SEED: Citizenship and Social Innovation Seed Camp for Chinese Overseas Students

Background
The world has witness exponential growth of civil society organizations in China over the past decade. The recent Chinese government report projects economic slowdown and warns about exacerbated social conflicts that will ensue. Despite the fact that it still presses down on human right advocacy or government watchdog initiatives, the Chinese government has begun to recognize its own limitations and the necessity of citizen participation in solving some of China’s most pressing social issues. In recent years, new central and local policies have encouraged and supported the creation of new citizen sector organizations that targets developmental problems, such as education, environment, and migrant worker issues. “Social innovation” has become a new social hype in China. People can see more and more young professionals in China’s social entrepreneur fellowship programs and social innovation awards.

While the younger generations of China are beginning to taking more initiatives to tackle China’s many social issues through social entrepreneurship, the most gifted and talented of China’s youths may not be. More and more Chinese youths have chosen to pursue study and careers overseas. This group of students who have made it to the U.S., Europe and other developed regions are typically regarded as the crème of the country’s youths. While they tend to be the first among Chinese youths to be exposed to the concept of civil participation that is essential to the West, these youths are distant from the theatre of social innovations in China and lack the understanding and network to take an active and effective part in promoting the prosperity and social equality of China.

Additionally, true social innovations shall know no boundaries, be it geographical, sectoral or thematical. The growing troupe of social innovators in China are mostly focused on developmental themes. If we could help expand their perspectives by pairing them with the socially minded individual from overseas, we will help unleash potentials of domestic Chinese social innovators, a positive force for good in China.

Mission, Vision and Theory of Change
Recognizing the unique potentials and position of Chinese overseas students, we propose to create a distinct program that discovers, trains, and supports socially inspired Chinese overseas students in pursuing China oriented social innovations and philanthropic undertakings. Our mission is to nurture the seed of social change-making among this potential group of next generation leaders, focusing on four key qualities represented by SEED: Social responsibility, Empathy, Empowerment and Dedication.

Our goal is to create a cross-boundary learning community for socially inspired Chinese overseas students to learn and grow in terms of personal character, social understanding and leadership skills; for them to interact with rising young social innovators and entrepreneurs from China and thus grow together with them into world-class social change-makers. We believe the path of social innovations that the program advocates will help channel the energy of idealistic and progressive Chinese overseas students towards productive and creative work that addresses practical social challenges. The skill training will empower them to pursue their social inspirations through practical work. Connecting them to the networks of social innovators and entrepreneurs in China will help ground their aspirations to the realities in China.

We hope that after the training, the participants will become practical social entrepreneurs with an enhanced sense of China’s reality and strengthened conviction of social responsibilities. It is our vision that through our program, it will become a norm for Chinese overseas students, many of whom are potential leaders in China in various field, to take it on themselves to safeguard social justice and approach China’s social problems with practicality and creativity.

Program Overview
To achieve the above goals, we are going to run a week-long workshop targeted at selected socially minded Chinese overseas students. It will take place at Harvard University from August 19th to 26th, 2012. It will bring together distinguished scholars and social innovators and entrepreneurs from both China and the U.S., who will, from a global perspective, examine the current development of civil society and social innovation in China, and provide trainings on crucial entrepreneurial and leadership skills.

SEED 2012 has recruited 30 Chinese undergraduate or graduate students studying outside of China, who have demonstrated the qualities of “SEED” with the aspirations and potentials to be social innovator for China. In exceptional cases, a limited number of students from Chinese institutions have been offered the admission. There is no restriction regarding major or graduating year. Recruited applicants have demonstrated outstanding record through their personal statements and virtual interviews their understanding of civil society, previous engagement with social organizations, relevant volunteer experiences, and plans for future civic participation.

Meanwhile, we will invite selected young social innovators in China as SEED Senior Fellows to participate in the camp, interacting, sharing their experiences and forming a long-term partnership with the student participants. The Youchange Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Academy will select and organize 10 Senior Fellows in Beijing to participate in the camp remotely through the internet.

The seven-day SEED 2012 at Harvard includes five modules: 1) Value, 2) China Reality, 3) Tool Box, 4) Leadership Training, and 5) Bonding and Networking, presented in seven formats: Classroom Lecture, Panel Discussion, Workshop, Public Lecture, Peer Study Group, Site Visit, and Tour.

Visit Seed Camp 2012 site