Asia Pacific P-TECH Network empowers students through Unite Day!
P-TECH students from Taiwan, Korea, and Hong Kong united on October 16th, virtually for the first Asia Pacific P-TECH United Day. A total of 82 students – 51 from Korea, 23 from Taiwan, and 8 from Hong Kong – were connected and engaged in one digital place under the theme of #bemyPTECHmates and #WeArePTECH.
Students shared stories about themselves and their “why” for being a P-TECH student. They were actively engaged and visibly excited to share their stories and learn about their peers from other regions. COVID-19 has disrupted students’ various activities, but it provided students with an innovative opportunity to connect with students whom they might have never met across the APAC P-TECH network.
“It was such a special and enjoyable moment to be able to meet new P-TECH friends from other countries even though we are going through challenges of COVID-19!”
– Young-Woo Lee, P-TECH Student at Seoul New Collar School
The reflections from students and staff has been overwhelmingly positive. Chae-Sung Lim, a 2nd year P-TECH student in Korea shared “I’m proud that I’m a P-TECHer in that I could meet good P-TECH fellows out there even in this COVID-19 situation”. Chae-Sung added that through meeting other P-TECH students and hearing their stories, “I was motivated toward my future goal and able to have an encouraging mindset. It was a truly valuable moment to me!”
Additionally, teachers have shared their excitement towards the resounding positive impact Unite Day had on their students’ confidence and relationship building skills. Hwa-Taek, a senior teacher of P-TECH in Korea, shared his observation of students who normally are “shy” when speaking a foreign language in the classroom were “making a variety of friends online, learning from their experiences, and mingling in their ways.”
The Asia Pacific P-TECH Unite Day exemplified the true strength of the P-TECH spirit. Although COVID-19 has hindered face-to-face interaction, the P-TECH spirit has not been disrupted, and P-TECH students continue to persevere and find ways to connect with each other. Now more than ever, students are eager to build relationships with one another and grow together through their P-TECH journey!
