Bulletin - The Open Classroom Hong Kong

2016 “Young Leaders of Tomorrow” (YLOT) Summer Leadership Program
Brought to you by The Open Classroom
Mission: Help high school students develop leadership skills, service mindset, and self awareness to
better prepare themselves for journey to college and beyond
Target students: Students completing Grades 9 – 12 /Form 3 – 6 (may consider students completing
Grade 8 / Form 2 on exceptional cases)
Passionate Ivy League/Top College Facilitators (1:3 facilitator/student ratio)
 Ivy League/top college graduates and students with diverse academic interest and aspirations
 Passionate about helping others learn
 Track record of success, maturity, and "charting their own course”
Program Components
 LEADERSHIP SIMULATION: Experience different levels and types of challenges faced by most
leaders in today's world, illustrated by the micro-finance sector in India or other current /global
events. The microfinance simulations have been run in our 2011-2015 YLOT programs with over
100 high school students, and they all rated the simulations as one of their favorite learning
activities. Through each simulation, students learn about tangible leadership skills (e.g. analyzing
situations, making decisions with imperfect information, principled negotiations, crisis
management etc) in an interactive and fun environment.
 LEADERSHIP CASE STUDIES: These case studies are designed to replicate difficult situations and
decisions that high school students may face in school, at home, and in the real world. Through
role playing and subsequent debrief, students “learn” how to handle these situations with integrity
and responsibility. Case studies include standing up to peer pressure, over-committing vs
standing by a commitment; humility and toughness; difficult conversations with parents etc.
 PROJECT EXPERIENCE WITH NGOs/SOCIAL ENTERPRISES: Students will learn and practice
collaborative leadership (applying some of the skills learnt in class) through working on
“consulting” projects for local NGOs. The students will first put the problem/issue in context by
hearing it directly from the NGO leader, and experiencing the life of the people the NGO serves or
the product it produces. Then they will have to set goals, both for this project and for themselves.
Afterwards they will develop a work plan to lay out issues they need to work on and how to
address them, and each person’s responsibilities. They then do individual work, meeting
periodically to brainstorm solutions to problems they come across and to check on progress,
seeking guidance from facilitators as needed. Finally they will have to develop a
proposal/recommendation to the NGO leader and ask for feedback. We encourage them to stay
connected to the NGO and help with facilitating implementation of some of these projects (if their
recommendation is used by NGO). In the previous programs, we partnered with Grameen
Foundation, Dialogue in Silence, Crossroads, Table for Two, Diamond Cab, Bits-to-Bloc and WINGS
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 EXPOSURE TO INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS: Hear how leaders from all walks (and ages) of life
have aligned their purpose, talents, and values to their leadership, work, and life. In previous
programs, we have invited guest speakers ranging from senior executives of corporate, NGO
leaders, entrepreneurs, musician, ex-Olympic swimmer to chief police negotiator, author and
pastor
 SELF AWARENESS WORKSHOPS: A series of reflective workshop aimed to help students
discover their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and aspirations. Some activities include:
o Inner Leader Profile – crystallizing the question of “What kind of person do I aspire to be,
so I can be true to my essential nature, successful, and make a contribution to the world?”
through mock interviews and one on one coaching
o Discovering strengths and personality predisposition – Enneagrams, multiple intelligence
tests etc and sharing among students and facilitators
o Workshops targeting at common areas of development for teenagers –e.g. building up
confidence, communication skills, interview skills, time management etc
 COLLEGE RELATED WORKSHOPS AND NETWORKING EVENT: Practical tips for college
application (mock interviews, personal essays), school and life advice, sharing of experiences by
current students and alumni. Social networking event to meet experienced professionals from
different fields and learn about their career paths.
 GROUP AND ONE-ON-ONE COACHING DURING PROGRAM AND EMBEDDING PERIOD: Each
student will receive one-on-one coaching sessions from both the Senior and Junior Facilitators
during the summer program to set learning goals and discuss areas of development. The one-onone coaching will extend for 6 months after the summer program to encourage students to stay in
touch with their facilitators and to report progress on their developmental goals.
2016 Program Dates:
 July 25-Aug 5, 2016
Each session will be a 10-day program, meeting from 9am -5pm. For a tentative daily schedule, please
refer to Appendix B.
Program Location:
Youth Square, 238 Chai Wan Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong (3-min walk from MTR Chai Wan Station Exit A)
http://www.youthsquare.hk/en/#/ContactUs
For overseas students, they are recommended to stay at Y-Loft which is the hotel inside Youth Square.
Overseas students are responsible for making lodging arrangements in Hong Kong but we will be happy
to help coordinate as much as possible.
Program Leaders & Senior Facilitators
Agnes Kong
• Co-founder of The Open Classroom
• Carlyle Group, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, IFC World Bank
• Harvard Business School, Yale Undergrad (summa cum laude & phi beta kappa)
Huijin Kong
• Leadership development entrepreneur and consultant/coach
• SCMP Group, McKinsey & Company
• Harvard Business School Baker Scholar, Wharton Undergrad (4.0 GPA)
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Yvonne Chu
• Co-founder of The Open Classroom
• Asia Pacific Land Real Estate Fund, Sino Land, Goldman Sachs
• Columbia Masters in financial engineering, Cornell Undergrad in operations research
Past Junior Facilitators from 2014-15
Megan Felder
• Rising Junior in Columbia
• Double Major in Mathematics & Classics
• Columbia Parliamentary Debate Team
From Megan: As a Kaplan teacher, I quickly grew to see that the two most important components to
teaching are inspiring passion and providing mentorship, not merely instruction. YLOT truly embodies
these principles by emphasizing the skills of leadership, teamwork, and learning through challenges to its
high school participants. I look forward to joining The Open Classroom team so that I can provide a
unique, untraditional learning experience to my students, while also taking full advantage of the
opportunity to learn from my incredible co-workers and students.
Kristen Kelly
• Rising Senior in University of Pennsylvania
• Double Major in Urban Studies & English; minor in Asian American Studies
• Member of the Philomathean Society, the PEER Mentoring Program, the Asian Pacific American
Leadership Initiative, and Oracle (a Senior Honor Society)
From Kristen: I'm incredibly excited to begin work with The Open Classroom! YLOT equips students to be
successful self-advocates for their own education by fostering an intellectually curious and personally
driven environment. Throughout high school and college, I've learned that these qualities are integral to
having an emotionally fulfilling experience in both academic and social spheres. I can't wait to share my
own knowledge as a junior facilitator, and look forward to learning from the students as well.
Tiffany Liu
• Second year at Oxford University
• Major in Modern Languages
• Vice President of Annual College Charity Ball
From Tiffany: For me, the YLOT program is invaluable in its unique holistic approach to teaching and
learning. I value this opportunity even more so considering the alarming lack of personal development
opportunities for young people today – myself included – especially in Hong Kong, where the focus on
learning has traditionally been on academic progress. In particular, I echo YLOT’s emphasis on leadership,
as I believe it is a transferable quality that is essential for any role or area of expertise, especially in
today’s dynamic and fast-paced environment.
Melissa Cheung
• Junior at Columbia University
• Major in English and Comparative Literature
• Sports columnist at School Newspaper
From Melissa: As an aspiring teacher, I constantly look to immerse myself in opportunities where I will
have the chance to help students grow, in both their academics and practical skillsets, through my
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guidance and support. I know that through these processes, I will be able to learn a lot about myself, in
terms of my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher, and what I can improve on for the future.
2016 Junior Facilitators are currently being recruited from top universities. They will have
similar caliber and qualifications as the Junior Facilitators from previous years.
To Apply
•
For more information, please visit our website at http://www.young-leaders-of-tomorrow.com/
•
Please contact us at [email protected] or (852) 2541 1336 for application form.
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Appendix A
“Young Leaders of Tomorrow” Summer Leadership Program Highlights
The Open Classroom’s inaugural 2011 “Young Leaders of Tomorrow” (YLOT) summer program was
successfully completed in Hong Kong in July. The program was designed to cultivate leadership skills,
service mindset and inner awareness in high school students. We had 33 students from local, international
and overseas high schools including CIS, HKIS, SIS, ICS, CNIS, West Island, Yew Chung, DBS, DGS, Heep
Yunn, Exeter (U.S.), St. Paul’s (U.S.), Lawrenceville (U.S.), Cheltenham Ladies’ College (U.K.), and
Winchester (U.K.). For the 4 NGO projects, we partnered with Grameen Foundation, Dialogue in Silence,
Diamond Cab, and Bits-to-Bloc.
For the 2012 program, we had the first session in Singapore from June 4-15 with students from Victoria
JC, Hwa Chong Institution, St Andrew's Secondary, and SCGS. In Hong Kong, we ran 2 sessions with
students from CIS, HKIS, SIS, ICS, CNIS, West Island, Shatin College, ISF, St Paul’s Co-ed, Choate Rosemary
Hall (U.S.), The Hockaday School (U.S.), King’s School (U.K.) and Cheltenham Ladies’ College (U.K.). Our
NGO partners were Crossroads, Dialogue in Silence, Table for Two and Wings (Singapore).
In the past 2013-14 programs, we had more students participating from different schools including St
Joseph’s College, Andover (U.S.), Loomis Chaffee School (U.S.), and The Bronx High School of Science (U.S.)
Three outcomes worth highlighting:
1. Every student was engaged throughout program, despite some of them were signed up by their
parents and our classes were long (9am - 5pm Monday through Friday). Students also exerted positive
influence on each other to get "engaged" and work. Even though the summer program has ended,
students are still actively organizing reunion events and follow-up meetings on their NGO work out of
their own free time. They are also actively exchanging ideas on facebook groups formed by them among
their project teams.
2. Our students' work on their project with NGOs far exceeded our and NGO Leaders'
expectations. One NGO leader said, "I am touched." Several recommendations have been adopted by
NGOs, and all teams continue to work with the NGOs directly in implementing those recommendations,
coming to the facilitators informally for guidance as needed along the way.
3. Students learned a lot about leadership and themselves from the program, e.g., about how they
make decisions, about the strength and challenge of their communication style, challenging themselves to
speak up (or less in some cases), giving each other and facilitators feedback.
In our world of rapidly increasing complexity and uncertainty, we need to equip young hearts and minds
with courage, creativity, and diverse abilities, so they have a better chance of becoming leaders who can
address our world’s fundamental issues. This program is one of our contributions towards that societal
need.
The program helps high school students cultivate leadership skills, service mindset and inner awareness,
working with each other and local NGOs, with the guidance of facilitators from Ivy League schools. We
had faith that a program focusing on Leading in the Real World using cutting-edge experiential learning
methods would be highly effective, relevant, and complementary to existing school & ECA offerings. Our
experience from the program supports that belief.
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We received excellent feedback – 100% of students would recommend the program, several
students “can’t stop talking about the program” at home (from parent’s feedback), and NGO Leaders are
continuing to work with our students directly. For testimonials, please refer to Appendix C.
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Appendix B
Tentative Schedule for the 2015 Summer Program:
WEEK 1
TIME
MONDAY
TUESDAY
9-10am
Inspirational
Leader
Inspirational
Leader
1015am1230pm
Simulation
Module 1
Leadership Case
Study 1
WEDNESDAY
Inspirational
Leader
Break
Simulation
Module 2
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Inspirational
Leader
Inspirational
Leader
Leadership Case
Study 2
Simulation
Module 3
Project with
NGO
Project with
NGO
Optional
Workshop
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Lunch
130-4pm
Project with
NGO
Project with
NGO
415-515pm
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Project with
NGO
Break
Optional
Workshop
Social network
(meet with Ivy
League graduates
and professionals
with diverse career
paths)
515pm-7pm
WEEK 2
TIME
MONDAY
9-10am
Inspirational
Leader
1015am1230pm
TUESDAY
Inspirational
Leader
Break
Leadership Case
Study 3
Simulation
Module 4
WEDNESDAY
Inspirational
Leader
Leadership Case
Study 4
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Project NGO /
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Project NGO /
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Project NGO/
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Presentations
Lunch
130-4pm
Project with
NGO
Project with
NGO
Project with
NGO
Break
415-515pm
Inner Leader
Portfolio
Optional
Workshop
Optional
Workshop
Graduation
Dinner
8-10pm
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Appendix C
Testimonials from Past Students, Parents & Junior Facilitators
STUDENTS
“Before the "Young Leaders of Tomorrow" Program, I didn’t have a clear definition of what leadership
was. The word often gets thrown around a lot, especially nowadays, when “leadership” positions are
considered ribbons to place on one’s college applications. But after the program, I realized that
leadership is about more than holding a title. I learned that leadership is not about trying to get
ahead of people, but walking at their pace, and listening to them. I learned the value of holding
back your thoughts, but also sticking up for your opinion. Not only did I learn about leadership as a
general idea, but I learned more about myself. Through our NGO project, and the Enneagram session with
one of our speakers, I learned a lot about how to work with different types of people, and how I could
change to be easier to work with, myself. After this program, I am definitely more confident in my
ability to take part in discussions, do interviews, and meet challenges I previously didn’t know
how to deal with. The program provided me with an excellent foundation in certain essential skills, and I
am positive that I will be using those skills not only throughout high school, but even afterwards, in
college and in the workplace.” – Grade 10, The Hockaday School (U.S.)
“The leadership cases taught me how a leader should always stay confident, do what they think is right
and not easily be affected by other’s influence. This knowledge about leadership that I acquired also
made me realize how I lack confidence and how others easily influence me. Now knowing what I
lack and also my weaknesses, I am still seeking for various solutions to counter them.” – Grade 9, Yew
Chung International School
” Throughout the past two weeks, I have learnt that while I manage to make quality comments, I
should be assertive in taking charge of situations. While this is a weakness I should work on, the
numerous guest speakers convinced me that there are different forms of leadership, and that I should
find the skills, techniques and strengths that best suit my form of leadership.” – Grade 12, Exeter graduate
going to Princeton University
“There were so many different, creative activities that we did (like the Leadership Cases and Simulation
Modules) that you wouldn’t see in the typical high-school classroom setting. It was such a nice break from
the strict, routine environment of school, and I think it enriched the learning experience exponentially. I
also appreciated the fact that we weren’t assigned homework; if we wanted to get work done
outside of the program, we had to sort it out ourselves. I found that this made our group more
independent (the members as individuals, and the group as a whole).” – Grade 10, Kary Academy, USA
“My favorite part of the program is the NGO project. I was able to engage with social issues, and
developed compassion, empathy to care for others. The experience also allowed me to gain business
experience such as gathering and utilizing information, developing and finalizing concepts into a proposal,
and preparing a formal presentation to the NGO leaders at the end. From this, I learnt the importance
of teamwork and communication, which I believe is essential in the real world.“- Grade 11, West
Island School
“The Open Classroom is very effective because it ensures that its participants learn about the world as
well as about themselves while keeping everybody involved with its friendly and cheerful
atmosphere. Its incorporation of a very real NGO project adds an element of real-world application of
concepts as well as provides an opportunity to gain experience outside of the classroom. College
information sessions covering everything from managing academics and extracurricular activities to
college applications and interviews to even choosing what to study at university make this course
especially helpful for high school students moving into years 12 or 13.” – Grade 11, HKIS
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“Another thing that thrilled me was the earnestness of the facilitators. I could see that they were
observing very carefully and scribbling in their notebooks when we were having discussions. Yet, I had
never imagined that they would treat this so seriously. From the comments and words they had
for us, I had a feeling that they could almost look straight into our hearts. They didn’t just give us
random, general reflections, but gave us advice based on who we are deep inside.” – Form 4, Heep Yunn
“This is the place where I can get honest and practical feedback from experienced people as an
attempt to get to know myself better. I treasure every moment I have spent in this programme as well as
every moment will be since these facilitators are willing to keep in touch and help me in the coming
future.” – Form 4, Heep Yunn
“Since school has started, I've really been noticing the positive contributions I'm making in class and how
they have been significantly better than the ones I've been making in comparison to last year. One of the
main goals I set for myself before the The Open Classroom Leadership program was to improve
my critical thinking skills, and I've been seeing major differences in both my written and oral
contributions. So I'd like to show gratitude and thanks to you and the other program directors who
helped out with developing and achieving the goal that I set out to accomplish before the program.” –
Grade 11, ICS
“The leadership skills I learnt are practical. I came out of it thinking how I could apply them on
my daily life. This is also a refreshing and interactive course unlike the local school teaching method as
students have to step into others’ shoes and make difficult decisions. What I enjoyed most is the NGO
project with Dialogue in Silence in which I could be involved in a social enterprise and learn how a
business runs. I also appreciate that I could take part in DiS after the program to follow up with our
proposal.” – Form 4, Hong Kong local school student
Additional anonymous feedback
“It made me see leadership from different perspectives than just telling people what to do”
“It taught me how to take the initiative to start discussions and think from different perspectives”
“It helped me understand myself in the sense that I found out my tendency in decision-making, which is
to rely a lot on my feelings. This enabled me to have more integrated considerations in the
future…Moreover, the inner leader portfolio workbook follow-up was really useful in helping me tune my
mind into a ‘can-do’ mindset. I am encouraged to think positively and work out my dream.”
“I’ve learnt that we/being a leader need to care about all of our teammates, try to understand their
weakness and strengths and do the best to support them. ALSO, taking initiative is really important!!!”
“I think this program helped me build my confidence and teamwork. I learned that i lack confidence and
this program made me realize that i should value my talents and i also came to the realization that i
should try and suspend more + connect all the information before i speak (suspending).”
PARENTS
“Many thanks for your terrific program this summer. I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard
[child's name] mention how much he got out of your program. I understand that his team may continue
their efforts for Diamond Cab, which would be great.” – Parent of Year 9 student, CIS
“Thank you for everything. [child’s name] find your program inspiring and exciting so far. He talks about
his experience every day during dinner.” – Parent of Grade 10 student, HKIS
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NGO LEADERS
“I see leadership as defining who someone is and what they stand for. I look at young adults in Hong
Kong and their resumes are enviable at sixteen years old; so much accomplished in such a short period of
time. Yet where is the leadership - defined by who they are and what they are passionate about. This
program has created a dynamic and thoughtful space for young adults to stretch the bounds of
their thinking, to challenge their pre-conceived notions and within that context, to lead. Leaders
are the change-agents of the future, be it in the corporate or social world. Grameen Foundation is proud
to be part of this important initiative." – Jennifer Meehan, CEO of Grameen Foundation, Asia Region
“On behalf of DiS , I would like to express my sincere thanks…The proposal prepared by Chillies team
about how to enhance and to run Dialogue in Silence Hong Kong towards local secondary school was a
high quality one – in terms of the idea, creative, execution to presentation, which surprised all of our
team members that we can’t imagine it were came from a group of young people, is awesome and
professional. We have no doubt to recommend ‘The Open Classroom’ to others, also it was our pleasure
to be included in your program. We believed your program definite benefit the student. We have
implemented some of the idea from Chillies in our education program, positive feedbacks were received
from schools. Well done! – Fiona Wat, CEO of Dialogue in Silence
“I am really impressed with the students of The Open Classroom having taken Diamond Cab and visited
our office with their passion to find business solutions for us. Though they are still too young to be
working professionals, their real actions did make social changes of barrier-free lives with
Diamond Cab!” – Doris Leung, CEO of Diamond Cab
“Bits-to-Bloc would like to express our gratification for the constructive marketing proposal that team
Chewbacca has put together in just 10 days last summer. We were impressed with the pricing
research, online approach and consignment strategy that they came up with all by themselves.
Under The Open Classroom’s guidance, the final presentation demonstrated a group of energetic,
professional and mature students that can also contribute to our society even as youngsters. After the
10 day program had ended, the students were still eager to carry through their ideas with us and
we successfully sold one of our up-cycled products.
As a social enterprise established less than a year, we really appreciated the efforts both from the
students and from The Open Classroom to help enhance our marketing strategies. We hope that there
will be a chance to collaborate with The Open Classroom’s summer program again.” – Judith Tse, Founder
of Bits-to-Bloc
JUNIOR FACILITATORS
“After some ideas were thrown around, the idea about coming up with an online platform came to life. At
the end of discussion on what they could do with the online platform, and the advantages of having one,
one of the students in the learning group remarked, “I am very excited about this idea!” This was
definitely one of my most memorable moments. The thought that a simple idea can excite and inspire
students to work to better the world, inspired me.” – Aamir Ashraf, junior from Boston University
” The change in the students’ attitudes and motivations from day 1 to day 10 was quite palpable. They
learned to step outside of their comfort zone in a low-risk environment; being encouraged to speak up for
themselves while caring for the developmental needs of others, many students displayed an intelligent
maturity toward one another, which was very rewarding for the facilitators to see.” – Joanne Wong,
sophomore from Harvard University
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“I was able to learn the many difficulties of facilitating; I learned the importance of being able to connect
with complete strangers at a more rapid pace as well as the value of being able to “let go” of the situation
and let the pieces fall where they may.” – Unsoi Choi, senior from Cornell University
For more testimonials, please refer to:
http://www.theopenclassroom.com.hk/student.php?stud_cate=31&view=42&prog_cate=5&pg=1
&sort=11
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