From left, Xinyi Zhou and Yining Wang, from International Department at Hangzhou No. 14 High School, in the Zhejiang province of eastern China, meet with Julian Parrott, associate dean of the College of Media at the University of Illinois during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
High School Outreach in China 1
Kaifu Xiao, from the International Department at Wuhan No. 6 High School in Hubei Province, Central China, asks a question during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
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Students from JEA China prepare for interviews during a field trip to Shanghai on Aug. 3, 2016.
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Students prepare for a field trip to Shanghai during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 3, 2016.
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Students prepare to depart for a field trip to Shanghai during the JEA China conference on Aug. 3, 2016.
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Multimedia journalist Xiaoran Liu answers questions from students after screening her documentary “Crossroads of Journalism Dreams,” during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
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Duke Kunshan University, site of the JEA China conference, on Aug. 5, 2016.
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Kelly Furnas teaches newswriting to students during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
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Kelly Furnas teaches newswriting to students during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
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Kelly Furnas, left, meets with a student during the JEA China conference at Duke Kunshan University in Suzhou, China, on Aug. 4, 2016.
Reflections on an inaugural high school journalism conference
By Kelly Furnas Elon University
Amid a backdrop of international language barriers, governmental censorship and an educational system that devalues creative thinking, Chinese high school students still learned about journalism through an inaugural national high school conference.
The conference, held earlier this year, was organized by JEA China, an affiliate member of the Journalism Education Association headquartered in the United States. The conference included U.S. and Chinese presenters.
JEA China — an affiliate member of the Journalism Education Association headquartered in the United States — is hoping to capitalize on those obstacles by providing programming tailored for high school students hoping to study in the West.
Zhu Lun, one of the architects for JEA China’s conference, as well as the organization itself, is chief executive officer of a nonprofit organization called Youth Impact China, which he started in 2015 to provide extracurricular programming for high school students in subjects such as business, finance, biology, art, design and journalism. Continue reading “Bringing American-style journalism to Chinese high school students”
