Projects
Each member of the World Academy is required to engage in a World Academy Project. The Projects are designed by World Academy members based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Projects enable the Academy members to use:
- the knowledge and skills they have gained from the curriculum content provided by World Academy Facilitators in their seminars;
- their ability to take the academy curriculum content to action through the interactive labs;
- the coaching they receive to resolve or accelerate strategies as they move the content into action;
- the Projects as an opportunity to take action on significant issues impacting women and children in their community country and the world.
GIVE VOICE TO WOMEN PROJECT
Purpose
Give Voice to Women is designed to bring awareness to the inequality of women and to provide women with the skills, courage, and confidence to pursue their dreams and create the life they want to live, rather than the life that society, their families, or partners/husbands, tell them they should live.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Gender Equality - Girls and women are at the bottom of all measures of social justice, gender equality, and human dignity throughout the world. One in four girls is born into poverty. Many girls are not allowed to attend school and 50% of girls in developing countries do not enter high school. One in three women are victims of domestic violence and 75% of human trafficking victims are women. Women make up only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs; only 7% of top executives; only 19% of corporate board members; and only 20% of the highest-paid executives.
Project Actions
The Give Voice to Women team brings information and data to women and men on other campuses, brings students together to view and discuss movies about sexual harassment, gender equality, and successful women in society, and has discussions around new possibilities for women to change their lives. Members interview WAFW facilitators, alumni, and presenters at the Women’s Symposium, at the end of each module. Official account articles showcase views on social issues, how to succeed in life and occupation, and how to make audiences think differently with different attitudes. The Project advocates for women to have a voice and a choice about their lives and their future. Explaining and discussing how choosing a career, a boyfriend or spouse, when or whether to get married, when or whether to have children, are critical decisions that can influence a women’s freedom, boundaries, growth, and development. Promoting gender equality and encouraging women to expand their boundaries and take risks to achieve their goals are important discussions to initiate and continue, in order to make good choices. This year, the popularization of multiple genders has been increased to inform students’ understanding of these groups and choices, and to avoid unnecessary harm or discrimination to contribute to creating an environment of equality, understanding, and caring.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Participants: 300
CONTINUE LEARNING PROJECT
Purpose
The Continue Learning Project focuses on engaging young students and elder employees and workers in recognizing ways to broaden their vision for bigger opportunities in life so they never stop learning and expanding their minds to find more possibilities to enrich and improve their lives.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Quality Education; Decent Work and Economic Growth - When students are in poor educational environments their schooling does not provide the stimulation and skills they need to be excited about learning, or the challenges needed to discover new ways to grow and develop. When a student does not get an adequate education, they most often get a low-paying job that does not provide opportunities to continue learning. Their jobs may take little effort and are not stimulating or satisfying. They frequently work in hazardous conditions and often their lives are not inspiring and they see a very limited future for themselves.
Project Actions
Learning is continuous so you must continue learning! The Continue Learning project team looks for students or workers who did not complete school or whose education has not prepared them to have a full life so they can enjoy meaningful work and make a contribution through their jobs, or even make a livable wage. Many of the lowest-paying jobs, and ones that require minimal skills, are done by women. They are poorly paid and their work is repetitious and monotonous. This project is often held in schools in poor areas, in migrant schools, or in factories and work environments where new skills and excitement for learning can change the future of these students or employees. The activities may include English corners, reading books, making vision boards, discussing new ideas, and seeing a bigger world. In today’s expanding world everyone must become a life-long learner to keep pace with an ever-expanding knowledge base and the reality that jobs will change very rapidly and workers will need to continue to develop new skills. Robotics may replace jobs with routine and low-level skills and employees will be required to find new employment. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, elderly people were the target group for discussions, and epidemic prevention and control became primary topics. By learning the seven-step washing hands technique the elderly became aware of epidemic prevention. Life-long learning is a requirement for everyone!
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 25
Participants: 38
HIV/AIDS AWARENESS PROJECT
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to promote understanding about HIV/AIDS and eliminate the spread of the disease and the discrimination of people who have had, or whose family members have had HIV/AIDS.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Good Health and Well-Being – Prevention is the most effective way of addressing a potential problem. Making information about this disease known to the public regarding people who had had, or whose families have had HIV/AIDS can eliminate unfair treatment and prejudice against them. Educating the public, especially college-age males, about how the disease is spread is critical. The highest risk population for getting HIV/AIDS is males between the ages of 13-25. The province of Henan has drastically reduced the spread of HIV/AIDS. Education continues to be necessary to end discrimination and to avoid future infections.
Project Actions
The HIV/AIDS team is committed to spreading knowledge about HIV/AIDS by giving speeches and having discussions about the causes and the myths about this disease. Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, new activities were introduced to popularize the knowledge of HIV/AIDS on campus like rewarded answered questions, and the 'Wildfire Game' to expose the rapid spreading of HIV so students would know the large scale and high-speed dangers of its spread. Also, manuscripts and data about HIV are disseminated to inform college students about how to eliminate the discrimination around AIDS. When more people understand this, their beliefs and behaviors can change. University students are a prime target to receive this information to reduce the spread. The team also goes to villages where orphans of HIV/AIDS parents live and are frequently excluded from outside experiences. Their education is often of a lower quality and confined to their geographic area. Team members assist them with their studies and learning English. These children are also invited to attend the Children’s Day activities at the Sias campus each June, to meet and engage with children outside their villages. This encourages acceptance and builds courage and confidence among the HIV/AIDS orphans.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 55
Participants: Around 80
LEADERS OF TOMORROW PROJECT
Purpose
The Leaders of the Tomorrow Project encourages all students, especially students in marginalized educational environments, to recognize that they can be leaders and alter their lives in ways beyond what they have ever imagined by creating their future through learning and practice.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Quality Education; Poverty; Good Health and Well-Being - With the development of urbanization in China, a large number of rural laborers have migrated to cities for work and are living at the bottom of society seeking better jobs. They sometimes bring their children who study in primary schools for migrant workers’ children that do not have the curriculum and faculty equal to urban schools. The migrant children are at a disadvantage, often speaking a dialect different from the area, being separated from their friends, and being disrupted by having to learn to live in a much different environment from the one they left. Poor environments lead to poor education and poor education leads to poverty. It is imperative to disrupt this cycle for students so they can learn to be responsible for their lives. Discovering that they have a choice about their future and that it is up to them to study and work hard are basic ideas to embrace if they are to be responsible for making changes in their lives. Becoming a leader in their own lives, learning new skills, and preparing for tomorrow is possible with education and support.
Project Actions
Leaders of Tomorrow team members develop relationships with teachers in target schools. They identify children who may require special attention and support. Teaching reading to children who need extra help, developing relationships, and encouraging students to dream big and discover their interests, special skill sets, and values, are important ways for students to discover their unique personalities and purpose. Leaders of Tomorrow members invite facilitators to share cultural differences in different regions with school staff cafeteria workers’ children. They also cooperated with the Literacy Project to invite the staff’s children to expand their knowledge of English. Team members introducing new topics, broadening their horizons, challenging them to think, dream, and be creative helps break the pattern of repetition and brings a new energy into their lives. Curiosity, inquiry, creativity, and taking risks are important ways to build confidence and give students the courage to be bigger than they have imagined they could be. Engaging parents in the process is important. Parents can encourage their children and they can expand their boundaries, as well.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 20
Participants: 150
LITERACY PROJECT
Purpose
The Literacy Project is designed to promote parent-child engagement focused on reading books and gaining knowledge with the parent as teacher and partner in this learning process.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Quality Education – Parents are the first teachers of their children and often do not see the importance of this role or do not feel qualified to teach their child academic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. Learning together strengthens the bond between the parent and child as they learn together and enjoy the fun of learning. Parents become confident in their ability to learn and teach their children.
Project Actions
The Literacy Project team schedules sessions on campus, in local communities, and villages, and invites parents to come with their children to read and learn together. This year we included an after-school activity to include kindergarten children, aged 3-7, and their parents. The activities are designed to instruct parents on how to read with their child, how to ask questions about what their child thinks, feels, and discovers. The parent engages with their child in discussing the information in the book and applying what they learn to other activities. They may write their own stories, share their stories with other parents and children in the class to increase their communication skills, and enjoy sharing what they have learned. They may act out the stories they read, draw pictures about the story, explore more books about the same subject or other subjects that interest them.
These activities are designed to increase the parent's and child’s relationship, and their interest in learning together. Parents gain confidence in their ability to teach and learn with their children and to appreciate the fun of learning together. At the same time, they assist their children to develop good reading habits, promote parent-child relationships, and develop quality education. It encourages reading as a life-long skill and reward.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 20
Participants: 150
NOURISHING LIFE PROJECT
Purpose
Nourishing Life seeks to spread awareness about the circumstances and needs of the elderly population by calling on more people to join and improve the quality of their life through communication, relationships, friendship, nutrition, and adequate clothing.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Good Health and Well Being; Decent Work and Economic Growth - Often, the needs of elderly people go unnoticed and unattended. There may be issues that elderly people face if they are living alone and are unable to meet their basic needs. Elderly workers were found not to have adequate or nutritious food for lunch and some may not have suitable clothing for working outdoors in the winter. Many may not have bought or received new clothing for many years. In nursing homes, some residents may be lonely or have limited activities to keep them stimulated and engaged.
Project Actions
Nourishing Life team members create a variety of ways to engage with elderly workers on the Sias campus. They invite them to lunch, have conversations with them, and sing songs together. They also taught them skincare and how to use make-up, play intellectual games, and cook traditional foods with them. In the winter, members knitted scarves to keep them warm. Members were concerned with the amount of work and the difficulty of the jobs the elderly people were doing and gauged whether the work could be damaging to their health or not. Teams also visited homes for the elderly where they played games, shared stories, and added fun and laughter to their lives. Visits with these older individuals brought happiness and friendship and provided variety and entertainment to their daily schedules.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 18
Participants: 95
ONE-TO-ONE PROJECT
Purpose
The One-to-One Project was designed to offer encouragement and fill the loneliness gap that occurs when a child’s parent(s) leaves their child in the village with grandparents, or a residential school, and go to another geographic area for better jobs and financial stability, thus limiting the child’s access to them during the formative years of their lives.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Good Health and Well-Being; Education; Poverty – Family attachment and parent/child relationships are important to building bonds, having strong role models, and guidance. Often, poverty forces parents to leave their children behind, sometimes returning only once a year, and they miss the opportunity for their child to have a normal childhood.
Project Actions
One-to-One team members visit a school and teach children leadership skills and problem-solving. Another group of members write letters to children in the school and develop friendships that encourage them to be optimistic. Through games focused on understanding body parts, we taught them their physiological characteristics and how to protect themselves. English training is also offered in another community to expand their horizons and enhance their leadership potential. We also recruit volunteers to help the children solve problems in their studies and their lives. We help children to know themselves, explore, and expand their boundaries through the education of nature, history, and culture. The economic needs of families and lack of opportunities to earn an affordable living in rural areas have encouraged thousands of parents to seek jobs in urban areas that offer better wages. The One-to-One Project gives personal attention to individual children, encouraging them to express their thoughts, enhance their self-confidence, and know that someone cares for them and wants them to succeed. This opens a bigger world to these children who are isolated in villages and introduces them to university students who encourage and motivate them to study hard to get a better education. Some of the team members were also left behind as children and understand the importance of having someone to communicate and learn with. The bond between the left-behind child and the project members establishes a partnership to expand their boundaries and better understand the circumstances in their lives.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 54
Participants: 75
YOUTH IN ACTION PROJECT
Purpose
The Youth in Action Project focuses on assisting university students who have ideas and interests about improving society and changing the status quo to develop their ideas and prepare them to organize their thoughts and actions so they can make a difference and create projects that will alter the future of their community or society.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Gender Equality; Quality Education; Partnership for UN Sustainable Development Goals - Achieving the UN SDGs requires changes in the status quo, and the partnership of others to achieve the intended outcomes. Often, youth have new and exciting ideas but lack the ability to communicate or organize activities to achieve the results they believe are possible. These youth need leaders to guide them and enable them to communicate and focus on their growth enabling them to make a difference. Guiding young thinkers is a powerful way to ensure that the youth stay connected to the future of their community rather than becoming frustrated and rebelling against it.
Project Actions
The team members of Youth in Action organize a Self-Reflection Day to help students improve themselves so that they can better serve society and identify personal areas that they want to improve or alter, and introduce strategies for developing growth plans for themselves and measure their results. Groups of 10 students are organized to exchange and share what they want to produce in themselves and in their project, and learn to communicate, organize, implement, and measure their successes and failures. Interactions and sharing their views enable them to get support and different points of view to re-design and re-do their projects to improve the results. Poetry Day is held to engage 10 participants in sharing poems and for them to write their own poems to share and discuss. Cooperation Day engages 20-50 participants each month to identify social problems and their solutions. No More Menstrual Shame was a project that involved 100 male students to experience electrical shocks, simulating menstrual pain, to understand how women are impacted during their monthly period. The video of this event went viral on social media and more than 140 million viewers watched this experiment. Many other projects are being designed to empower youth to take action and bring about change.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 120
Participants: 612
Social Media Audience: 140 million
SUNSHINE ANGELS PROJECT
Purpose
The Sunshine Angels Project recognizes and promotes the value and acceptance of children and adults with disabilities. Integrating disabled children into the community is preferable to isolating them in restricted institutions, separated from leading a more normal life. To address this isolation and offer more options, the Sunshine Angels Project brings warmth, learning, and laughter to these children through visits and planned learning activities.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Good Health and Well Being; Education – All people are valued, and their lives matter. It is important to provide health, well-being, and education to all children.
Project Actions
The Sunshine Angels Project was set up in the first year of the World Academy and has been operating for 13 years at a special education school for intellectually impaired and deaf children, aged 8 to 15, in Xinzheng. The project team goes weekly to the school to integrate these students with society and the community. Growth profiles are created for some students to track their behaviors, interests, and hobbies. The team provides activities and supplements the school curriculum with training and engagement that widens the learning options for these children. The children and project team members build relationships that foster acceptance and friendships through their involvement. The team members gain a greater understanding of what a child with a disability can achieve when they are given individual encouragement and training. This opens possibilities for greater normalization of disabled children in the future. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic project members could not go to villages, but went out on the street at 4:30 a.m. to provide breakfast and warmth to sanitation workers and taxi drivers. We respect and appreciate their contributions to the community and society.
Project Requests
More books and materials to use when teaching these children.
More volunteers to join the project.
More educational institutions to help disabled children.
From Sept. 2020 to Apr. 2021
Volunteers: 7
Participants: 20
