Last term, the Victorian Young Leaders to China program was held virtually over a two week period in conjunction with the Beijing Language and Culture University.
Congratulations to the Year 9 students who participated in this program:
Ava Castro, Sienna Lin, Caitlyn Lung, Jasmine Caguiat, Anna Ha, Prescilla Tran, Isabella Benbow, Vanesso Vo, Paige Albury and Thu Giang Nguyen.
The students attended the virtual program with their Chinese teacher every morning for a two week period. The program involved Chinese language classes, Chinese culture classes and self-study/tutorials, as well as opening and closing ceremonies.
The students did an absolutely amazing job and we are extremely proud of them! Thank you to Mr Ding for leading the program and to Ms Wang and Ms Yang for their support of the students.
Read about some of the students’ experiences in their own words and check out the gallery below:
All of the ten days gaining a deeper understanding of China’s culture and language has been a blast and a memorable experience. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity, being able to create stronger bonds with my fellow classmates at VUSC, but also forming new connections with koala class members all around Victoria and Dou Laoshi (Ms Dou) from China. Each of the activities in the program were a big culture shock, but we all participated with an open mind and ended up sharing a few laughs and new joyful memories. Learning about different topics, such as how to have a conversation on the phone and how to conduct weather reports in Mandarin, have expanded my knowledge of the complex language and has been extremely useful throughout my normal Mandarin classes. I hope to have the opportunity to join this program again and have twice as much fun we’ve all had in this short period of time.
Ava CASTRO (9H)
I enjoyed the program as I could connect with my fellow peers that joined the program with me. We learnt many things, and in my opinion, I think that my bonds with them strengthen between us. We learnt about the Chinese culture and their technology. The people who joined the program with me, were mostly in the koala group and we learnt about weather, illness, phone calls, countries, school subjects and hobbies. The most unforgettable moment for me was when we had to do the radio gymnastics. It was funny to try and follow along. Most of the time when we were doing that, I was giggling or laughing, so that was really fun.
Caitlyn LUNG (9H)
As a student who participated in the Victorian Young Leaders to China program, I can assure you that the experience was quite enjoyable, and helped me quite a lot with improving my knowledge of the Chinese language and culture. We adhered to strict schedules and had many assignments throughout the two week program; but our teacher made the learning environment a safe space to learn and have fun in. Many of us were apprehensive when starting the program, but the teacher not only taught with great wit, but also abided us to improve our speaking skills, and provided us with feedback to the many mistakes we made along the way. My favourite part of the program was the cultural classes that focused on Chinese pop culture, the Great Wall of China, Broadcast Gymnastics, and Chinese Technology. The teachers running the cultural classes had an abundance of knowledge in a particular topic and taught it to us with ease. In short – the program was quite sublime in its entirety.
Jasmine CAGUIAT (9H)
My experience during the Victorian Young Leader to China Program was unforgettable, we got to participate and learn a lot of about the Chinese culture like Chinese broadcasting. My favourite was having a lesson about Chinese pop fashions. We got to learn about the weather, illness, countries, school subjects, hobbies and phone calls, by the end of the day we were all able to have conversations about all the topics discovered. The koala class is very friendly, everyone is welcoming, we all loved to participate and share our thoughts in the class. As a person who received the best contribution in class award, I have learnt that keep on doing what you like, don’t be afraid to share! The two weeks was definitely not long enough for us because we enjoyed it so much thanks to Dou Lao Shi (Ms Dou), Tang Lao Shi (Ms Tang) and Jiao Lao Shi(Ms Jiao) they are always there to help us in our learning journey of the program. With the support of Mr Ding we were able to try different foods ranging from sweet to salty and spicy during the program, he also became a life saver when we were chosen to answer questions that we didn’t know the answer to.
Anna Ha (9H)
During the Victorian young leaders program it was a very fun experience and a great chance to learn many new Chinese characters from previous topics by expanding on our knowledge furthermore. Main topics covered in this program were: weather, illness, phone calls, countries, school subjects and hobbies taught by our wonderful Chinese teacher. There were many activities held online. Activities included Chinese pop culture, Radio gymnastics, Virtual tour of the Great Wall of China, and Chinese science and Technology. It was the most interesting and an unforgettable memory with my peers in our amazing koala class.
Prescilla TRAN (9G)
The Victorian Young Leaders to China Program was a fun and new experience. Through this program, it made me become a lot closer with my peers who participated in the program. During the program, we learnt many topics such as family members, the four seasons, seeing a doctor etc. We also had cultural classes, which gave us a better understanding into China’s history and culture. The most unforgettable moment during the whole program would probably have to be learning about Chinese Pop culture as I personally found it the most interesting.
Sienna LIN (9H)
During the Virtual Victorian Young Leaders to China Program, we had learnt about different aspects to their culture and broadened our vocabulary on weather, illness, phone calls, countries, school and hobbies. We had learnt a lot collectively as a group, and established a new and stronger bond with our peers. Overall, it was a fun experience that I am glad I was a part of. The most unforgettable moment of the program was probably when we had done the radio gymnastics and I almost lost my balance during that and the snack breaks during both we were laughing and talking as a group with people who I would not really talk to daily.
Isabella BENBOW (9G)
Through the VYLC program, I interacted with many other students from schools all over Victoria and got to learn Chinese from a teacher in China. This was a valuable experience as I got to appreciate more Chinese culture and understand what it means to be a global citizen. I enjoyed learning about casual expressions used in China, as it adds to my knowledge of simple conversation. It was a very valuable experience that I will make sure to cherish.
Vanessa VO (9G)
