abbey Changzhou. Use Code HJ2024 to ensure your special offer price.
Keep checking the website for news of our EwC Scholarship application process for 2024-26 opening soon. This fully-funded scholarship will expand this year to enable an additional 30 British 16 year-old students (who will complete their GCSEs this summer) to study their A-levels in China. Interviews and selection will take place before Easter 2024.
We wish all teachers & students a great start to the new term as they anticipate exam season. At a time when the world (& the weather) looks gloomy may the character traits of the Year of the Dragon to come, including confidence, energy & ambition, equip us all with greater understanding, cooperation & kindness, leading to better times to come.
Engage with China is excited to host a senior level networking dinner with Chinese Ambassador, Zheng Zeguang, on 24 May 2023 in Central London. The theme of the evening is building education and dialogue as a means of widening opportunities, trust and engagement between China and the UK.
The emphasis of the evening will be to fundraise for the charity and many corporates, educators, government ministers and individuals from both the UK and China and from across industry sectors are jumping at the opportunity to sponsor and attend this rare opportunity to meet the Chinese Ambassador.
Cranswick Plc, one of the largest British food producing companies and with annual revenues in excess of £1.4bn, will be a Diamond Sponsor. Spokesperson Neil Willis said,
Cranswick have been exporting British pork to China since 2012, and we value the relationships we have built over the last 11 years. We are proud to support this event and are keen to further develop our trade partnerships.
H-J Colston-Inge, Director of EwC and herself a Mandarin speaker, said,
We are hosting this high-level event to fundraise for our charity. You can’t light a fire without a spark and this event is about highlighting the link between preparing young people for a China-centric future – and skills and creativity that will support business. My curiosity of and fascination with China was sparked as a teenager on my first visit there in 1985. China was another country back then and now its influence and impact is being felt everywhere.
H-J added, “the current geo-political backdrop is unhelpful, however. We believe that this does not serve either of our countries well, nor help our young people to flourish in an increasingly China-centric world or for our economies to prosper.”
The event is a fundraising dinner to enable the charity to reach another 2,000 pupils in schools across the UK by the end of the academic year 2024 and open their eyes to China, its impact, influence, innovations and opportunities. Recognising the importance of discovering more about China as an important aspect of education today, Gareth Doodes, CEO and Headmaster of the King’s School, Worcester and also Chair-Elect of the Society of Heads, said,
The event hopes to raise £100k for the charity to develop new educational resources, reach an additional 2,000 UK pupils by the end of the academic year 2024, host its 3rd international, climate change Model UN conference and grow its core team. The event will be attended by 100 guests who will hear speeches from educator and historian, Sir Anthony Seldon. Guests will also be invited to bid in a silent auction for exclusive prize donations such as a Coronation Hamper from Fortnum & Mason’s, Rapport London, Tickets to this year’s Three Choirs Festival in Hereford, a stunning, glass laser etching by artist Katharine Dowson & a private tour of the Museum of Royal Worcester with tea served on Royal Worcester china.
EwC is very grateful to all its sponsors including Wedlake Bell, UK Sunshine Digital, Corbook, FOSUN, Hurun UK, UKCIC and supporters Chopsticks Club and the IoD.
“Governments can have policies,” says British Ambassador to China, Dame Caroline Wilson, “but it is ultimately people who deliver and implement those policies.” Speaking at a recent online forum for young adults who have spent time in China on the Generation UK programme, the Ambassador continued that it is vital, therefore, to have a range of people with different skills who are “informed about China and are therefore more equipped to enable the people-to-people dialogue, interaction and trust that are key to developing a positive bi-lateral relationship. Such people,” Dame Caroline continued, “are a strategic resource for Global Britain.”
Engage with China (EwC) is an educational charity building China literacy in primary and secondary schools. Enriching the curriculum through fresh knowledge about China, pupils make connections across a wide range of curriculum subjects and engage with the country that is likely to have a larger impact on their future than any other.
Pupils are encouraged to look at different values and systems, to interrogate and challenge perceptions and think about their identity in a changing world. Whether one likes China or not, our belief is that we need to engage with what China is like, how come it is like it is and what that means for the world. Through our ‘China Challenge Days’ we open young eyes to what is happening there; we feel that China has to be an important part of a wider education about what the world is like and how it has changed since globalisation, how we are inter-connected in so many ways through trade, history, logistics, tech, AI, social media, not least through the very planet we inhabit.
H-J Colston-Inge, Director, Engage with China
The bi-lateral relationship may be wounded at the moment “but demonising China does not lead to solutions,” Dame Caroline added. “The world is full of opportunities, no more so than in China.” This sort of news headline is seldom on the front pages of the media and yet it is those positive stories that could well inspire creativity in the young generation today that in turn could boost the economy and develop trade and entrepreneurship in the future.
Zhou Qunfei, Founder, Lens Technology, whose factories produce over one billion glass screens for electronic hand-held devices every year
One visionary headteacher from the outstanding Trinity St Peter’s school in Liverpool, Deborah Pringle, was excited about what EwC could offer her pupils and enabled them to take part in an early pilot project. She applauded “the way [EwC] showcases some of China’s entrepreneurs and those human stories of rags to riches.” She continued, “Our school community lives in an area of financial as well as aspirational poverty. When you talked about Zhou Qunfei, subsistence farmer-turned-billionaire, supplying glass to multinational smartphone companies like Apple and Samsung … those are the kinds of messages young people need to hear…That they can leverage their experiences; that their life narrative can change and that opportunity is all around us.”
Theresa Booth, Director of Engage with China, says, “We have created a pioneering pathway in schools to develop a generational resource for Global Britain, teaching pupils about China – and we are proud of that achievement. There are certain cultural reference points that youngsters need to know – and if they do not know much about China then this significantly impacts on their cultural literacy and understanding of the world today.” She continued, “We are excited to be back in the classroom from September working with young people again face to face. Importantly, it is good that more and more schools are expressing an interest to work with us…”
This Saturday, 08 August, Christian Havrehed, Danish adventurer, inspirational speaker & EwC Adventure Ambassador, will push off in an ocean-going rowing boat destined for Copenhagen in Denmark. This 300-nautical mile journey will include rowing both in the North Sea and up the Eider Kanal across Germany just as the Vikings did centuries ago. Setting out from Lowestoft Marina in Suffolk on a ‘reverse Viking row’ should take 4-8 days, subject to prevailing winds, weather and busy traffic in the shipping lanes.
This will not be Christian’s first sea-going row – nor his last! In 2001, he rowed with Chinese athlete, Sun Haibin, across the Atlantic in 56 days, in the newly inaugurated Ward-Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge. The purpose of the journey this Saturday is for Christian to take delivery of his new ocean rowing boat, in anticipation of a much larger row next year from Ningbo in Eastern China to Japan in May 2021.
“I believe that history can be brought alive through the medium of adventure,” says Christian. “Since 2001, I have been researching whether the Chinese & Vikings visited America before Columbus. The row commencing on 08 August, together with further historical research and other nautical adventures, will look for physical clues to back up historical claims.”
The launch date, 08/08, is most auspicious in Chinese culture and is often associated with good luck. As it happens, the captain of this row will be Chris Martin, founder of New Ocean Wave Ltd, and the first person to row across both the Atlantic & the Pacific Oceans. Two marines will also be pulling the oars with them, on a gruelling 2-hour on and two hours off cycle so the crew should be in several pairs of safe hands!
EwC directors, Theresa Booth & H-J Colston, will be at Lowestoft Marina on Saturday morning to cheer on the crew as they meet each other for the first time and familiarise themselves with the boat. The British are obsessed with the weather but, when you are about to set out into the North Sea, busy with ocean-going vessels, it is important to minimise risks, where possible. Subject to the weather and tides, the crew hopes to launch on the afternoon high tide.
Christian’s company is called Yantu, (沿途) which in Chinese means “along the way.” His slogan is, “合作可以更多”or, “together we can do more.” Engage with China is proud to have been nominated as a Campaign support partner for these journeys and will accompany him virtually “along the way” as our logo will be visible on the side of the boat.
Christian hopes to raise funds during these adventures to support cross-cultural understanding and Engage with China hopes that, by supporting Christian’s academic research and these adventures, we can do more together to build China literacy in UK schools by enabling young people to make connections across other curriculum subjects, such as history and geography and build curiosity about China.
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