Foundation unites global youth through cultural understanding, volunteer spirit

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics draws near, Emma Navez, 14, sent her best wishes for the event from Brussels through a video message, in which she shares her Chinese calligraphy and her love for Chinese culture.

Sponsored by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF), this year's "Junior Cultural Ambassadors" program has attracted more than 200 teenagers like Navez from 32 countries.

Since its inauguration in 1982, the CSCLF has become an increasingly pivotal platform for conducting people-to-people diplomacy, enhancing cross-Strait exchanges and promoting the well-rounded development of young people.

During the China-Africa Youth Festival held in Beijing in October, one of many activities organized by the CSCLF, 45 young people from 44 African countries were invited to the Museum of the Communist Party of China, Winter Olympics training venues and the outskirts of Beijing to better understand China.

Omer Mustafa Mohammmed Osman, 26, who hails from Sudan and is now pursuing a doctoral degree at Hebei University, expressed his admiration for China.

"I really hope to tell stories about China to my African friends," the young scholar said.

Over the past five years, the foundation has sent 73 Chinese delegations to 28 countries and welcomed more than 2,600 young people from 95 countries to China.

To strengthen cross-Strait ties, the CSCLF has held diverse youth exchange activities over the past five years, inviting more than 800 college students from Taiwan to visit the Chinese mainland, and welcoming nearly 1,000 people to virtual events.

In 2018, a volunteering training base for teenagers was unveiled in the China Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Center for Young People. It provides youngsters with opportunities for volunteer service training and hands-on activities.

The volunteers registered at the CSCLF have rendered more than 300,000 hours of service.

Named after Soong Ching Ling, the wife of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the foundation is focused on advancing international and cross-Strait exchanges, as well as the welfare of children and teenagers.