The Emerging Visionaries Awards is an award that supports Chinese teenagers aged 12-18 in actively implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovative public welfare projects. It originated from the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in the United States. For over 20 years, it has been implemented in many countries and has attracted millions of teenagers worldwide.
In 2012, Fosun and Prudential Financial established Fosun Prudential Life Insurance in China. Subsequently, the Fosun Foundation and Prudential Financial jointly introduced the Emerging Visionaries Awards to China.
The 2024 Emerging Visionaries Awards, co-hosted by the People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries of Shanghai Municipality, Prudential Financial, the Fosun Foundation, Fosun Prudential Life Insurance, and Fosun Commercial Company, was launched in September 2023. The organizing committee received a total of 390 valid individual and group applications from 128 schools across the country. After rigorous qualification review and selection by the judging committee, and in combination with the actual situations of the application cases and the defense, the committee ultimately selected 2 “Goodwill Ambassadors,” 10 “Visionaries New Star Awards,” 20 “Visionaries Potential Awards,” and 5 “Outstanding Public Welfare Groups.” The 2 “Goodwill Ambassadors” traveled to the United States in April to participate in the International Summit of the Emerging Visionaries Awards.
Ray Ko was awarded the title of "Goodwill Ambassador" (Gold Award).
The 2024 National Summit and Award Ceremony of the Emerging Visionaries Award were held in Shanghai.
On July 4th, the 2024 National Summit and Award Ceremony of the Emerging Visionaries Award were held at Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School. The event honored teenagers passionate about public welfare, launched the “Visionaries Campus Public Welfare Alliance” in collaboration with five high schools, and introduced the “Visionaries Campus Public Welfare Alliance SEEDING Program” to empower high school students’ public welfare endeavors towards professional development.
The event was guided by the People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries of Shanghai Municipality and co-hosted by Prudential Financial, the Fosun Foundation, Fosun Prudential Life Insurance, and Fosun Commercial Company, with Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School serving as the venue. The summit was hosted by Jiang Changjian, advisor to the Fosun Foundation and associate professor at Fudan University, who is also a well-known TV host, and Zhou Siyuan, the 2023 Visionaries “Goodwill Ambassador.”
A Journey to the U.S. for a Star-Studded Public Welfare Carnival
On April 22nd, local time, the 2024 Global Summit of the Youth Visionaries New Star Award was held at Prudential’s Newark headquarters in the United States. The two Chinese “Goodwill Ambassadors” (Gold Award) recipients—Ye Zheyi from Shanghai World Foreign Language Middle School and Ray Ko from Shanghai American School Puxi—joined “Goodwill Ambassadors” from the United States, Brazil, India, and Japan to receive their awards on stage.
This year’s award-winning cases focused on areas such as social equality, clean water, health and well-being, and global partnerships, showcasing the innovative efforts of middle school students in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Charles Lowrey, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, presented the awards to the recipients. Hoda Kotb, host of the Today Show on NBC, shared her thoughts, encouraging the awardees to stay true to their convictions and move forward bravely despite any challenges.
Ray Ko participated in storytelling workshops, skills training workshops, and a World Café, where he exchanged ideas about his public welfare project with Prudential employees. He said that these activities not only inspired him to manage public welfare projects in a business-like manner but also strengthened his determination to engage in public welfare and become a changemaker.
In addition to the 25 winners selected locally in the United States, the 2024 Global Summit and Award Ceremony of the Emerging Visionaries Award also included eight international winners from Brazil, Japan, China, and India. During the summit, teenagers from different countries shared their public welfare projects, established connections, and expanded their peer networks. Both Ye Zheyi and Ray Ke said that meeting so many like-minded peers has reinforced their commitment to public welfare. “We will stay in touch with these friends in the future, support each other’s public welfare projects, and jointly expand our impact!”
Focusing on the needs of African children's growth, a small bottle holds a great deal of love.
After watching a documentary, Ke became aware of the difficulties African children face in their living environment, especially in accessing clean drinking water and electricity. With the encouragement of his parents, he created the “Light Up Filtered Bottle.” This bottle integrates a water filter pump and a solar-powered light. The filter straw of the bottle is made of hollow fiber membrane and activated carbon, which can effectively filter bacteria, microorganisms, parasites, and silt in harsh environments. The solar panel in the bottle cap and the LED light provide illumination, offering about 5 hours of lighting after 7-8 hours of sunlight. Ke hopes that his product can one day be mass-produced to help children in need around the world.
A thank-you note
This trip to New York not only brought more attention to my project but also provided me with numerous opportunities for introductions and interviews. However, I believe the greatest gain was making these friends. I’ve added almost all the Visionaries on Instagram.
Here, I would like to extend a special thank-you to my good friends Caden, Preston, and Genshu.
Caden founded a financial literacy education organization called CadenTeaches. He started his own company at the age of 14 and has earned six-figure earnings.
Preston created a platform for youth communication named YouthWard. Over 1,000 people have used this platform, and more than 50 projects have been developed on it.
Genshu established a bottle recycling organization in Hawaii. They have recycled 1.5 million bottles so far, and the proceeds have been used to fund students from economically disadvantaged families.
During this journey, we became great partners. We formed a group chat and meet every weekend to discuss our projects and how we can collaborate to make a positive impact on the world.
Thank You！
Lastly, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Fosun Foundation and Prudential for the opportunities they have provided for us teenagers. Their support has allowed our projects to gain more recognition, receive support on various levels, and lay the foundation for future implementation. I also hope that in the future, I can truly deliver my product to children in third-world countries to improve their drinking water conditions.
This concludes my record of the trip to the United States. The long flight and jet lag did not make me feel tired. I am looking forward to meeting more public welfare partners and sharing and discussing with everyone. See you soon!
Ray Ko
2024 Emerging Visionaries Award "Goodwill Ambassador"
Shanghai American School Puxi
Sources: Fosun Foundation, Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Youth Visionaries New Star Award, Fosun, Knews, and Chong Ya Hua Hua Interview Team.