Company kindness

• Source: Global Times
• [14:02 July 13 2010]
• Comments

Yuan launched the NCSEA to create a foundation to help meet this goal. It is unlike other programs that promote social entrepreneurship among college students, most of which just award grants based on who has the best business plan, but lack supervision and support for actually implementing the plan. Yuan wants his organization to focus more on implementation and impact. "At the beginning we give students some start-up money," he said. "After their organization begins to grow, we give them more money and support to accelerate its development."

For example, students at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine started a program with the help of NCSEA to teach computer skills to senior citizens in one local community, Yuan said. After some initial success, the Beijing Municipal Information Department decided to expand the program to other communities, and use the university students who participated in the pilot program to train new teachers.

"They got a return on their investment in society and realized that they could achieve something great," Yuan said.

Positive and negative feedback

Nonetheless, there are many challenges to overcome. Many university students end up giving up on their charitable endeavors once they start feeling the stress of job hunting or interning with companies after graduation. Others have more practical objections.

"I am willing to do some charitable work in my spare time, and I am concerned about the development of philanthropy, but I can't make it my full-time job because there isn't enough money in it to maintain my quality of life," said Tang Liming, an MBA student of Shanghai's Jiao Tong University.

Yuan acknowledged that only a small proportion of students who take part in a philanthropic enterprise will go on to run NGOs. But for him, that's beside the point. "The rest of them will work in the other areas. But because they took part in philanthropic activities, they will have a different perspective about this field compared with people who were never exposed to it," Yuan said.

Yuan hopes this exposure will give students an experience that they could not have had locked away in the ivory tower of higher education.

Yuan's organization has received a lot of positive feedback from students who have participated. "The programs organized by Horizon Research provide a good platform to connect students with society, which helps us better understand the world we live in," said Wang Yijing, a sophomore at Shanghai Tongji University majoring in culture and art management.

"Many students have preconceived notions - usually fostered by their teachers and parents - that society is dangerous. These students are seldom encouraged to get involved," Yuan said. "Even students in their 20s are still like big babies. Coddled by their parents, they lack social experi-ence and expert skills. They are worse than migrant laborers, who at least have already developed some social and professional skills," Yuan said. "But once students take their first step, they find that they are much more capable than they thought."