Time Table 

Nov-Dec:

1. Desk research to investigate the region, culture, and customs of the Buyi Minority.  
2. Interviews with scholars, educators, government officials in relevant areas and seek for advisors for the project.
   Note: Dean of Yunnan University ethnic minority research center, Professors Fang Tie, has agreed to join our advisory board.
3. Partnership with Guizhou Culture Promotion Association (GCPA) in Peking University which has conducted survey in Guizhou Province previously and possesses rich local resources, especially established network with the government and education system.

¡¡

Jan:

Conduct an on-site survey in Anlong County during the winter break with GCPA to decide local student selection channel, summer institute schedule and nature of collaboration with local government and schools. Students will be selected according to their learning ability, interests in Buyi ethnic culture and passion to become cultural ambassadors. Teachers in local schools will nominate 90~10 candidates, of whom 30 finalists would be selected by YAPM committee.

¡¡

 Feb-June:

Cooperate with local teachers to create modules and diverse educational and entertaining activities for the summer institute. The activities include but are not limited to: cultural classes in the form of story telling, folk songs in Buyi Language, handcrafts lessons such as embroidery and root-carving, etc; lectures on culture preservation issues to reinforce a sense of responsibility; field work providing first hand experience of local culture, involving interviewing residents, photographing traditional handcrafts and architectures, and recording folk music.

 Establish YAPM¡¯s website and create a forum to serve as a platform for local students to exhibit their work and growth, which will be encouraged by periodic evaluation and annual competition on photography and writing. This forum will also enable communication with local students before and after the summer institute to generate long-term effects and gain more attention.

June:

Finalize the list of volunteers of 10 students from China and 5 from the US as coordinators. Volunteers will be selected based on past experience in leading workshops and interests in preserving minority culture. Ten volunteers will study side by side with local students, teach youngsters to use digital cameras, audio recorders and the Internet, collect their feedback and closely monitor students¡¯ participation and program progress. Two volunteers will collect tutors¡¯ feedback and discuss with local educators on incorporating the course into local school curriculum. The rest volunteers will take charge of logistics and recording the whole institute with cameras and recorders. The participation of 5 American student volunteers will help internationalize YAPM and foster cooperation between the youth from two countries.

July-Aug:

Carry out the 10-day ethnic minority culture education and preservation program in Guizhou Province.

Follow-up and long-term:

Produce a 20-minute documentary highlighting the summer institute and send it to local government and other minorities areas to promote the spirit of YAPM. Write report on the status quo of local culture preservation.

 Encourage local youngsters to upload their pictures, sound recordings and articles on the Internet. An annual evaluation will be held by the project committee to reward those with high quality work and active involvement. Hold seminars after the summer institute to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness and develop proposals for involvement of more minority groups from other areas.

¡¡

Background information:

A Brief Introduction to Anlong County

Located in Southwest Guizhou province, Anlong County has a total area of 2231 square meters. Anlong is a county particularly embrace rich minority culture as there are 15 minorities living in its area, such as Buyi People, Miao People, Yi People, Hui People, Gelao People, Zhuang People and so on.

Anlong is famous for its picturesque sceneries. In downtown, there is the renowned place of interest----The Tombs of Eighteen Men of Letters Masters in Ming Dynasty¡±, ¡°Tomb of Zhang Lingxiang Horse River Picture¡±, ¡°Military Temple¡±, ¡°Zhanggong Ancestral Temple¡±, ¡°Ancient Wall¡±; In the east of the city, there lies the Pearl Spring and Suifeng Stone Carving; In the south are ¡°Ancient Cultural Cite of Bronze Drum Mountain Buddhist Hole¡±, ¡°Ancient Pas¡±, ¡°Ancient Post Road¡± etc; the Northeast of the County is most well-known for Zhao Bank scenic spot which has ten-kilometer-long lotuses, which is comparable to the West Lake in Hangzhou.  

Multipled in its distinct terrain, Anlong County¡¯s sea level ranges from 407 meters to 1699.4 meters, which endows the county with a favorable climate as it is warm in winter and cool in summer with an annual average temperature of 15.6¡æ. Meanwhile, Anlong is also profuse in minerals, like sulfur, coal, crystal stones, gold, and biological resources such as rapeseed, sugarcane, bananas, tea, bamboo shoots etc. along with more than ten wild animals, for instance, tiger, leopard, fox and otter.