Churchill's Jessica Li 
Connects Cultures

Churchill student Jessica Li talks about her program Project Connect and her plans after high school.

Grade 11 student Jessica Li is one of the most involved students at Churchill Secondary in Vancouver. Instead of lounging around the local mall during the summer, Li takes around 40 students from all over the globe to rural and urban China through a program she founded in 2009 called Project Connect. This program allows participants to experience the Chinese culture and lifestyle by being exposed to things such as Chinese cuisine and cultural events. If things go as planned, Jessica will expand the program to other countries in the future. Youthink caught up with this avid debater and amazing student to talk about Project Connect and her goals for the future.

YT: What’s Project Connect’s philosophy?

JL: Being exposed to different people and circumstances can deepen our understanding of the world. Project Connect is mostly youth organized and 100 per cent youth-oriented. To promote a sense of independence and social responsibility within youth and [for youth] to appreciate their own culture and to understand other cultures are important goals of the project.


YT: How exactly does the project work?

JL: Every year, I contact a rural school in China (somewhere safe and suitable). The principal of the school and I plan out five to 10 days worth of activities that not only showcase their culture, but also my and the other participants’ cultures. We arrange accommodation, transportation, food, etc. After everything is set up, we look for participants. The principal manages around 10 to 20 students from their school and I manage as many participants as possible to go to the school.


YT: What happens once everyone arrives in China?

JL: The urban part isn’t as developed as the rural part of Project Connect. We spend one to two weeks in a developed city in China. In this time, participants are to acclimate themselves with the Chinese environment. (Trust me, Chinese bathrooms, bedrooms and food differ greatly [than Canadian ones].) We live in hotels, eat in restaurants and see major attractions. The rural experience is the concentration of our program. We take a bus with the needed materials and bring it to the school. We live in the school dorms and eat lunch/dinner with the students in their homes and have breakfast at the school.


YT: What do participants have to adjust to?

JL: Participants live off the land. Since there is no shower head or hot water (unless boiled in a pot), we have to use buckets and water needs to be drawn. We handwash our clothes in buckets with soap. Electricity is scarce, so electronics are not recommended (except emergency cellphones). We sleep on Chinese bedding (bamboo sheets, mosquito nets, etc.). 


YT: What intrigues you about other cultures?

JL: Different cultures offer opportunities to view matters from diverse perspectives. If two people from different cultures are given a clock as a gift, the value and significance of said clock may contrast greatly. Considering different viewpoints is crucial for the development of a person’s character. 


YT: What are your plans after high school?

JL: I want to go to school in the States and study human rights as a major for my bachelor’s with a possible minor in psychology. Following the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, I want to enter law school. When I grow up, I want to continue volunteer work overseas.

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