In his welcome remarks, Dr Charles CHEN Yidan shared what resilience means to him. “In today's world, where civilization and technology make progress in tandem, where conflicts and cooperation co-exist, resilience is rooted in hope. Hope drives us to chase after a better life, realize our potential, and never give up,” he said. “Resilience is essential to the future of education. Resilient people make resilient economies and thriving societies.”

“The world is changing faster than we ever imagined — and education must transform to keep up. The Yidan Prize is indeed made for a changing world. We don’t limit ourselves to a theme. We offer flexible funding and harness the power of the collective. So that together, we can not only endure change, but encourage it, as driven by our mission,” Dr Chen said.

School disruption, gender biases, costly tuition fees, mental health, new technologies — these are just some of the challenges students face today. Yet, we see examples of resilient students persevering and thriving in the toughest contexts.