Nokia and China Youth Development Foundation expanding "Make a Connection" China Program to two more beneficiaries

Nokia and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) announced today that they would expand their joint program to two other beneficiaries after Shanghai’s ‘Little Master Newspaper’ became its first one in June.

The two other beneficiaries of the program are the “Parenthood Camp” of the Youth Study Society of Fujian Province (YSSF) and the “Rural Youth Internet Pioneering Activity” of the Bauhinia Volunteer Team of Tsing Hua University. The two programs are aimed at promoting youth participation, developing the creativity and urban and rural connection of Chinese youth, as well as improving communications, especially among teachers, students and within families.

The joint program follows the agreement between Nokia and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) on April 12, 2000 to build a global partnership aimed at improving the lives of young people worldwide through education. During the first year of “Make a Connection,” Nokia will invest 2.5 million Euros and focus on four countries-China, Mexico, South Africa and the U.K- as part of their global initiative to support young people to develop their life skills. The programs in these countries will address the specific needs facing the youth in each community. As part of the program, Nokia and IYF will also create volunteer opportunities for Nokia employees worldwide.

As an exclusive partner of IYF in China, China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) has selected four programs out of 15 candidates for further development. As the first program, the ‘Little Masters Newspaper’ received funding for establishing a website to develop creativity thinking and enhancing its program in rural areas.

Mr. Folke Ahlback, chairman and president of Nokia (China) Investment Corporation said, “ It is a great honour for us to co-operate with CYDF in sponsoring these remarkable youth projects. They concentrate on key areas in youth development, that is, communications and creativity across a range of activities such as teacher training, summer camps, publication and dissemination of training manuals as well as conduct on site training among rural teachers and students. I believe the success of these projects will surely raise more domestic and international resources for the education and development of Chinese children and youth. ”

Mr. Xu Yongguang, the Standing Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CYDF commented," CYDF has been devoted to the promotion of the abilities of Chinese Youth, especially in the fields of leadership, adaptation to the society, creativity and decision-making ability. These are also the theme of 'Make a Connection' China Program."

About Nokia
Nokia is paving the way to the mobile information society with its innovative products and solutions. Nokia is the leading mobile phone supplier and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed and IP networks related services as well as multimedia terminals. In 1999, net sales totaled EUR 19.8 billion (USD 19.9 billion). Headquartered in Finland, Nokia is listed on the New York (NOK), Helsinki, Stockholm, London, Frankfurt and Paris stock exchanges and employs more than 60,000 people.

About IYF
Founded in 1990, the International Youth Foundation is dedicated to supporting various programs with initiatives to change the lives of young people worldwide. In its work with more than 160 companies, foundations and non-governmental organizations worldwide, IYF is focused on building in-depth strategic partnerships among the business, public and civil society sectors.

About CYDF
The China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) is a national, non-profit and non-governmental organization. Founded in March 1989, CYDF aims to promote the development of the youth. For the past ten years, CYDF has won broad recognition and support through various public welfare programs and initiatives such as Project Hope.

About YSSF
YSSF is a professional organization consisting of some 825 individual members and 36-organizational members engaged in youth development in science, education, culture, health and public policy. It began a pilot project-“Parenthood Camp”- in three schools, which focused on improving communications and relations between children and parents and teachers two years ago. Today ten schools, ranging from 3000 to 100 students per school, participate in this program which includes activities such as teacher training, summer camps with parents and children, physical development of young people and community service. YSSF’s goal is to eventually expand this program to 14,000 primary schools in Fujian Province.

About the “Rural Youth Internet Pioneering Activity” of the Bauhinia Volunteer Team of Tsing Hua University
This student volunteer association was established in late 1996 to provide opportunities for students to improve their own skills while contributing to development of Chinese society. Today it has nearly 600 student members. Its major activities include providing assistance to rural communities via mail, serving as student aids in schools around the country and volunteering their services to various initiatives. With the funding of the joint program, the Volunteer team would work with a number of Project Hope Internet schools to provide support to teachers in rural areas.

Further information:

Nokia Corporate Communications
Tel. +358 9 1807 424
Fax +358 9 652 409

Yun Cai
Corporate Communications Manager
Nokia (China) Investment Corporation
Tel. +86 10 65326555
Fax +86 10 65321789

www.nokia.com


Wang Yamei
International Department
China Youth Development Foundation
Tel. +86 10 64008751
Fax +86 10 64033895

www.CYDF.org