In times of COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, young people have also suffered a lot from disruptions to overseas learning, exchange of education, and opportunities of internship and voluntary service overseas. GYLA is a youth-led platform which provides young people with the opportunities to learn and exchange knowledge and experiences with global leaders. Today, it is more important than ever for GYLA to bring young people together to discuss with global leaders the roles of youth in response to challenges of pandemic and engagement in SDGs. Therefore, GYLA launched a new online GYLA program (eGYLA) in alliance with the UN agencies, and universities in 2020.
The first edition of eGYLA was launched on 10 August 2020. Over 170 participants and tutors from nine prestigious Chinese universities participated in the program. On the first day, they participated in the opening ceremony to learn more about the programme.
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Liangrong ZU, founder of GYLA delivered a welcoming speech to GYLA participants, introduced the objectives, structure and arrangements of eGYLA. He pointed out that GYLA endeavors to inspire and empower young people as future leaders and change makers in global engagement and governance, to engage them to make a contribution to a brighter future and a better world, and to make efforts in achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2020 is a unique year as the UN celebrates its 75th anniversary and GYLA welcomes its 5th. GYLA will keep its mission and goal of empowering youth, making efforts in accordance with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN 2030 Youth Strategy. As Dr. Liangrong ZU emphasized, the young generation are expected to “dream more, learn more, do more, achieve more and become more in the future.
At the opening, the dream team members, Meng Liu, Heng Gong, Yuanyuan Zhu, Yuqian Lu and Jinghui Fan, etc., also introduced themselves and the work they were going to collaborate with all participants and tutors. On behalf of the participating universities, Professor Jie HU, the tutor from Zhejiang University, make keynote speech. She highly appreciated and praised GYLA as “a learning and practice platform offering young people the opportunity with passion, compassion and enthusiasm to develop their international talents for a better future.”
Facing ongoing changes in the world, the young people are expected to connect with each other to propose innovative and practical solutions and improve the world development. This is what GYLA expects for youth, and it is also what the world expects for youth.
