Project Agape: Tashkurgan is a student-initiated project by undergraduates of Singapore Management University (SMU) in 2010. Our project functions in partnership with local ethnic villages in Xinjiang, with the goal to engage their youths, provide them with a platform to learn and practice meaningful life skills that will inspire, empower and equip them with skills that gears them to be able to se
ek better employment opportunities in the future. In addition, we aim to preserve the local culture and facilitate cross-cultural exchanges. In Project Agape: Tashkurgan, our Vision involves our commitment to reach out to their local community through
• Value adding to their education of youths of ethnic minorities as a means of improving their future opportunities in life.
• Empowering these youths with goals and aspirations;
• Aiding them to be better communicators, so that they have greater opportunities for employment in the future. To do this, our approach for the 5th edition of this project is:
1. To spark interest and passion in learning and speaking Mandarin at a young age with children from KeKeYa Village and collaborate with local teachers in lesson planning techniques.
2. To collaborate with Tashkurgan Secondary School to share and practice both English and Mandarin languages, with the aim to facilitate life-skills training, exposing them to think and develop aspirations for their future.
3. To increase educational opportunities and teaching materials for both teachers and students in the schools, in order to provide them with resources to conduct meaningful learning activities. Ultimately, our mission is to reach out to youths in the local community through practicing of common languages and sharing of life values. Not only do we aim to ignite a passion to learn and speak common languages used in China - we also seek to shape their lives through imparting life values both inside and outside of the classroom. We then hope to encourage sharing and practices with their local community for a greater lasting positive impact, and ensure the long-term economic sustainability of the local people in the future. Project Agape: Tashkurgan has been successfully executed in the past four consecutive years and we are proud to be doing our part for the Kyrgyz community again in 2015.
