She came to this world with no faults
She knows that she needs to fill herself with knowledge not to seem depraved
But discrimination has made her down and out. Still, she is unwilling to be a passer-by
Or indulge the injustice of this society and continue to live
If she wants to be admitted to a university and graduate on the west coast
With her parents’ expectation on her left shoulder
She is bound to meet hardships or suffering along the way
These flowers are always blooming on the other side
She doesn’t have time to squander, or she’ll be ridiculed
She doesn’t have a chance to be vulnerable, and this wall must be broken
I have long forgotten my starting point
But the end is the same, and I am not surprised
I chose to record and she didn’t leave, either
Li Bai is only one of the poets who have the surname of Li
Experienced pain, in which there is a joy
Cried a few times amid others’ mockery
Doesn’t want to hear the death knell, and she can’t relax
Can’t let others decide her fate
They always wear colored glasses or have double standards
Sometimes I tap on the keyboard and move the cursor, looking at a computer screen
But rational people will always stand up for them
Fortunately, in this world, there are two sexes and the twelve Chinese zodiac signs
—This is the song “She” (sanctuary remix) that Shane, an 11th grader at KWA, wrote for this year’s session of the International Youth Summit.
On March 26, the International Youth Summit 2018 was held at Beijing Kaiwen Academy (KWA). Foreign guests, such as education officials from the U.S. Embassy in China and the Director of Admissions at Mount Holyoke College, were invited to make keynote speeches at the Summit. KWA Executive Principal Ms. Zhou Zhaoyu and Academic Principal Mr. Wang Shi both attended the event.
The theme of this year’s International Youth Summit was “Speak for Her—Exploring Gender Equality in Modern Society.” KWA Social Sciences Group organized the Summit to improve students’ critical thinking regarding gender equality in modern society and to motivate the students to challenge the solidified thinking of society about the roles of men and women. KWA students and the U.S. students from Shady Side Academy (SSA) and Park Tudor (PT) high schools participated in the discussion.
Ms. Zhou Zhaoyu extended a warm welcome to participants on behalf of all KWA teachers and students, and expressed her best wishes for the Summit. Mr. Wang Shi, who presided over the Summit, said, “This is the second time that KWA has held the International Youth Summit. The Summit has attracted more attention from international schools, parents, and the media, and the topics discussed at the Summit have been increasingly linked to current international hot issues. I hope that this event will expand the students’ vision and thinking, and bring everyone new ideas and inspirations.”
The Summit, which focused on “Problems Facing Modern Women Worldwide” and “The Role that Men and Women Can Play in Supporting Gender Equality”, was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session, held at the Arts Center and attended mainly by senior high school students, was mainly for topic discussion. Among the topics were social topics such as “Exploring the Social Stereotypes of Women” and other interesting topics such as “A Letter to My Future Daughter.” These topics were designed to guide the participants to think about gender equality issues. For the morning social sciences course for junior high school students, the teachers organized a gender equality-related learning activity.
At the afternoon session, which was held in the school’s auditorium, foreign guests were invited to share their views on the theme of the Summit. Amy E. Markham, Director of Admissions at Mount Holyoke College, inspired the students to think about various social phenomena by pointing out that solidified thinking about men and women has permeated modern society. Nancy Chen, an education official from the U.S. Embassy, shared the development process and features of the U.S. feminist movement.
Subsequently, student representatives from KWA, SSA, and PT shared their views on topics such as “Women’s Employment Issues”, “Female Images in Mass Media”, and “Education Issues for Women.” “We should encourage women to continue to work after giving birth, and I hope that society will give them fair employment opportunities.” “The stereotyped female image has hinted to people that women can only do certain jobs, which is very unfair.” “There are many independent women representatives in both modern and ancient times all over the world. They have become symbols, indicating that women are not inferior to men in certain things.” “Emma Watson is my role model. Her speech on “He For She” touched me deeply. I wish I could become someone like her in the future.”
In addition to sharing views, the participating students also expressed their thoughts on topics like gender equality in a wealth of exciting forms such as dances, songs, and interviews. Eleventh grader Shane wrote an original song for the Summit in the evening before it was held. The song caused quite a stir in the audience. The impromptu performances by Tim and the U.S. students made the students want more.
SSA and PT are KWA’s sister schools in the United States. Every year, the three schools organize students to participate in inter-school exchange visits. These students, while attending classes, live with a local host family to have an in-depth experience of the cultural life of the host country. The Summit was the last activity that SSA students attended at KWA. They were about to leave for the United States the next day. After a week of study together, SSA students have established profound friendships with their Chinese classmates.
KWA has always been committed to cultivating high-quality, high-level, and highly-responsible international talent. The school has encouraged its students to think actively and critically, and created opportunities for students to display their talents and exchange views. On April 15th, KWA will hold a large-scale Open Day event. There will be plenty of cultural and sports activities, demo lessons, and detailed school presentations. Please follow our official WeChat account—Kaiwen-edu or our website—http://hd.kaiwenacademy.cn/ to view details and sign up.