LA Mayor to work with JCCF on 10 000 Strong Initiative

Concert Poster
(17 December)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed on Monday to provide more opportunities for LA-area high school students from underserved communities to study in China.

"This program will create life-changing opportunities for our young people to travel to a new country, learn about a new culture and meet new friends," he said at a news briefing in Beijing.

Most of them have never studied overseas nor even "been in an airplane before".

Leading a delegation of 21, Villaraigosa started his Asian trip on Sunday in Beijing. The delegation will also visit Chongqing and Shanghai during the coming week.

Villaraigosa announced a recently established partnership between LA and charitable foundations dedicated to promoting educational exchanges between China and the US at the news briefing.

Los Angeles is the latest city to throw its support behind the "100,000 Strong Initiative", a program launched by the US Department of State to increase the number of US students studying in China over the next four years.

Citing the strategic importance of the US-China relationship, President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong Initiative" in November 2009. The national effort is meant to increase the number and diversify the composition of US students studying in China. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the initiative in May 2010 in Beijing.

The initiative aims to prepare a next generation of US experts on China who will be charged with managing the growing political, economic and cultural ties between the two nations, according to the US Department of State. It also strives to develop opportunities and funding sources for underrepresented students to study in China.

The initiative is a public-private partnership, and private corporate and foundation donors have pledged more than $11 million toward it. The Chinese government has offered 20,000 scholarships for US students.

The Los Angeles mayor's office will cooperate with two nonprofit organizations - Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA) and the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing - to promote the program.

"We believe strongly that young people from China and the US will be highly influential in the 21st century. Our two great nations have the opportunities now to work together to build a brighter future, and understanding and friendship between us will be crucial to making that dream a reality," Villaraigosa said.

Ted Dean, APSA co-founder, told China Daily on Monday that APSA has helped more than 100 US high school students to study in China in the past four years.

As for the new program, "students will be chosen from applicants who had studied Chinese in high school for one or two years", he said.

He noted that APSA runs full-scholarship programs for US high school students from underserved communities to study in Beijing, focusing on languages acquisition, cultural understanding, leadership development and exposure to international careers.

The Ministry of Education said this year that the country plans to use cooperative educational programs to draw 500,000 foreign students to China by 2020.

SOURCE: CHINA DAILY

JCCF donates to the 100 000 Strong Initiative

From Weibo today JCCF announced that it has contributed 1 million (currency unstated I assume RMB) into a special fund for the 100 000 Strong Initiative.

北京成龙慈善基金会：美国政府网日前公布一项名为“10万强计划”，将于未来4年招揽10万名美国学生赴华留学，以增加美国新一代对迅速发展的中国的认识。北京成龙慈善基金会作为10万强中方主办单位之一,设立专项基金资助互换学生的生活,已有意向捐款100万。

SOURCE: WEIBO/JCCF

100 000 Strong Initiative:

Citing the strategic importance of the U.S.-China relationship, in November 2009, President Barack Obama announced the “100,000 Strong” initiative, a national effort designed to increase dramatically the number and diversify the composition of American students studying in China. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton officially launched the initiative in May 2010 in Beijing. The Chinese government strongly supports the initiative and has already committed 10,000 “Bridge Scholarships” for American students to study in China.

This initiative seeks to prepare the next generation of American experts on China who will be charged with managing the growing political, economic and cultural ties between the United States and China. The initiative also seeks to develop specific opportunities and funding sources for underrepresented students to study in China.

SOURCE: 100 000 STRONG

The 100 000 strong concert (supported by Will.I.AM see HERE for more details) had a press conference yesterday. Fang Longji Secretary General of the Joint Organisation Committee said that if you give young people opportunities for cooperation between China and the USA they can use the opportunity to build a better world.

Beijing Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation : 100,000 strong series of activities, "joy," public concert press conference held yesterday. Secretary General of the Joint Organization Fang Longji party, said: "'enjoying themselves' to the world's young people about their study abroad opportunities. If you give young people opportunities for cooperation between China and the U.S., they can use The opportunity to help build a better world, we cooperate with the APSA that is, to find more young people to make Sino-US cooperation.

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北京成龙慈善基金会：10万强系列活动“不亦乐乎”公益演唱会昨天举办发布会。联合组织方龙基会秘书长党群女士表示：“‘不亦乐乎’让全世界的年轻人认识出国留学为他们带来机遇。如果给中美两国的年轻人合作机会，他们可以利用这些机会来帮助构建更好的世界。我们与APSA合作即是为了找到更多让中美两国年轻人合作的方式

JCCF Co-Organise Concert in Beijing

Black Eyed Peas singers will.i.am and apl.de.ap will join John Legend and the Bucky Johnson band at a Beijing concert Dec. 17 designed to encourage study abroad programs in China, the musicians announced Monday in Los Angeles.

The concert, which supports the U.S. State Department’s 100,000 Strong Initiative to send that many American students to study in China, may see an appearance by martial arts actor and sometime-singer Jackie Chan, whose Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing is co-organizing the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

No venue was specified during Monday’s announcement, although one of Beijing’s former Olympic venues could play host. Tickets were not on sale in Beijing as of Tuesday afternoon local time.

In Beijing, the concert is being co-organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, which provides scholarships to inner city students. It is supported by both the U.S. State Department and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Black Eyed Peas have performed as a unit twice previously in the Chinese capital city.

SOURCE: EURWEB.COM

The show is being organized in cooperation with the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing.

Black Eyed Peas' singer will.i.am and bandmate apl.de.ap, John Legend and the Bucky Johnson band at a Beijing concert Dec. 17 designed to encourage study abroad programs in China, the musicians announced Monday in Los Angeles.

The concert, which supports the U.S. State Department's 100,000 Strong Initiative to send that many American students to study in China, may see an appearance by martial arts actor and sometime-singer Jackie Chan, whose Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing is co-organizing the show. Monday's announcement mentioned the participation of "other prominent Chinese and U.S. artists," but only named the Peas' members, Legend and Bucky Johnson. No venue was specified, although one of Beijing's former Olympic venues could play host. Tickets were not on sale in Beijing as of Tuesday afternoon local time. The Black Eyed Peas have performed as a unit twice previously in the Chinese capital city.

Charity concerts have a rocky history in Beijing when not organized directly by the Chinese government. The Show of Peace concert, which was to feature Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, was first postponed from April 2010 and then canceled. Other recent canceled Beijing concerts by major artists include a March 2009 show by Oasis, due to a prior Noel Gallagher appearance at a pro-Tibetan independence gig, and an Oct. 2008 performance by Linkin Park, due to injury to singer Chester Bennington.

In Beijing, the concert is being co-organized by Americans Promoting Study Abroad, which provides scholarships to inner city students. It is supported by both the U.S. State Department and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER