Today’s article is from Wang Jiwen, a second-year junior high school student in Kunming. She participated in the Titanium Project’s introductory leadership course in Chiang Mai in January 2017 and the advanced leadership course in California, USA in August.

The first time I participated in the Titanium Project was during the winter vacation of 2017.

Maybe many classmates will be like me, thinking that there is no need to participate in such a seemingly serious and boring activity during the holidays. But now, I have changed my mind about it and participated in two consecutive issues.

There are interesting people from all over the world gathered here. Maybe you feel it is a bit exaggerated, but this is my personal experience. When you get along with them, you won't feel lonely even if you are in a foreign land. You are like a big family, laughing together, having fun together, and growing together. Every day, you will taste special food, experience a different life, gain experience and gradually grow - the short life here is happy and without regrets.

Maybe you are thinking, isn’t this just like an ordinary tour group? No, because this is Project Titanium. Its purpose is not just to take you to experience exotic scenery, but more importantly, to guide you to become a better person. I think this is its uniqueness.

In the morning, we are no longer attached to the warm quilt, because we clearly know that a new day has begun, and we have new things to do. Then wash up in an orderly manner, then walk through the tree-lined path with laughter and talk, heading towards the classroom where we study together. After enjoying the breakfast carefully prepared for us by the local teacher, the class began!

Teacher Hanna will lead us to play a variety of interesting English games, which not only improves our English level unconsciously, but also builds our team awareness and cultivates our leadership.

During the lectures of the teachers, we tacitly paid attention and gained a new understanding of ourselves - what kind of person am I? What is leadership? Do I have what it takes to be a leader? When I become a leader, how should I lead people? If not, how can I improve myself? Sigh, lament that you have grown.

The afternoon practice is always full of new ideas. We step out of the classroom and use our hands and brains while constantly building up our understanding of new things, constantly improving our hands-on ability, team awareness and even leadership.

I remember that in Chiang Mai, we walked into the farm to learn about the ecological cycle, grew vegetables, made mosquito repellent, made Thai specialties, learned and played with Thai friends, and built nests for earthworms...

In the United States, we "drilled through spider webs", braved rapids, visited Stanford, visited tribes, marine zoos and wildlife conservation bases... and sighed that we had gained something.

Looking back, the scenes of the past are still fresh in my memory. It turns out that we have experienced so much, learned so much, and had so many beautiful and joyful afternoons.

I still remember that when I first entered the class, I didn’t understand what “sustainable development” advocated by the Titanium Project was. The teacher patiently told us many stories and examples from around the world, from which we gradually understood how important "sustainable development" is. We discussed the current situation excitedly, and each of us turned red when we argued about the solution. We divided our responsibilities. When we return to China, we will be responsible for what we promote and what I will be responsible for doing.

Come to think of it, that was the first time I made a plan for my future goals. We have a common goal, which is "sustainability", and we can gain something while executing the plan. Unfold a piece of white paper and write down the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly plans in English. This is a plan that is implemented after turning the goals into small goals. A sense of responsibility came to my mind, and a firm thought suddenly came into my mind - I wanted to become a better and stronger person, protect what I wanted to protect, and change what I wanted to change.

All these changes were brought to me by the Titanium Project.

I want to thank this place for giving me a regret-free experience in my life, making me clearly realize what I should do, and improving me and making me better.

I will continue to come here because it has given me more than just growth.

Tutor and parent observations

After participating in the course, she actively promoted sustainable development content in school, and organized an environmental protection group with her classmates. She hoped to use garbage classification as a project-based learning group to find the source of garbage. , and then intervene.

Before participating in our project, Wang Jiwen did not have a particularly clear learning goal. "Who should I study for and why?" became her confusion. Since participating in the Titanium Project, she has gained a profound and unique understanding of this issue. Especially after returning from the United States, she has determined that her academic direction is to apply to Stanford University in the future. Her mother said that she had very clear learning goals after she came back. She also refused to participate in extracurricular tutoring classes and did not attend any extracurricular tutoring classes because she said she knew how to study. Therefore, her studies were all done independently on her own.