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Vision

YAPM aims to evoke self-awareness and a sense of responsibility among young members of ethnic minority groups to preserve their cultural heritages and become ambassadors of their unique traditions, by incorporating ethnic culture into the local curriculum as a vibrant part of all students¡¯ education.

Overview

YAPM will provide greater access to technology such as digital cameras and laptops, thereby enabling local youth to become global representatives creating a broader platform for the minority culture to the outside world. YAPM will also call upon collaborative efforts of students from top universities in both China and the United States to address the issue of culture diversity preservation.

Specifically, YAPM will launch a pilot project in Anlong County, Guizhou Province, which represents a typical ethnic minority county in China. The project incorporates a 10-day summer institute that will graduate 30 local youngsters with certificates recognizing their achievements and several follow-up activities to sustain its impact. The summer institute will invite members of local art associations, knowledgeable elders and researchers of domestic culture, history and society to tutor 6 to 8 sessions covering the major facets of the local minority cultures and in the forms of lectures, field trips and workshops. The knowledge and perspectives gleaned from the 10-day camp will be disseminated through the 10-day camp will be disseminated through the rest of the year by YAPM website that fosters communication, sharing of knowledge, exhibition and competition of local youngsters¡¯ works.

Based on the summer institute, YAPM will then develop a long-term ethnic cultural course that can be incorporated into local school curriculum. Besides long-term potential, the impact of YAPM can also reach broader areas. Since the entire course will focus on local resources, such a model can be easily copied by other minority groups in different locations.

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