2025 Fellowship For Change Program

The Fellowship For Change (FFC) program, launched by the Qi Social Innovation Center in partnership with Columbia Global Center Beijing, is a one-year scholarship program for 20 selected high school students passionate about leading transformative change.

Through immersive learning summits and individualized mentorship, Fellows gain deep insights into complex social and environmental issues, develop innovative solutions addressing root causes, and implement projects that generate lasting, impactful change.

The Fellowship equips young social innovators with the skills, knowledge, and support to inspire and effect meaningful progress in their communities and beyond.

Team-building activities at the Great Wall
In-person guest lectures
In-person guest lectures
 Interactive field visits to local community centers & professional spaces
Team-building activities at the Great Wall
Interactive field visits to local community centers & professional spaces

APPLY NOW: 2025 COHORT

Applications are now open for the 2025 cohort!

Please complete the application form by Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 11:59 pm.

 

The Fellowship For Change program is completed in parallel with your academic schooling. The program is anchored through three in-person Learning Summits where Fellows come together on July 13-20, 2025, January 2026, and July 2026. These Learning Summits offer Fellows an opportunity to gather with leading industry professionals and scholars from Columbia University in interactive sessions that include five main components:

  • Academic sessions led by Columbia professors and other facilitators on key learning modules.
  • Experiential learning with organizations, companies, and communities that are creating social impact or by inviting guest speakers to share their experiences.
  • Reading discussions to encourage reflection on philosophical readings and engage Fellows in sharing diverse perspectives.
  • Team building activities to understand individual strengths and how to effectively work together in unity for the common good.
  • Project studio time enables fellows to apply learning in real time to their project development and execution.

Throughout the year-long Fellowship, students will apply systems and design thinking to research, design, and pilot their initiative to address social and environmental issues. Between the Learning Summits, Fellows will be supported with individual mentor coaching sessions and online learning sessions.

 

Program Highlights

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Learning from World-Class Facilitators from Columbia University and Forging a Global Network with Social Innovation Practitioners.

 

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Participating in Columbia University's Social Innovation Training for High School Students.

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Amplifying Your Core Competencies (for College Applications). 

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From Campus to the Globe. 

Who Can Apply?

We invite students across China entering Grades 10-12 in September 2025 to apply if they are committed to creating a better world for future generations. The Selection Committee seeks students who:

  • Are passionate about a social or environmental issue in their community
  • Are service-oriented and proactive
  • Persevere through challenges and learn from failures
  • Are creative problem solvers who take initiative
  • Prioritize collaboration and actively listen to community stakeholders
  • Offer diverse perspectives from their experiences and backgrounds
  • Can balance the Fellowship program with their studies
  • Possess strong English speaking and listening skills to engage with professors and participate in discussions

 

Application Process

  • Application Deadline: Submit your FFC application by January 5, 2025.
  • Shortlist Notification: Applicants selected for interviews will be notified by February 10, 2025.
  • Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will participate in up to two interview rounds from February 10 to March 17, 2025.
  • Offers: Fellowship for Change offers will be extended between March 20 and April 4, 2025.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

We seek students who have a demonstrated commitment to social service, have a track record working on social or environmental issues, and have a desire to take action to address pressing social needs. If you already have such a project and want to continue it with FFC this is encouraged, but an existing project is not mandatory to apply.

Yes, however you must commit to attending all three in-person Learning Summits which take place in July 2025, January 2026 and July 2026, the monthly on-line Learning Sessions, and work with local communities in China to address a social or environmental issue.

Applications from students who are currently in Grade 7 or 8 will not be considered for the Fellowship for Change.

The privilege of being a Fellow comes with responsibility and time commitment to undertake research and meaningful action by:

  • Attending three in-person learning summits: 2.5 weeks in total in one year
  • Attending monthly online learning sessions between the Learning Summits: approximately two hours monthly during the school year
  • Allowing time to complete your project research, design, and implementation 

Fellows can choose to either work in teams or individually on a project.

No – there are no grades or tests. The Fellowship for Change program is focused on experiential and purposeful learning. Feedback is given by instructors, mentors, and peers at various points in the one-year program to help Fellows continue to investigate the issue, innovate a solution, and pilot it.  

Fellows are required to attend all three learning summits. If a Fellow cannot attend a Learning Summit, they cannot continue participating in the Fellowship program. 

The Fellowship For Change program is a scholarship program. This means that the program will cover all expenses including hotel accommodation, field visits transportation, meals for all three in-person Learning Summits, and curriculum materials. However, travel to and from the three in-person Learning Summits will need to be paid by the Fellows. Financial aid can be applied if the family cannot afford travel expenses.

The first Learning Summit for the 2025 Fellowship for Change is scheduled from July 13th to 20th in Beijing.

2024 COHORT

Meet the 2024 Fellowship For Change Cohort

 

The 2024 cohort was selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants based on their demonstrated commitment to social impact, creativity in problem-solving, and potential for driving systemic change.

The cohort comprises individuals from diverse backgrounds, all of whom share a passion for creating a more equitable and sustainable future. The 20 fellows come from 10 different cities or provinces across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Hebei, Henan, Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Shaanxi.

Read the full announcement here.

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2024 Fellow
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2024 Fellow
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2024 Fellow
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2024 Fellow

Contacts

If you have questions regarding the Fellowship for Change program or would like to reach out for a potential collaboration, please contact:

Columbia Global Center Beijing
[email protected]
WeChat Assistant:

WA_95

 

 

 

Qi Social Innovation Center
[email protected]

Advisory Board

Ma Jun
MA Jun

Ma Jun is the Founder and President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability (based in Beijing) which developed the China Water Pollution Map. He is also the Chairman of the Green Finance Committee of the China Society for Finance and Banking, Co-Chair of the G20 Sustainable Finance Study Group, and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Green Investment Principles for the Belt & Road.

Zhang Mei
ZHANG Mei

Zhang Mei is a native of Yunnan province in southwest China. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and worked for McKinsey & Company until she found her true passion in sustainable travel launching Wild China in 2000. Mei is an Aspen Institute China Fellow and currently serves as a member of Harvard Business School’s Alumni Board.

Husayn Anwar
Husayn Anwar

Husayn Anwar created the first private platforms for environmental consulting and management resulting in training over 300 of China current top environmental experts, and led many of the early China EA and EIA projects. He influenced China’s EHS regulatory structure, much of the early environmental policy and practices, and many of the leading Chinese environmental NGOs and monitoring systems.

Spring Fu
Spring Fu (SIPA '12)

Spring Chunxiao Fu is Managing Director at the Aspen Institute, heading the China Fellowship Program, which aims to select and energize China’s private sector business leaders to move from success to significance. Prior to her current role, Spring led the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Program at the World Economic Forum in Greater China and Asia Pacific region.

Jack Hsu
Jack Hsu (CBS '98)

Jack Hsu is the founder and CEO of the Ivy Education Group and also serves on the Advisory Board for the Columbia Global Center in Beijing. He is a successful entrepreneur, having started 3 companies including one that was publicly llisted. Jack is also an Aspen Fellow completing the 5th cohort of the China Leadership Program.

Helena Xiao
Helena Xiao

Helena Xiao is the Deputy Director of the Columbia Global Center Beijing, a part of a global network of eleven Global Centers of Columbia University. She oversees all the programs and operations to create a vibrant intellectual and pedagogic community to facilitate and promote academic exchange and research collaboration of Columbia’s students, faculty, schools, and institutes with counterparts in China and neighboring areas.

Shao Yue
SHAO Yue

Shao Yue graduated from Peking University and obtained her MBA from Harvard Business School. She left McKinsey & Company and launched an educational social venture to create more social impact. She then worked as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Energy Foundation China, a charitable organization dedicated to China’s sustainable energy development.

Elizabeth Walker Sobhani
Elizabeth Sobhani

Elizabeth Walker Sobhani is the Director of Social Innovation at Ivy Education Group and the Director of the Qi Social Innovation Center. She has over 20 years of experience as an advisor in the social impact sector in North America and China working with leading nonprofits, companies, schools, and social entrepreneurs to create meaningful impact.