Saturday, December 3 saw nine schools in the YCYW Education Network come together at the Pudong Shangri-la Hotel, Shanghai for YCYW TEDx 2022.With the tagline 'Building a Bright Future for Humanity,' YCIS Shanghai, YWIES Shanghai Lingang, YWIES Shanghai Gubei, YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang, YWIES Guangzhou, YWIEK Shanghai Biyun, YWITDC Shanghai, YCIS Qingdao and YWIES Yantai were all involved.
It was an educational extravaganza, with everyone working together to create an unprecedented feast of creativity where people of all backgrounds gathered to share ideas, showcase achievements and inspire imagination toward a better future.As the name suggests, taking center stage were a series of TEDx talks from primary pupils all the way up to those soon to leave on their journey to the wider world.On young star who caught everyone's attentions was YWIES Shanghai Lingang Year 8 student James. Hailing from Tanzania, his six-minute original rap song related his story as an 'outsider' and 'third culture kid' in China – and the feelings of uneasiness and alienation that can come with that.He had been encouraged to use rap music to express his inner feelings and struggles by one of the TEDx talk leaders, Jedediah – a teacher of Humanities and IB English Literature at YCIS Shanghai."Many people think they have to talk about popular and hot topics on such a public speech platform," explained Jedediah. "But in fact, a meaningful personal experience is by far more effective and powerful."To watch complete TEDx talks, click '直播回放livestreaming playback' on the official WeChat channel:
While the TEDx talks were surely a standout at YCYW TEDx 2022, that was just one aspect of this bursting-at-the-seams, all day event.The main hall stage was also the scene of two concerts – Primary and Secondary – with pupils of all ages and from across the country showcasing their precocious talents in a number of genres – from traditional Chinese to classical to contemporary – to a rapt audience.The second hall played host to a number of shows, starting with two science shows: Explosions! and what causes them was explored – with plenty of exciting examples –followed by an engaging exploration of the State of Matter.There was also a math workshop and plenty of arty happenings too, with two different workshops – including kaleidocylce making – as well as a myriad of young YCYW artists' works.'Reimagining – Building a Colourful Future for Humanity' was the theme, creating a visual feast in a number of artistic mediums.The main corridor linking it all was a veritable hive of activity, starting with a welcome band playing people in.An imaginative 'Crime Scene' designed by the science teachers at YCIS Shanghai, an exciting way to encourage people to apply their STEM skills.Each 'site' hid vital clues, with challengers needing to analyze footprints in the soil, extract DNA, perform DNA gel electrophoresis and obtain key information to solve the case."Forensic science is a genuine field, and we hope this is a fun way to help people understand how it works in real life," explained 'forensic examiners' Ethan and Jaymee, Year 12 students from YCIS Shanghai.There were, of course, future technologies like AI to immerse yourself in.And there were robots galore – including one that played basketball!For all the budding architects out there, there were dream home designs.Trust us, these were just some of the highlights of the incredible creativity and talent of the YCYW students on display.
It was a spectacular feast of technology, art and novel ideas, delivered by the next generation. It looks like we're in good hands!
To enquire about YCYW schools, please scan the QR code below to get connected with their dedicated Admissions team:
▼For more news, click 'Read more' (阅读原文) below.