Building Shanghai Program Summary

2024-12-02From : 管理员Click : 9

Building Shanghai

During the week of 11 November, SHBS students embarked on the fifth Building Shanghai Program – a project-based learning program that freed them from regular classes and allowed them to learn more about this metropolis they call home through intensive, hands-on, and inquiry-based experiences. For this year, the program theme was Wellness: what’s required to confront our global health challenges to continue thriving in the future.

Students chose amongst 17 project groups to study different topics including sports, employment of the disabled, mental health, nutrition, medical practices, health journalism, urban health, pet wellness, and etc. Each group was led by two faculty and staff members. They did research, visited businesses, and spoke with scholars and professionals from Shanghai and around the world, asking questions to people engaged in a wide range of work to better understand how their learning in school can connect to real-world challenges. Throughout the week, students studied how social and economic forces, both local and global, interact to shape the landscape of wellness in the city in which they live.

Let’s take a look at what some of the groups did and what positive impact they created.

Mindful Shanghai: Support for and awareness of social-emotional and mental well-being in Shanghai

The project focused on raising awareness about mental wellness. Recognizing misunderstandings and stigmas surrounding mental health, the group aimed to address these challenges and promote solutions through interviews, research, and actionable initiatives. The students engaged with diverse professionals to understand the causes of mental issues, solutions and challenges of raising mental health awareness. They also participated in mental health activities, including CCS’s Clothesline Project, using creative expression to spread awareness.

Art therapy through Zentangle: Enhancing mental health

Zentangle is an accessible form of artistic expression that can be practiced by anyone, regardless of skill level, and offers an opportunity to seek inner peace by focusing on a structured yet free-flowing activity. Through the project, the students explored the connection between creative activities and emotional health. They learned how to use zentangle as a non-verbal outlet for processing emotions, reducing anxiety, and cultivating mindfulness.

Music therapy: Relieving stress through sound

With an increasing number of students facing emotional challenges, the group allowed them to use the language of music to release themselves from stresses, explore how to play different musical instruments, and feel how different frequencies of sound contribute to stress relieving. Through the project, the students assessed the impact of music and sounds on mental status, understood the effects of different musical choices, and design music therapy activities.

Pet food production and wellness

Increasing single adults, especially in big cities like Shanghai, led to the development of pet industry. People keep pets for companionship and emotional health and many value pets as their family members. Yet, pet food safety scandals are quite common. The group conducted an in-depth exploration of the pet food industry and collected primary sources for their research by visiting factories of three companies, including Bridge, Fubei, and Fregate. Through these visits, the students deepened their understanding of pet food ingredients, production processes, and the competition dynamics of the industry.

From milk tea to public health: Raising awareness on sugar consumption and healthy diets among teenagers

With rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and other health issues linked to excessive sugar intake, it is crucial to raise awareness and empower students to make informed dietary choices. The project enabled the students to understand the hidden risks of sugar consumption, especially among young people, and to explore the marketing strategies of sugar-laden products like milk tea through research, field visits and discussions.

Reimagining nutrition: Alternative diets for wellness

Alternative diets can promote physical, mental, and environmental wellness. Through research and on-site visit, the group students studied the pros & cons of each alternative diet, including plant-based meats, and how Shanghai has embraced the shifting trends of diet. They also saw the business side of the health industry, learning what it takes to not only promote a healthy lifestyle, but also make a profit from it.

How they are enabled: The employment situation of persons with disabilities

The group mainly focused on the employment status quo, opportunities, and challenges of persons with disabilities, particularly individuals with autism. Through various ways such as a roadshow, out-going interviews, desk research, on-site practice, and charity sales, the students deepened their understanding of the measures, effectiveness, and shortcomings of the government, social organizations, and enterprises in promoting the employment and social integration of persons with disabilities.

Local environment and urban regeneration

The economic structure of Shanghai has been greatly updated and the proportion of GDP generated by high value manufacturing and services industry has significantly increased in the past 40 years. As a result, the factory buildings made their transitions into public facilities like art galleries, museums coffee shops, and urban green spaces. This group mainly investigated how the natural environment, city planning, and urban landscape change to enhance the well-being of people in Shanghai, and how those changes are related to the development and transition of Shanghai in the economic, social, political and technological aspects.

Journalism, media, and wellness

Journalism, media, advertising and wellness are inextricably linked in modern society, shaping public discourse, health behaviors, and social well-being. This group explored how these forces interact to inform or misinform the public, influence health decisions, and impact overall societal wellness. The students analyzed local news coverage of health issues, conducted surveys on media consumption habits and health beliefs, interviewed relevant professionals and officials, studied misinformation cases, and reported local health issues themselves.

The art of healing: A comparison of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and modern medicine

The group conducted a comparative study of TCM and modern medical practices. The students learned their core principles and practices, how cultural beliefs influence medical practices and healthcare choices, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of different medical systems. Through the learning, students developed understanding in the evolution of both medical practices, cultural perspectives on health, and effectiveness of different medical systems, which can foster informed decisions on healthcare choices.

Throughout the week-long project-based learning, students raised their awareness of “wellness” in their daily life, and enhanced their understanding of the connection between what they are learning and real-world wellness problems. Authentic education is about guiding students to define real-world challenges, explore new topics, connect with people, acquire diverse experience, discover what strengths they have and what contributions they can make. Project-based learning is a way that effectively motivates students to think why they study and set goals for themselves. On the last day of the week, the students’ exhibitions of their achievements and reflections revealed the great value and significance of Building Shanghai program.

Interview Highlights

Teacher Section

Q：Through this project, what do you think students have gained in terms of knowledge or skills? What role did you play in the execution of the project?

William：

After the one-week project, in terms of knowledge, students mainly gained a lot of professional information related to people with disabilities and their employment status, especially in understanding autism. This is a concept that has just started to take shape independently on a national and even global scale. Being able to engage with such important social issues at a very early stage will have many direct and indirect inspirations for their future development.

In terms of skills, we truly attempted to complete a standard PBL within this one-week time frame. In terms of activities, our project included almost all forms commonly seen in high school projects, such as visits/experiences, surveys, interviews, academic research, and writing. We even successfully combined a roadshow with a charity sale as a social experiment within a week, proving through our efforts that certain disabled groups (also our beneficiaries) are fully capable of supporting themselves and establishing themselves in society. Our interactions throughout the week involved dozens of entities (organizations/institutions/groups), including a wide variety of perspectives from academic institutions to practical fields, from businesses highlighting current challenges to organizations attempting to provide solutions, leading to diverse perspectives and multidimensional thinking.

Of course, the overall preparation for the project can be described as "long-planned," extending from our daily club practices (Nice2CU), so all aspects of preparation were very thorough, and the activities throughout the week were very rich and stable. With 10 team members, almost every time slot of each day was well allocated, achieving a level of work and collaboration effectiveness that is not easy to attain. Furthermore, our project connected with the school's entrepreneurial project Aplus Café and the key club Robotics Club, leveraging synergies between different school resources.

During the project, my role was more focused on project management and coordinating tasks. Ms.Grace played a role in resource linking, scheduling, and supervising various project processes.

Nicholas：

I believe that through face-to-face communication and Q&A sessions with relevant professionals, students can better understand - after studying psychology, what areas of work they can engage in and the corresponding work environments. At the same time, for students without a background in psychology, they have gained a more accurate understanding of psychology, making this also a public education event in psychology, to some extent alleviating the common prejudices about psychological counseling and therapy in Asian societies. Through this activity, I hope that the projects prepared by the students can influence more peers, parents, and even teachers around them, guiding everyone to have a correct understanding of psychological counseling and therapy.

In the process of project execution, my role was more of an observer, observing whether the lectures by the guests attracted students, considering what content could be adjusted afterwards, and which forms and content of lectures were more appealing to the students. At the same time, I have gained a deeper understanding of psychology, reinforcing the importance of mental health to physical health. One of the most memorable moments for me was when James asked whether people without psychological disorders need psychological counseling, and the mentor's answer was affirmative, showing that psychological counseling can help everyone build a healthier mental state.

Student Section

Q: Before the project began, what were your expectations or concerns about this project? And after participating in this project, how do you feel? Do you have any memorable experiences?

Ken Zhang:

Our project stemmed from the school's club Nice2cu. Before the project started, as one of the club's presidents, I was actually more worried about whether we could complete this challenging task. We did a series of tasks, including preparing physically, arranging schedules - are we really ready for all this? In fact, we weren't sure ourselves, but we were more excited. As a leader who has watched Nice2cu grow all along, I am very much looking forward to what "it" will become after this project.

After participating in this project, I found that the daily schedule was rich and interesting, and the sharing from several guests greatly benefited our entire club. For me, this project was not just a huge success for our club; I also gained a deeper understanding of the autistic community. We visited different businesses, learned about different operational models, and received positive feedback from them collectively: establishing this project was correct and meaningful.

The most memorable experience for me was during our street interviews, where many passersby shared their interesting experiences and expressed appreciation for our project. I was deeply moved; each activity was inseparable from the tacit cooperation of our team and the concerted efforts of each member within our project group. Thank you for being there, thank you for allowing this project to bring us together; we are the best team, the best Nice2cu team.

Martina：

Before officially entering this project, what worried me the most and also made me most curious was, for such a big topic as "mental health", what exactly can we do? Mental health is a very broad topic, and I would worry that within this short week, we wouldn't be able to fully grasp this subject.

After participating in this project, thanks to the thoughtful arrangements by Ms.Joon and Mr.Nicholas, we heard many perspectives on "mental health awareness" from different levels and truly experienced the warm power of mental health education during the activities. What impressed me the most was a psychologist from Manlang Medical, Dr. Lin. He shared many cases from his own experiences and believed that patients are the bravest individuals. I was deeply moved by this statement; education and dissemination of mental health awareness depend on every single person, as they all pass on warmth to each other.

Charlie：

The initial intention of choosing this project was to have more opportunities to engage with industries related to cats, and during this week of learning, we have gained a lot of knowledge related to cat food production and the entire pet supplies industry. After participating in this project, I feel that I have gained a deeper understanding of the entire cat food production line. Yesterday, we visited the cat food research and development center of the Fulejia brand, and their equipment is very professional. Through conversations with the staff, we also gained insights into their daily work routines and how they innovate and develop new cat food. The staff also mentioned that with the advancement of research and development technology, products now contain various nutrients. Therefore, if inappropriate nutrients are found in certain products, they are promptly monitored. An example they gave was A1 casein, a protein that, when consumed by cats or humans, can cause symptoms like diarrhea. Many people believe this is a sign of lactose intolerance, but in reality, they are just sensitive to this type of casein. So their latest technology involves detecting and removing A1 casein from cat food or dairy products.