Australia-China Ӿꕹᶆଙᘶݳտ Youth Association —— —— ACYA.ORG.AU
National Prospectus 2016 ————
acya.org.au National Prospectus 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page 1 From the President
3 What is ACYA?
4 Organisational Structure
6 ACYA Geographically and By the Numbers
8 Publications & Media Highlights
10 Core Capabilities
12 Event Highlights
18 Partnerships in Focus
21 Strategic Goals
Association 24 Contact Us
China Youth Youth China -
ACYA Australia
FROM THE PRESIDENT ———
!e importance of the bilateral relationship to cities in China. !ese Chapters target students, both Australia and China is undeniable. graduates, and early career professionals for their It is becoming increasingly evident that membership. ACYA’s membership boasts there are insufficient numbers of Australians and Rhodes and Sir John Monash Scholars, Prime Chinese with the knowledge, skills, in-country Minister’s Endeavour award holders, New Co- experience, and trusted networks that enable the lombo Plan Award holders, delegates to the two countries to position themselves to respond Australia-China Forum, young entrepreneurs, to opportunities and challenges in the bilateral professionals representing major industries and relationship. ACYA’s mission is to bridge this sectors, and much more. gap and develop a generation of Australia and China literate youth, and young professionals Promotion of your organisation’s brand to young able to see, seize, and create opportunities for Australians and Chinese through our events, closer bilateral ties and greater mutual under- media coverage, website, publications, social standing between the two countries. media offerings, and any unique self- Over the past years, ACYA has fostered administered projects that ACYA develops, such the growth of a vibrant community with over as the Australia China Emerging Leaders Sum- , members across both countries. !is has mit. been possible due to hundreds of annual events, and the establishment of work, study, and volun- Pastoral care and local insight for members of teer opportunities, as well as the production of a partner organisations who relocate to either range of unique ACYA-branded publications. Australia or China or possess a desire to become Nevertheless, more can always be done. We are more involved in the youth community. seeking partners (financially, or in-kind) who share our vision to support the continued growth !is Prospectus provides an overview of ACYA, of ACYA’s ideas, projects, publications and outlining notable achievements, event high- membership. Beyond partnering in the cultiva- lights, publications and our strategic goals. We tion of a new Australia-China competent gener- look forward to discussing partnership options ation, benefits of being involved with ACYA for your organisation to become involved with include: and support ACYA’s vision of a dynamic youth body who will go on to define the future of the Access to a deep talent-pool across Chapters Australia-China relationship • at all major Universities in Australia and key
——— JIMMY ZENG (NATIONAL PRESIDENT 2015–16)
1 ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS
Delegates at the 2015 Australia-China Emerging Leaders Summit (Sydney)
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What is ACYA?
OUR MISSION OUR VISION Is to be the organisation through which young Aus- ACYA strives to create a dynamic ecosystem that tralians interested in China (and vice versa) can not only fosters Australian and Chinese youth be- forge lasting connections and have access to a net- coming involved in this bilateral relationship, but work of unique and diverse educational and career also reaches new heights of mutual understanding opportunities. and appreciation between Australia and China. !is will be achieved through: OUR HISTORY ACYA is the only non-profit organisation devoted . Providing a robust and well connected Australia- to promoting greater engagement between students, China community within which young Australi- graduates, and young professional (aged between ans and Chinese can forge lasting friendships, and ) in both Australia and China. develop academic and business partnerships, and share educational, extracurricular and profes- We were founded in by a group of Australian sional opportunities; university students studying in Beijing, who banded together to address the then paucity of information . Acting as a non-political advocate and facilitator to and resources available to young Australians inter- not only promote cross-cultural understanding ested in studying or working in China — infor- and greater interaction with professionals, gov- mation provided by universities seemed vague, out- ernment and NGOs but also to provide a sup- of-date and irrelevant to the needs of most students. port base which enables our Members to devel- Additionally, no organisations existed through op and deliver initiatives that increase opportu- which young Australians in China could connect nities for Australia-China engagement; and with their peers or interested Chinese students. . Strengthening the community of Australian and Established to provide a platform for Australian and Chinese youth at a grassroots level through an ex- Chinese youth with an interest in strengthening re- pansive network of Australia- and China-based lations between the two countries. !is organisation Chapters ( and , respectively).1 sought to bring people together to share and learn from one another whilst pursuing valuable Austral- !ese Chapters regularly deliver quality social, edu- ia-China projects based around three pillars: cational, publishing, and language exchange for an international community of over , ACYA Education, Careers, and Members and, altogether, host well over major People-to-People Exchange events annually •
Still today, ACYA is run entirely by youth, for youth on a completely voluntary basis.
1 NB: Chapters in Australia are normally based in univer- sities, and in China based in cities
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 3
Organisational Structure
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ACYA is led by the National Executive whom set the strategic direction and organisational goals. !ey also manage the ACYA website, social media presence, produce and distribute publications, and handle external relations with partners, sponsors and other Australia-China organisations. In doing so, the National Execu- tive strives to create value and provide support for Chapters and the international community of + members.
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Our Chapters
Our Chapters operate around ACYA’s !ree Pillars: Education, Careers, and People- to-People Exchange. Each initiative is uniquely tailored to fulfilling a particular need of the Australia-China youth community. !us, our !ree Pillars allow us to collab- orate with a range of different stakeholders—from universities to multinationals and local businesses.
Education Careers P2P Study resources / Volunteer Internship & job opportuni- Language exchange / Arts opportunities / Scholarships ties / Career development and culture exchange / / Pastoral care packages / Mentoring Sport diplomacy / Social Networking
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 5
ACYA Geographically
5 China Chapters
BEIJING
NANJING
SHANGHAI
TAIPEI
HONG KONG
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Australia
Chapters
QUEENSLAND
NSW
A.C.T.
VICTORIA W.A.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Curtin, Murdoch, University of Western Australia • QUEENSLAND: Griffith, Queensland University of Technology, University of Queensland • NSW: Macquarie, University of Newcastle, University of New South Wales, Sydney University, UTS • A.C.T. Australian National University • VICTORIA: Deakin, LaTrobe, University of Melbourne, Monash, RMIT • SOUTH AUSTRALIA: South Australia Chapter (incorporates students from each university in S.A.)
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ACYA
by the Chapters across Numbers Australia and China ———
6000+
Members
165 130+ ——— ——— Total annual events hosted Members volunteering for by Chapters in China and ACYA with external Australia 250 organisations Committee Members involved in ACYA Executive Teams
25 4 Internships provided to Member-exclusive ACYA Members through scholarship opportunities exclusive partnership 17 agreements • Professional partnerships across a variety industries
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 7
Publications ———
ACYA has a range of bilingual publications that offer our members a wealth of information and opportunities to be published.
Journal of Australia-China Affairs ChinaBites
The annual Journal of Australia-China Affairs Founded in February and with a readership in (ISSN -) is an academic publication that the thousands, ACYA ChinaBites is a monthly provides a high quality and high-visibility platform newsletter that provides an insightful and offbeat for students, academics, and professionals to publish coverage of Chinese current affairs, pop culture, and academic essays, opinion articles, and creative work slang. We hope to provide Australians and other touching upon the Australia-China relationship. non-Chinese with an interesting and amusing way Now in its Fifth Volume, the Journal is academically to keep abreast of what is happening in China and peer-reviewed, entirely English-Chinese bilingually engage more with Chinese language and culture. translated, and co-published with the University of ChinaBites was founded in February and is Sydney China Studies Centre. sent to ACYA members each month •
The Journal is unique in that it is the only academic Australia-China Perspectives Blog publication concentrated on the Australia-China relationship, and it combines peer-review status with The Australia-China Perspectives Blog is a platform open access visibility. Submissions are growing rap- for young Australian and Chinese to share and dis- idly, and now only the best dozen of almost cuss their thoughts, experiences, analysis, and reflec- submissions are published each year. This is a rare tions in the Australia-China space. It is integrated experience presented to our members. with ACYA social media channels and has pub- lished dozens of essays, articles, and interviews. AustraliaBites
AustraliaBites is an English-Chinese bilingual monthly newsletter targeted at Chinese (and other) international students in Australia that provides a digest of recent Australian current affairs, pop cul- ture, and slang. It aims to provide Chinese interest- ed in Australia and/or learning English with an en- joyable and useful way to improve their knowledge of and engage with Australian society. Australia- Bites was founded in February and is sent to ACYA members each month.
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The Journal is unique in that it is the only academic publica- tion concentrated on the Australia-China relationship, and it combines peer-review status with open access visibility.
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
Last year, there were a number of stories in the media that highlighted the insights and initiatives of ACYA’s Members. Here are just some of our top news stories of 2015
“Enhancing the footy experience for students”: The Age, 5 February 2015 ACYA Members appeared in an article regarding an agreement between the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne Football Club, which seeks to
enhance engagement with international students.
“Promoting Brand Australia”: Higher View Busi- ness (China Southern), 4 April 2015 Written by ACYA contributor Ashleigh Holcz, this article (pp. 84–85) explores the challenges and op- portunities for Australia’s dairy industry under ChAFTA.
“The ACYA Victoria Bilingual Language Competi- tion”: SBS Radio, June–November 2015 Competition organisers and finalists featured in multiple radio interviews (in Mandarin and Canton- ese) leading up to and after the Vic BLC. Topics included their preparation for the Competition and 1 “[A] platform for young Australian and experience of learning a second language. Chinese to share and discuss their thoughts ... analysis, and reflections” “China has announced the end to its One Child Policy”: ABC News Radio, 30 October 2015 2 ACYA Communications Director Yu Feng Nie spoke Joslyn Ma (second from left), VIC BLC creator, with Finalists and fellow Committee Members to Tracey Holmes about the history and impact of the Policy, Western misconceptions towards it, and consequences of the recent change •
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 9 Core Capabilities ———
Pooling of Resources When executing projects, ACYA draws together geographically disperse teams with a range of complementary skills — from marketing and com- munication, to translating and team management. We also make use of our professional connections from a variety of sectors to ensure our events and publications are up to the minute. In doing so, ACYA is well positioned to constantly improve and innovate the experience of our diverse member base.
Unique Brand
ACYA’s unique brand attracts the best and bright- est youth from various fields to publish top-notch and highly visible academic essays, original opinion articles, interviews, and bilingual newsletters. !is places our organisation in a leading position to pro- duce insightful content that provides commentary on the Australia-China relationship »
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Access to Talent Our Members—well versed in executing a variety of initiatives relevant to the Australia-China space —form a large talent pool that is available to other companies and organisations. Whether it be intern- ing at a research centre or volunteering in rural China, ACYA Members consistently
Well versed in executing a variety of ini- tiatives … [our Members] form a large talent pool that is available to other companies and organisations perform with confidence, dedication and initiative. It is such skills and abilities of our Members that distinguish ACYA from other Australia-China branded organisations.
Extensive Network Our vast and growing network of professional con- nections enables our organisation to actively pur- sue, establish and administer unique opportunities — namely, exclusive scholarships and internships, as well as volunteering at business forums and other such events. !ese opportunities are executed at a low cost to ACYA and provide high value to our Members as well as our partners •
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 11
Event Highlights
ACYA hosts an array of events throughout the academic year, from panel discussions and language corners to cultural outings and banquets. Below are five events highlights of
Youth Leadership Workshop, and • Mr Clinton Dines (former aimed to deepen a passion for President of BHP Billiton !e Australia- Sino-Australian relations and China); China Emerging the desire to make a positive contribution to the relationship. • Professor Kerry Brown Leaders Summit (Director of the China Stud- With this in mind, ACELS ies Centre at the University ———— Delegates participated in panel of Sydney); discussions and networking Over four days in August , events to broaden their under- • Mr James Hudson (CEO of eighty of the brightest young standing of the bilateral relation- the Australia-China Busi- minds from across Australia and ship. Guests Speakers included: ness Council NSW); and China came together in Sydney for the annual Australia-China • Mr David !omas (CEO of • Mr Chris Carr (Senior Asso- Emerging Leader’s Summit !ink Global Consulting ciate at King & Wood Mal- (ACELS) hosted by ACYA. and Vice-President of the lesons) » !is Summit continued on the Australia-China Business success of the Bilateral Council NSW); 1412
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Portfolio Directors Workshop- ping;
Discussions at the Conference ACELS successfully up-skilled Australia Chapter Presidents ranged from the recently signed future leaders within the Aus- and the Australia Manager;
tralia-China space and created China-Australia Free Trade Luncheon with Dr Michael Agreement to the nuances of lasting networks, which will be Spence –Vice Chancellor, Syd- cross-cultural business etiquette. of benefit to the Delegation’s ney University
Queensland University of Tech- personal and professional fu- Industry Leaders sharing their nology delegate Jackson Barton tures. Such success would not thoughts on “ChAFTA: The Austral- ian Advantage welcomed ‘the opportunity to have been possible without the engage with high level corpo- support of the Australia-China rates and academics so involved Council (of DFAT) and their in the Australia-China space and Grant. ACYA would also like to the wider Asia Pacific region’, thank Wines by Geoff Hardy for and described this experience as their contribution to the ‘invaluable’. Summit •
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 1315 Victoria Bilingual Language Competition (VIC BLC)
!e VIC BLC is an innovative and ambitious student initiative under the ACYA brand. !is competition has three aims: first, to provide public recognition for linguistic talents; secondly, to com- mend students on their willingness to step out of their comfort zone; and finally, to engage the wider community by encouraging other language learners and promoting general cultural understanding of Western Australia Annual Charity Gala both China and Australia. !e ACYA WA Annual Charity Gala, held on One of ACYA’s core features is its equal concentra- September at the Parmelia Hilton Perth, tion on both Australia and China, which was exem- attracted over guests, including prominent lead- plified in the VIC BLC. Here, participants were ers of the local business, academic and cultural asked to write two essays, one in English and the communities. Deputy Chinese Consul to Perth, Sun other in Chinese. Competition creator, Joslyn Ma, An Lin was in attendance, as were representatives was impressed by the quality of applications and the from ACBC, the Chung Wah Association, ACYPI presentations made in the second round. In , and Confucius Institute. this youth-lead inaugural competition attracted more than VIPs and general attendees. Entering the “Forbidden City” adorned with Overall, it was a great success for our Education Chinese lanterns, guests enjoyed a three-course ban- Pillar and ACYA extends its appreciation to the quet as they were welcomed with remarks by past Australian diplomat, Roger Brown, as well as Asian VIC BLC Sponsors and is looking forward to veterinary expert and Australia China Business the competition next year. Council stalwart, John Edwards.
!e Gala raised , for Bridging Education and Mobility (BEAM), a start-up promoting small-scale educational projects to empower teachers and stu- dents throughout China. Even as a non-profit or- ganisation, it is amazing how much ACYA Mem- bers were able to raise!
Event Co-ordinator Chloe Dempsey said, “!e members to interact with important people from the local business, cultural and academic community which support us. In addition, it is also about ACYA Members creating people-to-people connec- tions and giving back.”
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1 The audience at the Final Round of the VIC BLC
2 Event Co-ordinator Chloe Dempsey (left) with guests at the Gala, including Emeritus Professor John Edwards (second from right)
3 ACYA UWA Executive Committee Members
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 1115
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Discuss[ing] common areas of interest such as key traits
required to succeed in doing business in China
Shanghai Careers Summit Australian Consulate-General). Discussions broached common On Tuesday the st of Decem- areas of interest such as key traits ber , ACYA Shanghai required to succeed in doing hosted its inaugural Careers business in China and what to Summit at GLAM Bar. Accom- expect out of an internship. panied by a light afternoon tea Speakers also provided invalua- and views of !e Bund, approx- ble insights into their individual imately Chinese and Austral- career progressions and the diffi- ian students gathered to seek culties they faced before suc- advice from experienced profes- ceeding in their respective fields. sionals in the Australia-China business community. !e event was a resounding success with all attendees com- !e event began with a panel ing away impressed with the at- discussion, featuring Michell mosphere, the Speakers, and the Garnaut (Founder of M Restau- take-home lessons. ACYA rant Group), David Hong (For- Shanghai would like to thank eign Legal Counsel at King & GLAM Bar for providing a Wood Mallesons), Chris Chase wonderful venue and our Panel (Director of Global Subsidiaries Speakers for their time and for at ANZ China); and Ms Eu-Niz sharing their experiences. Chan (Consul to Shanghai at the
1216 1 QUEENSLAND: “Cooperating with China during its Economic Transition” 2 VICTORIA: “China’s Economic Slowdown: Implications for Australia’s Economy” 3 WESTERN AUSTRALIA: “ChAFTA and China’s Economic Slowdown —WA’s Opportunities and Challenges”
Alumni Speaker Series with industry professionals and periences — from Legal, Fi- discuss topical Australia-China nancial and Managerial to Cul- China’s economic transition, affairs. Further, these events tural and Scientific — who opportunities for Australian connected both ACYA past shared their insights into key industries, and entrepreneurial- and present, in which the political, economic and busi- ism and innovation were just Alumni had the opportunity to ness issues surrounding the some of the topics explored at share their experience with our Australia-China relationship. In the Alumni Speaker Series. current members and, in turn, doing so, the Alumni Speaker Hosted in Queensland, Victo- bolster their networks. Series inspired our members to ria and Western Australia, this further contribute to the evolv- Series provided a platform for This Series attracted Speakers ing bilateral narrative and its young professionals to engage with diverse cross-cultural ex- future trajectory •
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 1713
Partnerships in Focus
ACYA collaborates with a • !e Australia-China Council is our Major Sponsor, provid- variety of institutions across ing financial support towards the Australia-China Emerging different industries. Our tai- Leaders Summit (ACELS) in Australia and China. With the Aus- lored partnerships harness such tralia-China Council’s support, ACYA is able to provide in-depth Member development and valuable networking opportunities. variety to add value to both
ACYA members and Partner • !e China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney is a key collabo- Organisations. Here are some rator for our academic works. !ey peer-review our annual, bilin- examples of our partnership gual Journal of Australia-China Affairs, which features essays and agreements opinion pieces written by ACYA Members.
• Wines by Geoff Hardy, a South Australian Winery, provides in-kind donations to our Chapters to support events in both Australia and
1 China (e.g. the Alumni Speakers Series) ACYA NSW celebrate a win for our partners (the GWS Giants) • !e collaboration between the Melbourne Football Club and ACYA
2 promotes cultural engagement through sports diplomacy, with ACYA Queensland attend a per- promotional offers to Members and Member-exclusive internships. formance at Bangarra Dance Theatre • ACYA has partnered with the Australia-China Research Institute (ACRI)—an independent, nonpartisan, research think tank estab- lished by the University of Technology, Sydney—to provide mem- ber-exclusive internships with a focus on business and economics.
• In , the Australian Business Forum (ABF) was ACYA’s biggest provider of volunteering opportunities. ACYA volunteers are se- lected by local Chapter Presidents based on applications to assist the ABF across Australia with events such as Australia-China Business Week and the China Digital Conference •
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 18
ACYA volunteers at the Australia-China Entrepre- neur Dialogue (organised by the ACBC)
19 — Partners & Sponsors 2015
L—R: Jerry Ding, James Castle, David Douglas, Jimmy Zeng and Georgia Sands (National Treasurer, Aus- tralia Manager, General Manager, National President and Portfolio Manager, respectively)
2016 Strategic Goals —————
ACYA strives towards the following goals in . %ese goals will see ACYA continue to grow as a key organisation representing and assisting young people in the Australia-China relationship.
1. Upgrade existing, and develop new, mutually beneficial partnerships for the benefit of members and partners
2. Reinvigorate Chapters in China and develop local mem- ber’s capabilities, whilst tailoring operating models in each city to suit local circumstances
3. Establish a stronger, public youth voice for Australia China affairs through fully bilingual, externally facing publications and media content
4. Continue to develop a vibrant and active online community that will attract the best talent in the Australia China youth space
5. Develop and implement more innovative solutions for online, translational project management
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ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 22 “ !e Australia-China Youth Association is now the fore- most link between young professionals across Australia and Greater China. Its work is critically important in forging long term, diverse and creative links between both places, and getting young people to think of how they can engage more with each other to contribute to the prosper- ity and future of their region. !e University of Sydney and the China Studies Centre are proud of its association with the ACYA and look forward to working with each other in the future on increasingly more ambitious pro- jects as the links between China and Australia flourish.
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KERRY BROWN
Director of the Lau China Institute, Former Director of the China Studies Centre (University of Sydney) and Associ- ate Fellow on Asia Programme (Chatham House, London)
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If you are interested in partnering with ACYA, please email us at [email protected] —we look forward to hearing from you!
ACYA NATIONAL PROSPECTUS 24