Changing the World, One Step at A Time
The Global Youth Leadership Program (GYLP) collaborates with schools around Collin County, Texas, including both private and public institutions and with middle schools in China. Our mission is to connect people from different countries whilst doing community service through academic and cultural exchange.
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Footprint
Held several seminars in 2017, 2018, 2019 summers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangxi Province in China
Raised over $12,000 USD funding for international travel over the 3 years
Over 1000 students across China have benefitted from this program
Raised awareness of GYLP to more than 800 students, parents and teachers in US
Meet the Leaders
Jiahao (Jacky) Wu
Founder and President
Jacky Wu created the Global Youth Leadership Program in the summer of 2017, envisioning a brighter future in cultural communication between the East and the West. As an immigrant to the US, he is clearly aware of the need to establish a clear and efficient communication platform for the youth to learn about the real life both in the US and China. As the founder, he is primarily responsible for GYLP's fundraisers, coordinating between US High Schools and Chinese Middle Schools, leading the team and building the website.
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Jacky is currently a senior at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, USA. He is involved in many clubs and activities and holds leadership positions as he is eager to serve others. His loves music and performs to the elderly to bring them happiness through it. He accomplished Texas Private School Music Education Association(TPSMEA) All State Band 1st chair trombone in 2020. In his spare time, he enjoys playing tennis, learning physics, spending time with his family in nature, and doing research. To see some more projects he's working on, click HERE
John(Jack) Boland
Director of Curriculum Design
Jack Boland joined GYLP for the 2018-2019 chapter. As a native of Texas who has been through the entirety of the American education system, he brings exciting insights into what a typical student's day looks like. He is now responsible for designing innovative yet realistic curriculums for GYLP.
Jack is a senior at John Paul II High School. He has a passion for public speaking and is involved in JPII's Varsity Debate Team. He also loves to get to know others. As an ambassador club member of JPIIHS, he is actively looking for ways to get to know JPII and serving others. Outside of school, he is an active runner and is successful in both Cross Country and Track.
Stephanie Qiu
Director of Recruitment and Language
Stephanie Qiu joined the GYLP program for the 2018-2019 chapter with her unique background of studying and living in both China and America for major portions of her life. Fluent in both English and Chinese, her bilingual capabilities prove to be important assets in allowing for smooth and vibrant communication between volunteers and students. Her primary responsibilities include facilitating clear communication between the English and Chinese counterparts, recruiting new potential candidates and investigating new areas of interest to expand GYLP.
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Stephanie is currently a senior attending Liberty High School and is an active member in her broadcasting program and numerous on-campus clubs in her school, as well as a Varsity wrestler. In her time in Shanghai, she also excelled in athletics, as she was Varsity soccer and volleyball during her freshman year of high school. In addition, she enjoys giving back to her community with her extensive volunteer work and leadership in other previous volunteer organizations, such as Shanghai OREO.
How it Works
The Background
In the summer of each year, we seek sponsorship from middle/high schools in China for a number of spots for American volunteers. After many hours of negotiation, an agreement is reached between GYLP and the schools for the next year of projects where the US volunteers would have their travel expenses all covered by the schools for two weeks in exchange for our academic and cultural exchange programs.
When the president returns to the US, he would then go on a competitive recruitment campaign to find the most capable and fit candidates. The candidates are asked to submit an essay about why they would like to participate in GYLP, a school recommendation, and an interview with the sponsors. A final decision is then made through a holistic process.
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The candidates then prepare their summer journey through a series of video conferences with the sponsors and inquire about the needs of each school. The volunteers are expected to provide a number of presentations over the fortnight .
What We Do
Bringing Impact to Communities
Global Youth Leadership Program(GYLP) is achieving more with our initiatives than ever before. For the past three years, Chinese students in three different provinces(Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Nanning) and over 7 schools have benefited in this program through our academic exposure, culture exposure, and knowledge exchange. After each session, the Chinese students can expect to gain an understanding of what Western Education is like, such as class scheduling, softwares utilized to study, activities afterschool etc. Then the volunteers ask the students to respond with their school life and compare and contrast the two cultures. Our volunteers have also benefited a lot in this cultural diversity program. Volunteers strive to acquire work experience along with important social and communication skills which allows them to cope with challenges in real-life situations.
Academic Exchange
Sparks of Curiosity
Every year, Chinese students are eager to hear from US students about their life in the West. Therefore, as American volunteers, we portray to them a real image of life in the United States. From afterschool activities such as track, wrestling, and band to the different levels of curricula within US public and private high schools, the diverse body of volunteers allows the students to envision what their life would be like if they were on a US High School's campus. Through this session of exchange, interesting questions were asked by the Chinese students from previous years, such as what they can do to improve their English abilities and what areas they should focus on should they choose to prepare for a study abroad experience.
Cultural Communications
East&West
Life in the US does not always revolve around school and school life activities. Therefore, in this session, the US volunteers and the Chinese students compare and contrast the culture of the USA and China. From popular celebrities to food to social media used by teens, volunteers, and students alike in this session finds it interesting to learn about the other culture and in doing so, gaining a deeper understanding of each other. The volunteers and the students then go outside of the classroom on a special visit to a local sightseeing trip, allowing the volunteers to see the different locale of the area as they venture throughout China's three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Nanning, experiencing Chinese Culture from north to south.
"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together"
Vincent van Gogh
Get Involved
Make Your Mark
If you’re interested in getting involved with our work here at Global Youth Leadership Program
(GYLP), there are many ways for you to do so, and we truly appreciate every effort. By lending your support, you’ll become a valuable part of our Non-Profit Organization and help to expand our horizons.
Partner with Us
Our organization always appreciates the generosity and involvement of others, with every contribution going towards making Global Youth Leadership Program
(GYLP) an even better and larger Non-Profit Organization than it already is. Whether you are in Texas or elsewhere, you can always support our cause. Every penny counts so please consider using the contact form below to support our journey in connecting the East and West.
Want to get Involved in Person?
If you reside in the DFW area and are interested in participating in one of the sessions of GYLP, please use the contact form below to get more information and to connect with the leaders. We are eagerly seeking to expand our program, so if you have similar ideas with other countries around the globe, we can also make it happen! We can't wait to hear from you!
