THINC fellowship Opening Ceremony: Humanity in the New Technology Era

BEIJING, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 10, 2021, the THINC fellowship program, a program powered by Tencent and Viva la Vida, held its virtual opening ceremony for 56 Fellows from over 30 countries. The opening ceremony of THINC consisted of several parts: Opening speech from guest speaker, welcoming remarks, program introduction, team presentation and interactive session. 

THINC (stands for Technology, Humanity, Inclusion, Nurture, Changemaker) is a 12-month fellowship program that brings together young talents to share ideas and spark intellectual conversations about technology and humanity over virtual meetings every month throughout the year. The event marks the beginning of the one-year creative program of international communication on the individual level in the post-pandemic era.

The opening speech was initiated by the guest of honor Robin Lewis, the former Associate Dean of SIPA at Columbia University. In the speech, he mentioned the strongest economy is integrated into the global flow and the core of global is humanity. As a global public policy network, THINC Fellowship was established for embracing the globalization trend, focusing on the human side of social development and emphasizes action.

The other guest of honor, Gilbert Tan, CEO of the Employment and Employability Institute of Singapore, brought up that the rapid change in the industry has created new job opportunities and also caused new challenges in learning. He indicated that the THINC fellowship is a creative attempt at learning. Mr. Tan expects the one-year fellowship can generate more partnerships.

While hosting the event, Xiaoning Lyu, the Founder of Viva la Vida, Co-founder of THINC, and the host of the opening ceremony, expressed her expectation that in the new era of advanced technology, humanity remains as the common ground.

On behalf of Tencent, Yifan Ren, the Senior PR Officer of Tencent Group and Co-Founder of THINC, described technology as an engine that improves the efficiency of our world. She indicated technology should help people make connections with one another and deepen their communications.

After the introduction of the THINC program. Fellows have formed into 10 teams focusing on various tech-related topics. Represents of ten teams gave a brief yet engaging presentation, introducing the team name, team members, and their aspirations for the program. Fellows have demonstrated incredible diversity in terms of their cultural background and expertise, yet everyone is similar in their passion for learning from each other and making a difference altogether.

At the end of the opening ceremony, fellows were invited to read the codes of conduct for the THINC Community based on fellows' contributions.

Viva la Vida regards the collaboration with Tencent as a great opportunity to explore the nexus of technology and humanity. "In THINC program, through dialogues that are cross-culture and cross-discipline, we aim to create an intellectual and spiritual haven for fellows who care deeply about the future of humanity in the technological era, who are capable of perceiving the world through a different lens, intellectually and culturally, and who are willing to make an impact by taking real actions", said Xiaoning Lyu, the co-founder of the THINC Fellowship, and founder of Viva la Vida.

About THINC program

The THINC program offers a wide range of delicately designed activities for fellows to learn from and connect with each other. Under the guidance of assigned mentors, fellows will participate in monthly webinars in groups and explore topics related to technology and humanity throughout the year. The THINC program is co-organized by Tencent and Viva la Vida because of their shared vision "Tech for Humanity". For more information, please visit its website at https://www.thincfellowship.today/

About Tencent  

Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. The communication and social services, Weixin and QQ, connect users with each other and with digital content and services, both online and offline, making their lives more convenient. The targeted advertising service helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our FinTech and business services support our partners' business growth and assist their digital upgrade. Tencent invests heavily in talent and technological innovation, actively promoting the development of the Internet industry. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998. Shares of Tencent (00700.HK) are listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

About Viva la Vida

Viva la Vida, a global community with influence in 50+ countries where people share their authentic stories through art, explore the purpose of life and form genuine connections with others. It aims at building the largest art and humanity database and has partnered with organizations including the United Nations, Facebook, Tencent, etc.

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