Sociology student Karie Chan discusses with Bill Clinton about challenges faced during pandemic
Karie Chan Ching-yi was featured in the annual CGI U meeting’s town hall question-and-answer session with Bill Clinton.
Five projects created by nine Lingnan University students have been selected for the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) this year, largest in number among other local universities. The projects were related to Peace and Human Rights, and Public Health.
Among them, Karie Chan Ching-yi, a year 4 student in Sociology, is partnering with another student to create “Lingnan We-bond”, a project that aims to facilitate a multi-cultural and harmonious environment for LU students to achieve social integration. The team will invite international students, ethnic-minority students, and local-Chinese students studying at LU for video shooting to share their experiences and difficulties, thus allowing students to learn about different cultures and enhance their cultural sensitivity.
The 12th annual CGI U meeting’s town hall question-and-answer session featured a unique opportunity for Karie to converse with former US President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea Clinton on 19 April (Hong Kong time). Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, CGI U hosted the first virtual convening for its annual meeting to discuss the COVID-19 crisis. Karie focused on how young people can work together to combat the complex health, economic, and societal challenges that COVID-19 presents. She hopes that such an international event can guide her in understanding these global issues and broaden her horizons, which would support her goal to work at non-profit organisations or social enterprises after graduation, helping disadvantaged groups improve both the quality of their education and their quality of life.
Bill Clinton established CGI U in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. It challenges students to make “Commitments to Action” in five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health, to address global challenges that we are currently facing.