Students embark on 'Discover China' adventure

Twenty-two students from Los Angeles County will head to China soon on a "discover" trip sponsored by Chinese companies.

Selected from more than 140,000 members of the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs, the 22 "Youth of the Year" nominees will embark on the 10-day trip on June 28.

They will go to three Chinese cities - Xiamen, Shenzhen and Shanghai, where they will visit Chinese enterprises, including BYD, Coolpad and the Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute, and talk with the executives and interact with local Chinese students.

As their annual community program, China General Chamber of Commerce - Los Angeles (CGCC-LA) organized the "Discover China" trip in the hope of providing the local youth with a transformative cultural experience and US-China career opportunities and insights.

Raven Wolfgang Leos, one of the Youth of Year nominees, said that for most of them the China trip was beyond the realm of possibility.

" This trip presents an opportunity to experience world travel, illuminate the Chinese culture, work to understand the importance of a global economy and how it impacts each of us and where we can have an impact," said Leos, from the East Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club.

He said it will be their responsibility to bring everything they learn back to the communities and share these experiences so others can open their minds to go beyond the boundaries of their own neighborhood.

"This is a beautiful way of expanding horizons at a time it seems they are being cut short," he said.

Every year in the past five years, CGCC-LA has brought together Chinese companies to give back and support the communities. The organization serves hundreds of Chinese companies that are investing and doing business in the greater Los Angeles region.

"Children are the world's most valuable assets, and we value the opportunity to provide them with this unique experience on international culture and US-China cross-border career insights, which we believe will be transformative and impactful," said Sherman Zhang, chairman of CGCC-LA and president of AVIC International USA.

The sponsors include Coolpad, Xiamen Airlines, BYD Motors, International Vitamin Corporation, COMAC America, North American Representative Office of Shenzhen and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board Los Angeles Office.

The students will fly to Xiamen from Los Angeles on Xiamen Airlines' first direct flight between the two cities on June 28. The airline company will also sponsor all of their air travel during the trip.

"The sponsors of this China Trip are not only taking a chance on a group of youth that they hardly know, but they are also giving us the priceless gift of perspective," said Margo Akopov, nominee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Burbank & Greater East Valley.

"I personally believe that perspective is the driving force behind collaborative efforts and successful innovation. With perspective, the knowledge and experience that we can take away from this trip is endless," said Akopov.

With the pervasiveness of technology, it's critical that today's youth is exposed to and learns about technology early on, said Brandy Kang, CEO of Coolpad Americas, one of the sponsors.

"The more we invest into today's youth, the brighter the future will be for all of us," said Kang. "Coolpad believes that by putting together a great intercultural exploration trip, they gain hands-on experience and expand their creative minds of what could be."

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com