Project Civitas

Counting down the days until back to school? #civitasfiresidechat had the chance to send off our summer 2024 cohort with two final sessions and insights to last everyone through another year! Mental health expert Xiao Ka analyzed the definition of "illness," "health," and "healing" in meaningful ways. In conversation with Zhenxi Yuan, Xiao Ka laid out practical advice and action-oriented guidelines for taking care of our mental health. Ultimately, she hopes to empower participants to be more tolerant, seek support when needed, and actively help others when possible. She also warned against getting caught up in a savior complex. Real help, as Xiao Ka pointed out, often comes not from immediate action but from the gradual development of trust and connection. 💭“We need to be patient and be there. Act first, then make mistakes, then improve.” On how to create positive change, Xiao Ka left us with the key takeaway that healing isn't solely derived from therapy but from positive experiences that fulfill real needs. For instance, an activity on the scale of organizing a club at school can foster an immense sense of belonging and personal value. One participant was particularly inspired as the founder of the psychology club at their school; they aspired to integrate MBTI personalities, theater and breathing exercises in a future workshop, embodying the spirit of "action, adjustment, and improvement." In our final session, Claire Yujie Ji joined Angelica Cheng and Ethan Wang to discuss their unique journeys of creating meaningful social impact. Angelica’s experience with marginalized communities in Myanmar, where she founded Karing Frontiers, highlighted the transformative power of education. Ethan's work with LifeSaveHer, a project creating female CPR mannequins, demonstrated how a simple idea can grow into a nationally recognized initiative. Both Angelica and Ethan emphasized the importance of starting small, setting achievable goals, and persevering through. 💬“I remember a student of ours telling me that she enjoyed ‘being in the rivers and trees rather than being confined to camps.’” Angelica shared how a student’s connection nature at Karing Frontiers helped her explore identity within herself, her people and her country. This strengthened her belief that education is vital as she strives to empower marginalized youth. Ethan’s story was equally touching. “I'll never forget presenting our results at the American EMS Conference; people from all over the country were asking if they could also have some female mannequin models for their schools.” To Ethan, being willing to pass the baton on to the next generation of leaders is an act of courage. Angelica agrees; with the right strategy, an organization can continue to create invaluable social benefits. With pride and pleasure, we hereby conclude our Civitas 2024 Fireside Chat! Don’t forget to follow us if you haven’t yet; we will keep the flame going until next time. #civitasinternational

Another exciting week at #CivitasFiresideChat had us venturing into new grounds! Social Entrepreneur Kaveto Tjatjara discussed with moderator Yueran (Joy) Yu on his experience building Flushh.co, which seeks to address the lack of sanitation resources in rural Namibia through cost-effective eco-toilets. Sharing his thoughts on the difficulties of social entrepreneurship, KV emphasizes the need for public-private partnerships, as well as the importance of storytelling and quantitative evidence in pitching an idea. “Entrepreneurship fights for market share, but social entrepreneurship fights to solve a problem.” KV shared how his personal experiences inspired him to work tirelessly to benefit his community, and elaborated on the definition of entrepreneurship as “pursuit of an opportunity beyond resources controlled.” Change is possible where doers and buyers collaborate at scale. He encouraged participants to seek diverse solutions to a wide range of problems, and expressed his hope that Flushh will inspire more practitioners to develop their unique solutions to pressing community issues. Adam Gartai, VC investor, and Daniel Marshall, founding team member of financial services platform Plannery discussed their diverse educational backgrounds and motivations for choosing their respective industries. In a discussion moderated by David Donev, they compared the startup and venture capital landscapes in the USA and Hungary, noting significant differences in resources, market maturity, and regulatory environments, and highlighted the current trend of reduced capital availability. Both agreed that a strong team and a shared belief in a vision are crucial for startup success, and provided insights into the potential pitfalls faced by startups globally. “How possible is it to open a hot pot chain in the Central European Region?” To provide practical context, Adam and David provided the session with a vivid case study of startup operation. They gave their answers on why startups fail, citing factors such as lack of market need, poor team dynamics, and insufficient funding. While the scarcity of capital persists, there will be need for more strategic fundraising efforts and potentially more conservative financial planning. Ultimately, the answer lies in assembling a dedicated, cohesive team to navigate challenges and drive a startup forward.

We love our speakers! Thank you all so much! #CivitasFiresideChat

What lies at the intersection of AI and personalized medicine? The latest session of #CivitasFiresideChat explored this with two brilliant minds: Piersilvio De Bartolomeis, PhD researcher at ETH Zürich, and Cosmin Badea, lecturer in AI and Ethics at Imperial College London, in a panel moderated by Lily Li. 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗟𝗠𝘀: AI isn't just about large language models (LLMs). Pier and Cosmin highlighted that AI's potential spans far beyond, with numerous other pathways waiting to be explored: 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲: Traditionally, doctors rely on randomized trials for treatment recommendations. But what if AI could tailor treatments based on your unique genomic profile, age, and race? Pier explained how AI could leverage massive data sets to provide personalized care, potentially outperforming doctors who rely solely on their experience. 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮: Healthcare data is abundant. The question is, how do we use it effectively? Cosmin noted the promise of AI lending its strength to data-driven solutions; more importantly, he emphasized the ethical need to ensure that AI aids rather than replaces human decision-making. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗚𝗜 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: Badea differentiated between LLMs and the ultimate goal: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). While LLMs generate text based on patterns, AGI aims for superhuman capabilities, integrating true reasoning and planning. LLMs are impressive but still miss core intelligence elements. 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: One exciting takeaway was AI's creative potential. LLMs don't just retrieve information—they can generate new content in response to given prompts. However, their tendency to produce plausible but incorrect info (hallucinations) means we need to tread carefully. AI's future in medicine is promising, yet AI at the present requires thoughtful integration and ethical oversight. Stay tuned for more inspiring discussions from our fireside chats! #CivitasInternational #GlobalPerspectives #AIEthics #PersonalizedMedicine #FutureofAI

“As someone who creates visual art and poetry, I am relatively new to music. Hu Lan's lecture served as an inspiration for my future artistic development.” Our participants joined Hu Lan, a classical pianist and music history enthusiast, who conversed with Lu Qian on the question, “Is classical music hard to understand?” Within the hour, she artfully explained what classical music is, how to appreciate it, and how to pick introductory music for newcomers. Sharing pieces of her own music from her solo album, Hu Lan explained the styles and techniques used in each piece, taking the cohort on a melodious journey through her mind and her art. 🎹“Music does not need to be understood, for it is simply the enjoyment of listening.” Hu Lan used Ravel’s “Alborada Del Gracioso” (The Jester's Aubade) as an illustrative example, suggesting that we attempt to understand the music as storytelling. In her performance of the piece, she breathed life into the piece’s literary narrative, tracing the emotions of the titular character through the piece. Additionally, she points out the connection between the visual art of impressionism and Impressionist music: hazy images correspond to elusive main themes, which allows one to be immersed in the dual dreamscapes of impressionist art and music. Her understanding of music as a sensory experience led her to music’s vibrant intersection with the visual and literary. “The interactions in these two sessions are exceptionally lively.” Our cohort found instant rapport with Isabelle, a current Ph.D. student in History at Harvard University and a former Rhodes Scholar from China, in a lively session moderated by Elaine Zhang. Isabelle shared many personal stories that enriched our understanding of her academic journey. From the specifics of Ph.D. programs, to the details of her research in ethnography and memory, Isabelle entertained dozens of questions from participants and recounted her favorite courses in microhistory, gender theory, classical Chinese literature, and beyond. ⏳“History is taught differently wherever I go.” Isabelle shared her thoughts on how her personal experience of history as a subject varied depending on her level of education and the locality of schools. In her experience, high-school-level history education is often exam-based, topically diverse, and analysis-heavy; while history at @Sciences Po was influenced by the emphasis on international relations, in which students are encouraged to become generalists instead of specialists. Comparatively, the Ph.D.-level courses she took earlier at the National University of Singapore were a lot more hands-on, giving Isabelle a chance to conduct field research on the construction of an overseas Chinese identity at a local temple. #CivitasFiresideChat is heating up with more student testimonials and session recaps! Follow us for more #globalperspectives and #globalleadership.

⚖️What could possibly be at the intersection of law and AI? What about history and sociology? The first week of #CivitasFiresideChat presented two phenomenal speakers that brought us to the heart of these questions, and into their respective worlds: Professor Huang Tao brought his strong academic background and extensive teaching experience to our (virtual) fireside; with moderator Wei Zheng, he used simple language to tackle difficult concepts in this engaging discussion. Picking up on the latest trend of AI application in law, Prof. Huang took it a step further, discussing the cultural challenges faced by global social platforms in the age of #AI. He emphasized the risks of letting large language models make content censorship decisions, as it has the runaway potential to stifle dissent and honest, controversial discussions through seemingly credible excuses. 📝“We’re beyond talking about privacy as something confidential by now.” With this bold statement, Prof. Huang engaged participants in an enlightening discussion on the shifting concept of privacy: “We used to think that the point of privacy was to protect your information like it’s a secret, but we can't do that anymore, since everyone's information is being mined online. What we need to protect now is the right to have a voice when the consumer’s information is being shared. We need the right to participate in the decision-making process and the right to control who gets access to the information.” Professor Yan Fei is a historical and political sociologist as well as an avid storyteller. Finishing up his year as a visiting fellow at a joint program with the Harvard-Yenching Institute and Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Prof. Yan shared his recent research topics with moderator Ran Guo, one of them being “the nearby.” For a sociologist like Prof. Yan, paying attention to the individuals and events around him is a crucial way to maintain connection with society at large. He also talked about the influence of his mentor and long-term collaborator, Professor Andrew Walder. Together, they collected 2,000+ county gazettes in revolutionary-era China, which was a priceless primary source for understanding both individuals and society during this period. 📖From “Lisa” the hairdresser in Flushing, to the “accompanying mothers'' of Chinese students in North American high schools, the printing store owners at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and the child of Chinese migrant workers who fought their way to Vancouver, these lively individuals meant more than objects of study for Prof. Yan; they were also the bits and pieces that make up his life. Want to stay inspired? Follow us for more stories from the fireside. #civitasinternational #globalperspectives

👀 We know you have been waiting to hear from the rest of our exceptional moderators. Who knows, they might also be the masterminds behind #CivitasInternational. Don’t be a stranger and come say hi! Wei Zheng, co-founder of Project Civitas, graduated #PhiBetaKappa from Duke University with majors in Political Science and French. Currently, she is a Juris Doctor candidate at Duke University School of Law. As a passionate traveler, Wei has lived and worked across China, the US, Japan, and France. Wei brings her fearless curiosity to a conversation with Prof. Huang Tao, a Duke University School of Law alum, during which they will discuss their understanding of law and their journey as first-generation professionals in the legal field. Ran Guo, co-founder of Project Civitas, is a graduate of Tufts University and former United Nations intern in NYC. Ran is set to pursue a master's degree in #cyberpolicy at Stanford University (with full scholarship) and JD at Harvard Law School. His cross-cultural experiences have taught him the importance of redefining oneself through diverse perspectives, always seeking a dynamic balance between knowing and acting, which will inform his talk with Prof. Yan Fei. Claire Yujie Ji is a Ph.D. student in Sociology at UCLA who studies the collective memory of violence, dispossession, and resistance in Asia, Latin America, and Europe from WWII to the socialist/post-socialist periods. Her research focuses on the production and transmission of historical trauma in state/private institutions, communities, and families. In her research, Claire strives to embody the empathy which she firmly upholds to achieve cross-cultural understanding. She will be moderating a talk with Ethan Wang and Angelica Cheng, discussing how to channel this vision to realizing what is personally meaningful to them. Yueran (Joy) Yu majors in International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University. Her interests span across political theory, international development, and East Asian literature. She is an active member of Technology and Policy Society at Johns Hopkins. Joy embraces the value of cross-cultural experiences and pursues a balance of skepticism and authenticity in her approach. She will be hosting a discussion with Kaveto (KV) Tjatjara on the practice and theory of international development. Zhenxi Yuan (Paris) is an incoming student at Rice University. Drawn to Biology and Anthropology, She is fascinated by interdisciplinary perspectives and the world of medical anthropology. Paris values curiosity and empathy, qualities she believes crucial in today's world. As an intern at #CivitasInternational 2024, she will co-moderate with Bai Yuqing (Liu Yuequn) in a conversation with Xiao Ka, hoping to inspire everyone with her extensive work on mental health education. This post marks an end to our program introductions, but worry not, this is yet the beginning to a summer of exploration and learning. Join us now and stay tuned for more!

All aboard for summer! I don’t know about you, but here’s my checklist for July: ✅long days ✅warm nights ✅hearty conversations at #civitasfiresidechat! Dive in with our dynamic speakers and your curious peers for a series of engaging talks. Here are some of our wonderful moderators who will steer the conversations: David Donev is a seasoned strategy consultant with an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of Oxford. Having worked with Morgan Stanley and Boston Consulting Group (BCG), he currently contributes to major public sector developments in the Middle East at FTI Delta. Having visited 24 countries and lived in 5 of them, David is passionate about making complex industry discussions accessible and enjoyable. He will moderate a discussion with Daniel Marshall and Adam Gartai on startups and venture capital, aiming to provide valuable insights into #entrepreneurship. Lu Qian is the student engagement manager of Project Civitas. She is currently a fourth-year undergraduate student studying Natural Sciences at Imperial College London. Beyond academics, her interests encompass languages and religions, travel, (good) coffee and wine, happiness and wisdom. She will have a conversation with classical pianist Hu Lan on life in the arts and building one’s identity. Lily Li a consultant at Cornerstone Research, holding a bachelor's degree in Statistics and Data Science from Duke University. Her passion lies at the intersection of technology, creativity, and law. As an amateur photographer, guitarist, songwriter, and skateboarder, Lily values the diverse communities she's engaged with through her experiences. She believes in the power of self-reflection and building connections with individuals, which she will bring into her role as a moderator in the session on technology and AI regulation with Piersilvio De Bartolomeis. Liu Yuequn (Alias: Bai Yuqing) is the head of 706 Nanjing and has been leading this youth community since 2020. As a lawyer focused on legal and social change, he brings a rich experience of being grounded in his local community of Nanjing. Yuequn has engaged with various ethnic, religious and cultural circles, and advocates for a collaborative societal approach. He will converse with mental health advocate Xiao Ka about the relationship between the individual and society. Elaine Zhang double majors in Public Policy and Mathematics at Duke University. With extensive volunteer and internship experience in non-profit organizations, Elaine is dedicated to understanding and helping others. Experiencing different educational systems in the US and China, she has developed a keen interest in social sciences and public policy. Committed to being an observer, thinker, and listener, Elaine will moderate the session on arts and culture in conversation with Isabelle. Ready to meet our moderators? Scroll through the slides below. We’ll be waiting by the fire, ready to chat! #civitasinternational #InternationalLeadership

Congratulations to Wei Zheng, the co-founder of our #CivitasInternational program! Your dedication and leadership have been instrumental in promoting global connections and cultural exchange. We look forward to the new insights on international collaboration and cross-cultural communication you will bring from this work experience. Well-deserved recognition! 🌍🎉

🎇We’ve heard you have free time this summer, and guess what - we have cool friends. Here at #CivitasFiresideChat, bright minds come together to share wisdom, laughs, insights for the future, and more. Apply now to hear their voices and see them in action, it’s going to be an unforgettable experience! Xiao Ka is the head of social welfare organization "A Perch for Thorn Birds", and a curator collaborating with the Shanghai Mental Health Center. She is dedicated to the intersection of mental health, art, and the humanities, and will share her journey as a social worker and mental health advocate. Isabelle is a Ph.D. student in the History Department at Harvard University and a Rhodes Scholar from China. As a multicultural explorer, she co-founded a project to expand the horizons of high school graduates from rural county towns. Adam Gartai is a venture capital expert with extensive experience in seed and Series A investments. As an investment manager at OXO Holdings, he supports startups in Central and Eastern Europe with financial and managerial expertise. Ethan Wang is a recent Harvard graduate and a J.D. candidate at Yale Law School who advocates for gender equality in emergency medicine. He co-founded LifeSaveHer, an initiative advocating for the use of female mannequins in CPR training, with a team of MIT and Harvard students. Piersilvio De Bartolomeis holds a MS in data science, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at ETH Zürich. He applies his expertise in machine learning to test the efficacy of new drugs. Cosmin Badea is the course leader and lecturer for "Ethics, Privacy, AI in Society" at Imperial College London. He has a deep interest in the philosophy of language, mind, and the intersection of philosophy with science and technology. Check out the slides below to hear from our stellar speakers in their own words. We hope they lighten up your day (and night) so don’t forget to register! #CivitasFiresideChat #SelfDiscovery #LiberalArts #GlobalEducation #CulturalExchange #YouthEmpowerment