Achieving sustainable development goals takes joint efforts from all actors of the society, and the cooperation of world youth makes one of them. Given the opportunities, young people can take up the driver’s seat in actively participating in shaping the policies addressing global challenges.
Against this backdrop, the China Agriculture University (CAU) and the Sino-German Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) called on youth from different countries to form transnational youth study groups called “1+1+1“. Each of the study group composed of three members from different countries. The study groups identified potentially transferable development experiences in China and beyond, summarized those and analyzed applicability and context factors for transfers.
Over a period of three months since September 2021, ten groups carried out joint research studies on ten topics. A total of 32 members from 18 countries participated in the studies, including China, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, the Philippines, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, and the USA.
On 23 November 2021, the study groups presented the results of the studies in a ceremony opened by Prof. Du Taisheng, Vice President of China Agricultural University and Prof. Yu Yunquan, Dean of Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies in China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration. Five tutors from the United Nations World Food Program, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Center for China and Globalization and China Agriculture University, provided their valuation guidance to the studies.
Despite the challenges from limited timeframe, complexity of the research topics and the travel restrictions, all ten groups successfully completed their study reports. Furthermore, each team produced a short video of their study result for creative presentation and knowledge sharing. This facilitated sharing of study results via multiple channels internationally.
Three judges who evaluated the final results believed that the 1+1+1 Transnational Youth Study Group Project gathered many brilliant young people that dedicate to the international development cooperation and poverty alleviation worldwide. “It is really enjoyable and inspiring to review the reports and watch the videos of the participants, and the innovative ideas, insights and solutions are so bright and applicable”, said one of the judges. “We even start to anticipate the policy recommendations and tools be applied one day somewhere in one of the African countries and really make a difference in its poverty alleviation endeavour”.
