The Northern California Delegation of the China-U.S. Study Exchange Program

Think China

思 想 中 國

Think China 2013 @thinkchina2013 @thinkchina2013 #thinkChina13

July 13 – 27, 2013

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“Ten times more Chinese students come to the United States for educational programs than Americans who study in China, and 600 times more Chinese study the English language than Americans study Mandarin. This imbalance in knowledge can undermine strategic trust between the two countries. Redressing this imbalance in knowledge is essential to ensuring that Americans have the cultural understanding and language skills that underpin effective diplomacy and foreign policy. It will also enhance our students’ ability to succeed academically and professionally in the global economy.” U.S. Department of State President Barack Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative

思 想 中 國

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Donec Vitae Sem

“I have read about China in the newspaper.” – Lakeisha Harris

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“I would like to learn about the lifestyle of high school students in China… and what college life is like.” - Brandon Vonderwerth

“China has more high-level teachings than we do, so they are more academically aware.” – Anthony Gallon

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction 6

II. Letters of Support

• Congresswoman Barbara Lee 7

• Marc Morial, National Urban League 8

• Jean Quan, Mayor of Oakland, CA 9

• Deborah Ale Flint, Port of Oakland 10

III. Delegation Chaperones 11

IV. Delegates 12

V. Pre-Travel Leadership Training 14

VI. China Curriculum and Program Platform 16

VII. Travel Itinerary 17

VIII. Learning Outcomes 22

XI. Acknowledgements 24

XII. Contact 25

“For the first time, in my 18 years of living, I have been to the Port of Oakland! Who would have thought so many trucks and boats came in and out of the Port? You could tell from our faces that we didn’t know any of this.” – Taylor Wheeler

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Introduction

On July 13, 2013, 13 African American high school students left the Bay Area on an adventure of a lifetime; a two week, cross-cultural academic study to China. This trip was sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a non-profit organization in China whose mission is to enhance relationships between China and the United States. Through various initiatives, the National Urban League (NUL) and CUSEF have facilitated African American-focused visits to experience China and Chinese people. This trip builds upon the NUL experiences as an empowerment tool for both business and education focused on a new audience-the high school student. The Northern California Delegation of the China-U.S. Study Exchange Program for high school students (Think China) facilitated student travel to Beijing and Shanghai, China, in order to experience Chinese culture, and interact with Chinese student counterparts. This collaboration is attributable to a focus on building and enhancing relationships with students from African American communities and China. There was a focus on manufacturing, technology and finance. The delegation is comprised of school district and community organization participation. Lead Chaperone of the delegation is Regina Jackson, President and CEO, East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC).

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思 想 中 國

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Think China 2013 Delegation Chaperones

Regina Jackson, Lead Chaperone Regina is the President & CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC). A national model, EOYDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to building the social and leadership capacities of youth and young adults ages 6 – 24, so that they are prepared for employment, higher education, and leadership opportunities. A lifelong change agent, Regina has served as an advisor to a host of entities; including, but not limited to: The City of Oakland, and The International Diplomacy Council.

Nicka Smith, Chaperone and Photographer Nicka is a professional photographer, speaker, and documentarian with more than 14 years of experience as a genealogist. As principal of NS2 Photography, her work has been featured on The Africa Channel, Scrubs Magazine, The Bride’s Café, Munaluchi Bride, and The Oakland Post. Additionally, Nicka is the chair of the Outreach and Education Committee for the African American Genealogical Soctiety of Northern California, and board member of the California Genealogical Society, and is the project manager for the Alameda County, CA Youth Ancestral Project.

Nola Turnage, Chaperone “Coach Nola” has been a mentor and coach of youth for the past 11 years. She has coached: Youth-Movement – Tommie Smith Youth Athletics Track and Field Program sponsored by the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Team Velocity track team, 100 Black Wings track team, and Team Oakland track team for international travel. She was featured as one of the Coaches of the Program in the documentary, “Runner’s High”. In addition, Nola is a Legal Analyst, for Chevron Corporation working in the Intellectual Property and Trademark Law Group of the Corporate Law Department.

“I will continue to look for my ancestors with my family. Great activity!!! We should do this again, and also remember this: you will never know who your family is.” – Lakeisha Harris

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Think China 2013 Delegates

Age: 15 Grade: 10th School: Piedmont High School

Kahmaria Adams Age: 16

Grade: 11th School: McClymonds High School

Khristan Antoine Age: 17

Grade: 11th School: Berkeley High School

Bryce Bell

Age: 15 Grade: 10th School: Castlemont High School

Anthony Gallon Age: 15

Grade: 10th School: San Lorenzo High School

Lakeisha Harris Age: 17

Grade: 12th School: Alameda Science & Technology Institute

Rahni Johnson

Age: 16 Grade: 11th School: San Lorenzo High School

Marisa Jolivette Age: 15

Grade: 10th School: Abraham Lincoln High School

Ibrahima Mobley Age: 15

Grade: 10th School: Making Waves Academy

Isaiah Mobley

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Think China 2013 Delegates

Age: 16 Grade: 10th School: McClymonds High School

Umiika Rose Age: 17

Grade: 12th School: McClymonds High School

Brandon Vonderwerth

Age: 18 Grade: 12th School: Hayward High School

Taylor Wheeler Age: 15

Grade: 9th School: Arroyo High School

Jordan Williams

“When we first started

making crab fried rice,

I stuck my nose up…

like, did they really

want me to open raw

crab, or even cook?

But after a while, I

started to have fun. As

a group, we all became

very close after this

experience. We learned

how to work as a team,

and have fun at the

same time.”

- Taylor Wheeler

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West Contra Costa San Lorenzo

San Francisco Piedmont

Oakland Hayward Berkeley Alameda

School District Gender

Male

Female

Oakland Residents: 77% Student Athletes: 8 Average Age: 16

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Pre-Travel Leadership Training

In preparation of the trip to China, the delegation participated in a series of pre-travel leadership training activities. The objectives of these experiences were: to introduce participants to Chinese history and culture; engage them in the local, state, and national political landscape; allow the students to deeply reflect upon their own heritage and other aspects of the African Diaspora; acquire professional development; meet with civic and business leaders; as well as to provide team building and other bonding opportunities for the youth. The pre-travel leadership training components include, but are not limited to:

• Orientation and introduction to the People’s Republic of China by Professor Mark Harris, JD (University of California Merced, University of Southern California, and Shanghai Normal University)

• Culinary Arts instruction at the East Oakland Youth Development Center

• Engagement with Chinese Exchange Students at Bishop O’Dowd High School

• Congresswoman Barbara Lee & Elihu M. Harris’ Civil Rights Lecture Series featuring San Antonio, TX Mayor Julian Castro

• Port of Oakland tour and engagement with civic leaders

• Genealogy Workshop led by Alameda County, CA Youth Ancestral Project

• Education Voices Youth Media Training facilitated by Oakland Local

• U.S. Mission to United Nations Briefing on Think China and EOYDC Pathway to College University Tour*

• Asian Art Museum tour of Terracotta Warriors exhibit

14 * A few of the delegates were selected to participate in this opportunity

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Pre-Travel Leadership Training

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China Curriculum and Program Platform In accordance with the objectives of the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation, and the 100,000 Strong Initiative, The Northern California Delegation was given the tools to act as a change agent in strengthening China-U.S. relations via a comprehensive curriculum*:

Academics

• 6 hours dai ly of r igorous study

• Fudan University , and Bei j ing University tours Civic Engagement

• Meetings with civic leaders Cultural Immersion Tours

• The Great Wal l of China

• Terracotta Warriors and Horses Business and Industry Tours

• American Express

• The Coca-Cola Company

• Toyota Community Service Project Upon return from China, the delegation has begun to share its experience – in the form of town hall meetings, reports, presentations, and a multimedia space – with school districts, churches and local officials, and ultimately a much larger, global audience. A braintrust led by the delegation at the 2013 Congressional Black Caucus has been proposed.

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Travel Itinerary

Duration: July 13 - July 27, 2013 Visiting Cities: Beijing, Shanghai Students from Delegation: 13 Chaperones from Delegation: 3 Staff from CUSEF/CUSEF (Beijing): 2

July 13 (SAT)

15:15 Arrive in Beijing from San Francisco 17:00 Proceed to hotel 19:00 Check in Beijing 7 Days Inn 20:00 Dinner

July 14 (SUN) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast on Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) campus 09:00 Orientation and opening ceremony 10:40 Campus tour 12:00 Lunch 14:00 Lecture on China’s Foreign Relations and China-US Relations 15:20 Tea break 15:40 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (1) 17:30 Welcome dinner hosted by BFSU 21:00 Back to hotel

July 15 (MON) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China in Brief: History and Culture (1) 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on China in Brief: History and Culture (2) 12:00 Lunch 13:00 Study tour: Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City 17:30 Dinner downtown (Beijing dumpling-making) 21:00 Back to hotel   17

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Travel Itinerary

July 16 (TUE)

05:00 Morning call 06:30 Leave for Tianjin Toyota Plant (Tianjin Faw Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.) 10:00 Arrive at Tianjin Toyota Plant 10:15 Greetings, presentation about TFTM, and plant tour briefing 10:45 Plant tour (Corolla and RAV4 production line) 11:30 Questions and Answers 12:00 Leave Tianjin Toyota Plant for lunch 14:00 Leave Tianjin for Beijing 17:30 Back to Beijing 19:00 Dinner 21:00 Back to hotel

July 17 (WED) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China’s Social and Economic Development (1) 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on China’s Social and Economic Development (2) 12:00 Lunch break 14:00 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (2) 16:00 Back to hotel for change 17:00 Leave hotel for Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign

Countries 18:30 Dinner hosted by Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign

Countries (interaction with Beijing high school buddies) 21:00 Back to hotel      

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Travel Itinerary

July 18 (THUR)

07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China’s 12th 5-Year Plan 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (3) 12:00 Lunch break 14:00 Field study: Department of Environmental Protection Beijing 17:30 Dinner 21:00 Back to hotel

July 19 (FRI) 06:00 Morning call 07:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 08:00 Leave for the Great Wall 10:00 Study tour: the Great Wall 13:00 Lunch 15:00 Shopping 19:00 Cultural show and dinner at tea house 21:30 Back to hotel

July 20 (SAT) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China’s Anti-Poverty Initiative 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (4) 12:00 Lunch 14:00 Field study: New Settlement in Beijing 18:00 Dinner 21:00 Back to hotel        

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Travel Itinerary

July 21 (SUN)

07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China’s Education System 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (5) 12:00 Lunch 14:00 Field study: Hope Community 17:00 Dinner 21:00 Back to hotel

July 22 (MON) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on Chinese Minority and Their Development 11:00 Lunch 12:00 Leave for Coca-Cola Plant

Jay Yang, Sustainability Manager 14:00 Arrive and tour the Coca-Cola Plant 15:30 Leave Coca-Cola Plant for downtown 18:00 Arrive downtown Beijing and dinner 21:00 Back to hotel

July 23 (TUE) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on China’s Government Structure 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on Learning Chinese Language (6) 12:00 Lunch break 14:00 Interaction with Beijing college students 17:00 Dinner downtown 19:00 Cultural show (acrobatics/martial arts) 21:30 Back to hotel and pack       20

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Travel Itinerary

July 24 (WED)

07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at BSFU campus 09:00 Lecture on Teaching of Ancient Chinese Philosophers (1) 10:20 Tea break 10:40 Lecture on Teaching of Ancient Chinese Philosophers (2) 12:00 Closing ceremony and lunch 14:00 Program evaluation 16:00 Check out and leave for Beijing South Railway Station 19:00 Dinner downtown 21:00 Overnight Express to Shanghai

July 25 (THUR) 10:00 Arrive at Shanghai Railway Station 11:00 Check in Lan Tian (Blue Sky) Hotel 12:00 Lunch 14:00 Visit Shanghai American Express Benny Wang, China Head of New Product Development 14:00 Intro to CITS Amex Travel 14:20 Overview of operating in China environment 14:50 Open Discussion Q&A 15:20 Office tour 17:00 Dinner 19:00 Cruise on Huangpu River 22:00 Back to hotel

July 26 (FRI) 07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at hotel 09:00 Study tour: Oriental Pearl TV Tower & Shanghai History Museum 12:00 Lunch 14:00 Study tour: Yu Yuan Garden and shopping 17:00 Dinner 19:00 Study tour: The Bund 21:00 Back to hotel and pack      

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Travel Itinerary

July 27 (SAT)

07:00 Morning call 08:00 Breakfast at hotel 08:45 Check out and leave for airport 10:00 Arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport 12:10 Depart Shanghai for San Francisco      

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Learning Outcomes 100% of delegates wish to continue international studies

25% of delegates plan to continue studying Mandarin

15% of delegates plan to return to China for further studies

15% of delegates maintain regular communication with CUSEF contacts

92% of delegates’ perception of Chinese culture changed post-travel

100% of delegates recognized relationship between the rigorous nature of China’s

educational system, and the high number of Chinese who study and work

internationally (400,000 in 2012)

77% of delegates named service project at Hope Center as the highlight of their

travel abroad

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Study Exchange Tour

Acknowledgements

Sincere and heartfelt gratitude is extended to Think China’s program sponsors and partners:

• 100 Black Men of the Bay Area • African American Male Achievement • Alameda County, CA Supervisor Keith Carson, and the Alameda County, CA Youth

Ancestral Project • American Express • Asian Art Museum • Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) • Bishop O’Dowd High School • China-U.S. Exchange Foundation • Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries • Christine Phipps, Graphic Design • The Coca-Cola Company • The Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. Congress, Ninth District

• Department of Environmental Protection Beijing

• East Oakland Youth Development Center • Kaiser Permanente • Toyota • Marc Morial, National Urban League • Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center • Mayor Jean Quan, City of Oakland • NS2 Photography • Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce • Oakland Local • Port of Oakland • U.S. Department of the State, President Obama’s 100,000 Strong Initiative • U.S. Mission to the United Nations

Thank you for contributing to global education exchange!

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Contact

The Northern California Delegation of the China-U.S. Study Exchange Program is forever changed by this priceless opportunity of global education. You can follow the delegation’s activities via our social media pages:

For additional information regarding partnership opportunities with Think China, or media-related inquiries, please contact the following:

PARTNERSHIP INQUIRIES Regina Jackson President & CEO, EOYDC | Lead Chaperone, Think China

• cell: (510) 912-1377

• email: regina@eoydc.org

MEDIA INQUIRIES Dania W. Frink Communications Director, EOYDC

• cell: (510) 501-0755

• email: dania.eoydc@gmail.com

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Think China 2013 @thinkchina2013 @thinkchina2013 #thinkChina13

“When you think about it, you start to realize that China is not really different from Oakland because we have the same amount of problems as they do, like a lot of people being poor in their community and the rich have more advantages over them.” – Anthony Gallon