Reflections and Insights from Wang Houyong, Participant of the 40th Advanced Studies Program

Last Updated (Wednesday, 05 March 2025 22:43)

During my participation at the 40th ASP (Advanced Studies Program) of APAY I have extensively studied and deeply thought about many fields, accumulated valuable experience, and gained profound insights. The following is my response to what I have learned and thought in this advanced training based on the learning plan objectives.

1. Cross-cultural Communication and Cooperation

Facing language barriers, I have learned to actively adapt and make full use of modern technological means. Whether in online or offline communication, I can express my views confidently and coherently.

In the program, learning, discussing, and cooperating with 15 young people from 6 different countries and regions with diverse cultural backgrounds has made me deeply appreciate the richness and challenges brought by cultural diversity. Learning to respect, understand, and integrate different ways of thinking and working methods under different cultural backgrounds is the key to achieving efficient cooperation. For example, in team discussions, members from different countries may have completely different views and solutions to the same problem. Through active listening and communication, we can learn from each other's strengths and jointly find more innovative and feasible solutions.

Under the framework of the APAY, YMCA of various countries actively carry out community service activities through their organizations. From the introductions of each YMCA, we found that many service objects have similarities, which indicates that there may be opportunities for exchanges and cooperation in the future, such as the donation of children's toys and youth summer camps. During the sharing of life journeys, we realized that everyone is enthusiastically engaged in the work of the YMCA, which further motivates me to work wholeheartedly and influence lives with my own life. The situational Bible study course has benefited me a lot. It turns out that the origin of many knowledge contents can be traced back to the Bible. In Chinese, in the past perception, I only knew "what it is but not why it is so". In addition, in the worship session, I used to think that it was only a traditional church worship mode, but this learning has given me a completely new understanding. What makes me even more honored is that I led the worship together with like-minded Christian faith colleagues and shared Gibran's "On Children", which resonated deeply with everyone.

2. Improvement of Project Management and Organizational Ability

Participating in the planning, implementation, and evaluation process of various project activities has given me a clearer understanding of the entire process of project management. From setting project goals, to task decomposition, time planning, resource allocation, and risk control, every step requires careful planning and coordination. At the same time, learn to flexibly adjust strategies according to the actual situation to ensure that the project can be smoothly advanced and achieve the expected results. When organizing community activities, in the face of unexpected situations such as venue changes and personnel changes, I can quickly respond and re-plan the activity process to ensure the smooth progress of the activity, which has greatly exercised my adaptability and organizational coordination ability.

Two field visit experiences 

A. EXPOSURE & Visit

The community service project for the disabled is very impressive. Their innovative thinking and unique service concept are really worthy of our in-depth consideration and reference. For example, referring to the service objects as "members" instead of "students", this detail shows their respect and attention to individuals. This makes me think about how to improve the more than 200 similar institutions in Shanghai. During this visit, the orderly leadership of the core team has taught me a lot. Due to special changes on that day, their ability to adapt to the situation is very worthy of learning for me as a project supervisor.

1. Indigenous Community Visit

This visit has benefited me a lot in terms of detail handling. In previous activities, I often entrusted many preparatory tasks to the core leaders. However, this experience has made me deeply realize how important it is to clarify everyone's responsibilities, detail the handling of each link, and formulate emergency plans in advance (such as measures in case of time constraints).

After arriving on that day, the actual arrangement was completely different from the previous assumption, but the project team adapted to the situation and everything went smoothly. The children played heartily in the games and were all fully concentrated. What is particularly unforgettable is the youngest child. At first, he shyly avoided our gaze and played with a small car alone. However, that was just his way of observing us. First, the older brothers and sisters interacted with us, and he began to slowly integrate. Especially after Ian's encouragement, he was already able to help, and finally he would play the shooting game quietly and knock on us from behind. In our daily services, we will also encounter similar situations, and this visit has given me a lot of valuable experience.

In addition, I also participated in the learning and evaluation of the entire senior officer training. During this process, I played multiple roles, including moderator, workshop facilitator, mid-term and final evaluator, and document compilation and writing group member. Through the whole participation, I not only exercised my ability and sense of responsibility, but also deeply felt a respectful and inclusive environment, which injected great energy into me. In future project design, we should also fully consider the role design of different participants so that the participants can act as the leaders of the entire project and jointly promote the progress of the project.

2. Ability to Analyze and Solve Social Problems

Through the research and analysis of the needs of the community and youth groups, I have learned to use a variety of methods to deeply explore the deep-seated reasons behind the problems and try to propose targeted solutions. I closely follow social hot issues such as youth movements, community development, and environmental protection, and conduct in-depth analysis from both the macro social environment and the micro individual needs, and formulate effective action plans accordingly. For example, in response to the employment problem of community youth, we should not only consider the supply and demand relationship in the job market, but also pay attention to the career planning and skill improvement needs of the youth themselves, so as to carry out a series of activities such as vocational training and entrepreneurship support.

In the learning of this section, several themes revolve around the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East in the context of the Bible. The resource persons shared based on their own research under a neutral value background. During the discussion, due to the differences in the political backgrounds of different countries and regions, some discussions were triggered. Here, it has aroused a little thought of mine: the earth is like a big family, and the growth of members affects each other. Only by respecting each other can we build harmony together; once a member encounters difficulties, it will also affect others. Finally, we need to pay attention to the theme of fairness and justice. In addition, regarding the theme of gender equality, ten or even twenty years ago, in the process of urbanization in China, especially in rural areas, the problem of gender inequality was relatively serious (only based on personal observation and understanding). But now, the situation is not as serious as in other regions shared by the resource persons. However, this also highlights the importance of continuous attention to the issue of gender equality. The All-China Women's Federation and youth organizations actively take measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of women and promote gender equality in accordance with laws and policies such as the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests.

In the past, I mostly played a front-line role, and many services, although related to the theme, were not effectively connected and lacked comprehensive consideration from a larger perspective. Through this learning, I can reflect on our services from a higher perspective and respond to the five thematic pillars of QPP in the implementation of services. At the same time, we will implement specific service projects in combination with the social, political, economic, and cultural backgrounds.

3. Leadership and Team Building

In the project training, having the opportunity to play different roles and assume corresponding responsibilities has given me a deeper understanding of leadership. Leadership is not only about commanding and making decisions, but more importantly, it is about motivating team members and giving play to everyone's strengths to work together to achieve goals. Strengthen team building, create a positive, trusting, and helpful team culture, and further enhance the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the team through efficient communication and cooperation. When leading the team, I deeply understand the expertise and needs of each member, scientifically assign tasks, and encourage members to actively participate in discussion and decision-making, so that each member can feel self-worth and a sense of belonging, and then wholeheartedly devote themselves to the project and contribute their strength. I have learned the most from Sunita in this regard, and also from other participants.

In addition, in the learning of this section, I have deeply understood the essence of themes such as youth empowerment, meaningful work, YMCA youth participation, and creative workshops, and have gained a lot. According to SDG, Challenge 21, and QPP, integrate youth services into specific services. There are many projects in the past work of the APAY that respond to the five themes. Mr. Michael Cheong passionately shared how to mobilize young people to participate in the service projects of YMCA. The creative workshop allowed us to fully engage in it, and this way is very suitable for motivating young people to participate. At the same time, the content related to personal mind and body can also relieve the pressure of young parents in the community and can be well integrated into the work in the future.

Through the curriculum plan arrangement, different colleagues assume different role tasks, which gives us the opportunity to participate. After seeing the hosting and leading experience of other colleagues, I found that my ability has been greatly improved, especially the experience of being a moderator, which has given me great encouragement. Although the pressure was great during the preparation process, I cherish this platform to show myself very much. Thanks to the encouragement of my little friends, I am very grateful.

4. Deepening the Concept of Sustainable Development

I have a deeper understanding of the concept of sustainable development and integrated it into project planning and implementation. I realize that in the process of promoting community development and serving youth groups, we should take into account the sustainability of the economy, society, and environment. Advocate environmental protection activities, promote green lifestyles, and at the same time focus on cultivating the social responsibility and sustainable development awareness of young people, so that they can become the active promoters of sustainable development in future society. For example, when organizing community activities, we should give priority to using environmentally friendly materials, reduce the use of disposable products, and encourage young people to participate in waste classification and environmental protection publicity activities, starting from the little things and contributing to environmental protection.

The learning of this section has a profound impact on me. Among them, the theme of "Sustainable Planet" has inspired me a lot. In the next two years, I plan to integrate the concept of sustainable development into the groups of college students, high school students, and primary school students I serve. Especially for the part of white pollution, since the implementation of waste classification in Shanghai in July 2019, after five years of development, the awareness of environmental protection has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. However, on the road to white pollution control, we still need to continue to work hard and strive to do better. When I heard the introduction of "boomerang" by the resource person, this idea began to take shape in my mind. After receiving a large amount of content, I am gradually sorting out and refining the plan, and I firmly believe that it will be put into practice in the future.

In conclusion, in response to the theme of this project training, transformational leadership is reflected in understanding and respecting cultural differences, establishing a common vision, and promoting communication and cooperation; in terms of project management and organizational ability improvement, it is elaborated from motivating the team to pursue excellence, cultivating the abilities of team members, and establishing an effective organizational structure; for the ability to analyze and solve social problems, it includes leading social change, stimulating innovative thinking, and establishing cooperative partnerships; in leadership and team building, it includes leading by example, inspiring and motivating, and cultivating team spirit; in deepening the concept of sustainable development, it is from promoting sustainable development strategies, cultivating sustainable development awareness, and leading the sustainable development of the industry.

Finally, I suggest that, especially for participants with weak English foundations, it would be very beneficial if materials could be distributed in advance. For example, for the situational Bible study part of universalism and the universal movement, I had difficulty understanding it when I first read it because I was not familiar with the Bible. Later, I sorted out the relationship by referring to the Bible and making a mind map, and the effect was remarkable when I read it again. Coupled with the explanation of the resource person, this is the clearest learning for me. Also, if possible, the learning outline could be given to everyone when applying. It doesn't need to be in a very detailed form. I think it would be better if we could preview and practice English in advance.

Wang Houyong

Assistant Director/ Social Worker

YMCA of Shanghai, China

Participant of the 40th ASP