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Youxin Kong (Airmail)
Female, 18 from Guangzhou, China
Joined TIG: June 16, 2007
My name is Youxin. I was born in Chengdu, but my family moved to Guangzhou when I was 4, and now I am attending university in Tianjin in the very northern part of China. I have traveled quite extensively across China, and I have also visited the USA, France, and Italy. During my travels, what amazed me the most was not the differences between countries, but the similarities: we really do live in a global village, and it’s all about communication, working together, and taking humanity as a whole.
I remember when I was 7, I went to the Natural History Museum in Beijing for the first time. I was shocked and amazed, and this trip really fostered my passion for nature, science, and ecology and the environment. This year, many parts of China are facing snowstorms and extremely cold weather, which is unusual and represents for me a clear indication of the impact of global warming and the climate change crisis. In Chinese, the word “crisis” is made up of two characters, one representing danger and the other opportunity. We have to focus on the opportunity, and now is the chance for people from all over the world to step forward and work together to protect the environment for future generations.
My first big foray into environmentalism was during high school in 2005, when I took part in the Green across the Pacific exchange program. Several other Chinese students and I traveled to Vermont, USA, and together with other American high school students, we visited forests, mountains, factories, and treatment plants, worked on ecological projects, made presentations, and wrote articles on protecting the environment. The program focuses mainly on exchanging information, ideas, projects, resources, and friendships between American and Chinese students who are passionate about environmental protection, and it was a really great experience for me. I have since continued to be active in environmentally related groups and projects in China, including city-cleaning and tree-planting projects, promotional and awareness projects regarding climate change, and green volunteer groups.
I heard about TakingITGlobal quite recently, in June 2007. As with many other Chinese students, I didn’t have much free time in high school, but after graduation, I found out about the website through a random search on Google. I thought it was really cool that it provided a stage for youth from all over the world, so I decided to join. Personally, I have never had the opportunity to visit or to even have pen pals from countries in Africa or in Latin America, which I am really interested in, but TIG gave me a platform to get to know people from around the world. Although life is so radically different in different countries, I was really thrilled to find so many youth who are concerned about global issues and who are just as eager as me to learn more and to make a difference. It’s really inspiring to see that issues like ecology and environmentalism are important to youth in different communities all over the world, and it’s great to be a part of this big global family.
On TIG, I have taken part in the discussion boards, and I’ve submitted photos to the Global Gallery, but I’m most excited about meeting youth from different countries. I’ve made many good friends on TIG, including Ronaldo from Kenya. Ronaldo is really interested in China, and personally, I really love Kenya because of its gorgeous natural landscape and wildlife, so we chat regularly about China and Kenya. I also connected with a youth Nepal who’s working with ICTs and getting Internet and TV to be available in rural areas in Nepal. We shared ideas on establishing a similar project in Tibet, which is quite similar to Nepal in various ways. I love TIG because it allows me to exchange ideas and understanding with youth from different parts of the world.
I’ve also used TIG’s resources to find information, and I’ve browsed activity sites in China and also abroad. I think it’s very important to be informed not only about what’s happening all over the world, but also what youth from different countries think of these events and issues. On TIG, I can visit many people’s blogs and discover their opinions about local and global concerns. I’ve also been finding that even though there are so many engaged youth on the website, not many people are aware about what is happening in China, and I would love to be able to help them to get to know my country.
I want to see more Chinese youth become active on the TIG website, and I have told my friends about TIG and promoted it online. TakingITGlobal promotes the sense of global belonging that is very widespread amongst Chinese youth today. The spirit of establishing a harmonious society is one of TIG’s strengths. TIG inspires youth to leave prejudice and misunderstanding behind, and to stand up and to think and work together. It has helped me to realize that by having access to information and connecting with each other, youth can definitely be effective agents of change.
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Yo-shin
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