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 mindsets to inspire and effect meaningful progress in their communities and beyond.
About the Program
Ready to make a difference? Applications for the 2027–2028 Fellowship For Change program will open this fall. Stay tuned for more details.
Download the full Fellowship For Change brochure. (Chinese version)
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 during the summer break, the winter holiday, and the following summer break. 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
Who Can Apply?
We encourage students throughout China entering Grades 10-12 in September 2027 who have displayed a proven commitment to creating a better world for future generations to apply. The Selection Committee is particularly looking for students who:
- Deeply care about social or environmental issues that impact communities
- Are service-oriented
- Persevere and learn from failure or challenges
- Are creative problem solvers that take action
- Display intellectual curiosity
- Prioritize consultation and collaboration, seeking to listen and learn from the community of stakeholders
- Bring diverse perspectives from their life experience, culture, and background
- Can balance the Fellowship program with school studies
- Have good English speaking and listening skills to understand professors and reading materials, and actively participate in discussions
Application Process
- Stay tuned for more details.
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 and the online 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: 20 days in total in one year
- Attending monthly online learning sessions and mentor meetings 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.
We encourage anyone who does not get into FFC to apply again the following year, regardless of whether you applied for FFC in previous years, and assuming you are still in high school. You are also welcome to participate in Venture for Change as a learning bridge to gain more experience for the FFC.
2026 COHORT
Meet the 2026 Fellowship For Change Cohort
We are excited to welcome the new cohort of 23 inspiring Fellows to the 2026 Fellowship For Change (FFC) program!
The rigorous selection process brought together a diverse group of students from 12 cities and 20 schools, each embodying the drive, compassion, and innovative spirit needed to address crucial social issues.
These Fellows will focus on areas such as gender equality, supporting mothers in returning to the workforce, environmental justice, cultural heritage preservation, educational equality, and tackling the mental health crisis among teenagers.
2025 COHORT
Meet the 2025 Fellowship For Change Cohort
We are excited to welcome the new cohort of 19 inspiring Fellows to the 2025 Fellowship For Change (FFC) program!
The rigorous selection process brought together a diverse group of students from 10 cities and 18 schools, each embodying the drive, compassion, and innovative spirit needed to address crucial social issues.
These Fellows will focus on areas such as gender equality, supporting mothers in returning to the workforce, environmental justice, cultural heritage preservation, educational equality, and tackling the mental health crisis among teenagers.
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.
FFC Summit Videos
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:
Advisory Board
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 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 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 (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 (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 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 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 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.