In celebration of PIM’s 10th Anniversary, we have curated a series of reflections on the impact that our flagship program, the Model Foundation, has made throughout the years.
With the aim of equipping students with the resources and skills to make a difference in the world, the Model Foundation program was developed to give students a hands-on opportunity to experience what it is like to work in philanthropy, how to evaluate impact, and make decisions about impact investing and funding. Our Model Foundation program went on to become the first and, for a long time, the only experimental “learning by giving” program in China.
From 2014-2019, each year, Model Foundation would engage a diverse selection of young leaders and give them the opportunity to act as venture philanthropists, making decisions on how to support eight high-potential social organizations with a $20,000 USD PIM fund.
We’re honored to share a few highlights, thoughts, and learnings from 2017 Model Foundation Leadership Fellows Wenxin Yan, Carolina Gordillo Are, and William Hinthorn.Focused on identifying effective approaches to address inequality, Model Foundation 2017 students worked hard to amplify the missions of their partner organizations, spoke directly with leaders in the field, made lifelong connections, and considered ways to continue leading an effective impact in their own communities.
“Reducing inequality is a daunting task, but being conscious of our small acts can make a huge difference in the lives of the disadvantaged.”
Wenxin Yan
Peking University, ’20 (China)
Model Foundation’s week-long conference has empowered me as much as it has inspired me. This year’s theme, reducing inequality, sounds like a really big and difficult problem, especially for young people. However, what the week-long conference taught me is that things can really start small and go far beyond our imagination.
Small steps, generated out of care and love for people around us, can finally build up to the final milestone of reducing inequality. Sometimes we think a problem is unsolvable because we dare not walk out of our traditional way of thinking or gather up the courage to take the first step. Reducing inequality is a daunting task, but being conscious of our small acts can make a huge difference in the lives of the disadvantaged.
The Innovation for Impact Summit was particularly inspiring. Centered around reducing inequality, the summit brought together many influential speakers from many renowned organizations like UN Women, Bottledream and Ford Foundation. The greatest takeaway was to be courageous in taking innovative approaches to tackle difficult problems. Reducing inequality is a huge task, but my experience in Model Foundation allowed me to participate in a group who strives to make the world a more equal and better place.
“Being young should not be a limitation; instead, we are powerful enough to start making our world a better place to live by giving our time, talents, money and voice in an intelligent way.”
Carolina Gordillo Are
Zhejiang University ’19 (Peru)
I am the first member of my family who is going to graduate from college and even more, abroad. While this makes me proud of myself, I have the responsibility to empower children with similar backgrounds as mine to go to college and fight for their dreams.
Being part of Model Foundation reminded me that there are many people out there who are struggling with bigger problems than mine.
Model Foundation 2017 introduced eight amazing organizations that are fighting against inequality here in China. Organizations who are addressing problems and providing a solution, not because they want to benefit themselves, but because of the love they have for humanity, which I believe is philanthropy.
Jasmine Lau told me: “You will always have many questions before you start doing something big; there will be many things that you ignore, but that shouldn’t stop you from starting”. Model Foundation was a wakeup call in my life. PIM’s team, speakers, organizations, and my peers reminded me that we should address the problems around us and not simply let them pass. Being young should not be a limitation; instead, we are powerful enough to start making our world a better place to live by giving our time, talents, money and voice in an intelligent way.
“I found a new team who won’t let us be complacent in expanding our impact on the world…I am no longer afraid to take the first few steps, and I know where I will turn each time I stop to reflect.”
William Hinthorn
Princeton University, ’18 (US)
Like many of my classmates, I wanted to serve humanity, but my larger philanthropic ambitions were hobbled by fears and uncertainty of taking the first step.
The first question I wished to probe was that of organizational accountability. Fortunately, the social enterprise I was tasked with researching, Smart Air, builds their mission on this very concept. Smart Air wishes to change the way China and the world views and lives with air pollution. However, it wasn’t until I met the founder, Tom, that the significance of Smart Air’s commitment to a scientific approach to accountability fully registered. Working with Smart Air this summer helped me place my own work in schools and NGOs within a broader context. There are ways to bring order to chaos.
After talking to fellow PIMsters at dinner on day one, I soon realized that these were people who knew how to act, to take risks and respond to feedback. These peers have been wonderful teachers. I listened to one relay, his story of taking a gap year to produce an NGO that grants young people with confidence and wisdom that isn’t taught in school. I listened to another who was building a mentorship network for rural entrepreneurs. Everyone came with a wealth of experience, unique perspectives, and, like myself, a myriad of questions.
And this was what will continue to have the largest impact on me. Through workshops and dialogues with each of the partner organizations, and by spending time with the other participants each evening, I found a new team who won’t let us be complacent in expanding our impact on the world. Even though questions will constantly plague me as I seek to create new institutions to serve humanity, I am no longer afraid to take the first few steps, and I know where I will turn each time I stop to reflect.
OTHER REFLECTIONS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS
PIM has deepened my understanding of philanthropy to be more creative, diverse, effective, and connected to the general public. I learned that you don’t need to be a billionaire to be a philanthropist.
Zhang Weike (Tsinghua University)
I think it’s an amazing opportunity to have this amount of money to donate. I am a lot more confident about pursuing a social mission driven career straight out of college. I want to try my very best to pursue a riskier and less traveled path for the valuable learning opportunities.
Vera Lummis (Princeton University)
PIM has taught me that, no matter what I do, I can incorporate philanthropy into my life.
Cengiz Cemaloglu (Harvard University)
I know that I will be able to incorporate my mission and social causes I care about into my career, and that these two factors are not mutually exclusive.
Elson Ong (Yale-NUS College)
