GYAN believes that discussing aspects such as global citizenship, global learning, global careers, etc. is beneficial for youth of all ages. Our current engagement and outreach to pre-college youth (particularly those in Michigan) has been made possible through collaborations with stellar stakeholders such as MSU Extension Michigan 4-H,  the World Food Prize Michigan Youth Institute, MSU Outreach and Engagement, Michigan Pre-College and Youth Outreach Conference, and more.

Please reach out to us at gyaninfo(at)msu.edu if you would like to explore ways we can work together.

Some examples of our pre-college and youth outreach initiatives are listed below:

• In 2022, GYAN started collaborating with MSU Extension Michigan 4-H on an educational program allowing children from both China and Michigan to gain a better understanding of each other’s everyday lives through visual letters. In December 2023, the “China-Michigan Children's Painting Exhibition” happened on MSU campus, helping showcase a collection of youth artworks from China Xiamen and Spartan Chinese school (learn more in this news article). 
  
  
• In 2023 & 2024, GYAN team members served as roundtable experts in The World Food Prize Michigan Youth Institute, where youth from grades 7 through 12 presented their research papers with recommendations on how to solve food security-related challenges affecting specific countries across the world (for example: Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Cuba, Ethiopia, France, India, Laos, Lebanon, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, or Tanzania).
  
  
• Since 2023, GYAN has been involved with Exploration Days, a pre-college program offered by MSU Extension Michigan 4-H to provide 12-to-19-year-old youth with hands-on experiences on MSU campus. Sessions provided by GYAN staff include sharing the ancient art of Chinese Calligraphy with youth, and sharing insights about Games and Crafts from Brazil, China, and the U.S. (learn more in this news article).
  
  
• In February 2023, the GYAN team provided a cultural and educational activity to 15 local middle-schoolers through the Travel the World Series, a program offered by the Baldwin Public Library (Birmingham, Michigan) in partnership with MSU Extension Michigan 4-H. GYAN’s session was focused on China, hence providing information about Chinese culture and offering hands-on activities such as Chinese calligraphy and paper cutting of the Chinese character for Spring.
  
  
• Since 2022, GYAN has been a presenter at the Michigan Pre-College and Youth Outreach Conference, an important space for statewide conversations about current barriers to higher education and creative ways to support youth success.