JCI Elite Asia Youth Exchange Program
Member
Brenda Sze Ying Chee
Local organization
JCI Elite
National organization
Malaysia
Member
Brenda Sze Ying Chee
Duration
From July 26 to August 1, 2017
Target
Young Teenagers, Local Communities and JCI Members
Target population
350
Target avg age
13
People impacted
450
Sustainable Development Goal
Partnerships for the Goals
Development stage
Education and Economic Empowerment
Purpose
Every year, JCI Elite’s members plan impactful project to help, create and provide for all the professions and various backgrounds from local community and internationally. This includes young active citizen and future leader to be to create sustainable global impact for positive change.
JCI Elite always learn and relearn, in international level, every year our members will have opportunity to meet with JCI all over the world especially our sister chapters, JCI Bauhinia for Hong Kong and JCI Phnom Penh from Cambodia. JCI Elite and JCI Phnom Penh signing sisterhood pact to bring new working opportunities for members from both chapters, and most importantly exchange ideas and committing in project collaborations. Both chapters own projects also hit another height of success after exposure, this create a wide vision of platform to all members.
Overview
JCI Asia Youth Exchange Program (AYEP), a signature program by JCI Elite which firstly initiated in year 2013 by Charter President Senator Jessie Ong, with aims to promote global peace, harmony and prosperity, and provide sustainable development through people empowerment regardless of age, race and religions.
JCI AYEP allows local and foreign students the opportunity to understand and embrace the differences between cultures across borders and learn to respect each other. Students from 8 Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Cambodia, Taiwan, Philippine, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia were sent to Penang for summer camp, homestay and school visitation. Members have to take initiative to plan, organise and manage the program with all 8 Local Organization.
Communications are the challenging area, members carried out through face-to-face, face-time and technologies during the planning part between the members and collaboration partners. This 6-day program provides children aged 12 to 15, escorting staff age 18 to 40, volunteers age 18 to 21 and the project committee from countries around Asia to get together under one roof, learn, adapt and appreciate the differences between each other through sessions such as Summer Camp Program, Cultural-Exchange Program, Home-stay Program, School Visiting Program, and so on.
The best feature of the programme is that the participants and JCI members will have the chance to build lifelong friendships and network across nations. Through homestay, the international participants get to experience a different lifestyle, embracing and appreciating the uniqueness in cultures and customs among different countries and advocate peace campaign. Apart from that, the collaboration brings project management and self-improvement opportunities to the members. With all the difficulties and obstacles faced, the organising team never give up. The hardship pushes them further and the success of AYEP further inspired the members to explore and work towards new collaborations with the sister chapter and look for more opportunity with other JCI chapters as well.
Results
1. JCI Elite provided the participants, JCI members and the local community with the opportunity to take positive action towards achieving World Peace.
• JCI Elite created the chance to inculcate the importance of mutual understanding and acceptance of diversity of nations.
• Participated children, parents and school took action to promote World Peace during the summer camp by experiencing themselves.
• Collaborated partners made use of the media and other means of communications to promote the positive impacts and benefits of the program as well as advocating Peace Is Possible campaign.
• Local government support and promote World Peace.
2. Cross-nation collaboration opportunities were established which allowed the 2-sister chapters to work and learn together with other JCI members, non-governmental organisations, education institutions, media and local communities across the borders.
• Active involvement and cooperation were undertaken by both JCI Elite and its sister chapter, JCI Bauhinia and joint force with other JCI chapters such as JCI Boai (Taiwan), JCI Karuizawa (Japan), JCI Jogjakarta (Indonesia) and also attracted the individual participation of members from JCI Korea.
• A total of more than 35 members from JCI Elite (Malaysia), 46 members from JCI Bauhinia (Hong Kong), 37 members from JCI Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and other the participating countries working together at the same time in 6 different countries and gathered under one roof in Penang for the finale of program.
• More than 105 students participated as delegates of this program, more than 50% growth.
• More than 50 families, 30 students volunteers, local communities, 42 teachers, sponsors, media, NGO, local authorities joint and supported the program, total growth at 55%.
3. To create JCI awareness and values and to make the presence of JCI in the local community.
• The program was published in newspapers, magazines and newsletter in Penang, Cambodia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Recommendations
• To invite more Asian countries such as Korea and Mongolia for better exposure and exchange.
• To implement a set of Standard Operating Procedure to be shared amongst all participating countries to ensure that rules and policies are strictly follow/carry out throughout the program.
• To create the awareness and interest of students and supports from the local authority to join the upcoming program.
• To conduct results analysis in order to ensure that the objectives of the project have been achieved and to gauge the sustainability of the project.
• To identify and expand another potential collaboration with another chapters in Asia.