[Communities] E-Youth, A Cool Space for Student Entrepreneurs

Welcome to Shanghai: the city where you can trip over three yoga studios, a crypto meet-up, and a Dungeons & Dragons guild on your way to buy imported cheese. This series, Communities, is our humble attempt to map the social undercurrent of this town, the clubs, cliques and curious collectives that make Shanghai less of a sprawl and more of a pulse. From vegan potlucks, to runners guilds, to board game nights, to charities and volunteer opportunities, to small meetsups up to large WeChat groups, we're seeing what's on offer. If you're looking for a place to start, this is it.

If you're in the business, startup, incubator or accelerator game, this one's for you. Even better – we'll highlight some genuinely cool volunteer opportunities for anyone looking to plug into China's next wave of entrepreneurial talent.

Last month, the 2025 Youth for Greater Good Expo rolled into town, basically Shanghai's own mini – Shark Tank for students with big ideas and even bigger PowerPoints. The marquee event? The Future Entrepreneur Spirit Award National Finals, where teams of college kids pitched everything from social impact apps to straight-up world-changing schemes, all with that wide-eyed, "we're gonna fix it" energy. Behind the whole thing is E-Youth, a nonprofit that's been at it since 2009, quietly shepherding 100,000 students a year into the scary-but-exciting waters of careers, community service, and yes, startups. Their motto is basically "head for business, heart for the world" – which, honestly, is a nicer way of saying "don't be a soulless corporate drone."

We decided to cover this event because it opens the door for some very cool volunteer opportunities for expats, especially those who are interested in the mentorship and business space. Read on for more.

So What is E-Youth.

To learn more about this excellent organization, I spoke to Cathy, the founder of E-Youth.

CNS: Cathy, nice to meet you. Could you briefly introduce yourself?

Cathy: My Chinese name is Ren Min, but everyone calls me Cathy. I founded the Entrepreneurial Youth Center (EYC) about 20 years ago. My personal mission – and the mission of our organization – is to cultivate young people to become future entrepreneurs.

CNS: Tell us more about EYC. How large is it? How many students and volunteers are involved?

Cathy: The Entrepreneurial Youth Center was officially registered as a nonprofit in 2009, but I started the program back in 2005 when I was still a college student. So this year marks the 20th anniversary. We run nationwide programs, with about 100,000 students participating each year. Our focus is both entrepreneurship and career development. While most students choose the career development path, a smaller group is determined to become entrepreneurs, and we support them fully.

We also work with over 1,000 corporate volunteers each year who serve as mentors, advisors and experts. Since 2009, more than 200 corporate partners have contributed funding, volunteers and pro bono services.

CNS: You mentioned three main pillars of EYC's work. What are they?

Cathy: The three pillars are:

1. Career Development: We run career readiness programs to help college students prepare for the job market.
   
2. Volunteer Service: We organize students to work with corporate volunteers on community projects.
   
3. Entrepreneurship & Innovation: My favorite pillar. We believe entrepreneurship should be part of everyone's mindset – "a head for business, a heart for the world." We run project-based learning, innovation challenges, hackathons and startup competitions like today's event. For students who commit to entrepreneurship, we sign incubation agreements and support them for a year as they transition from students to startup founders.
   

CNS: I see a few foreigners attending this event. What opportunities are there for foreigners ("laowai") who want to volunteer?

Cathy: Four main ways:

• Advisors for Startups: Many student startups target overseas markets but lack knowledge of foreign culture, policy, and business practices. Foreign professionals can share this expertise.
  
• Judging Competitions: Like "Shark Tank," we need international professionals to serve as judges for startup competitions.
  
• Online Teaching: In summer and winter, we pair college students with rural children for online English lessons. Foreigners can join as co-teachers.
  
• Mock Interviews: Especially English-language mock interviews to help students prepare for the workplace.

If you're interested in volunteering, connect with them directly to find out how:

In partnership with E-Youth, Fudan University hosted the event. We couldn't help ourselves, we wanted to get Fudan's take on the work being done with China's entrepreneurial youth.

CNS: Introduce yourself please Zion!

Zion: My name is Zion. I am the director of the Fudan MBA Program. The Fudan MBA Program is China's largest, with around 1,400 students across full-time and part-time tracks. It's run in strategic cooperation with MIT Sloan School of Management – a relationship that has lasted almost 30 years.

CNS: Super. So, how are today's young entrepreneurs different from previous generations?

Zion: Today's students are very different. They grew up with the internet, are open-minded and full of ideas. However, they still face common challenges: transforming technology into a viable business model, building strong teams, hiring and retaining excellent partners, and maintaining relationships.

One unique challenge in China is that because of the one-child policy, many students grew up without strong interpersonal skills. While they connect online, they sometimes lack experience in deeper, face-to-face collaboration. A key part of entrepreneurship is understanding human needs and building empathy – this is something we are building into program's like Fudan's MBA, and through organizations like E-Youth.

CNS: How long has Fudan collaborated with EYC?

Zion: About four years. At first, the partnership was limited to career development. More recently, with my role in the MBA program, we've expanded collaboration. We share the same values: "a head for business and a heart for people's needs." That shared vision makes the partnership meaningful.

The Top Award Winners for the E-Youth Development Day Were Shanghai Students

CNS: Ladies, first of all, congratulations on your accomplishments today. Please introduce yourselves!

Chen Ziyi: I'm Chen Ziyi, a master's student at Tongji University majoring in architecture. My research focuses on accessibility and inclusive design for disabled people in urban spaces. I did my bachelor's at Zhejiang University and co-founded the Zhejiang University Barrier-Free Student Organization.

Lei Chaojing: I'm Lei Chaojing, currently a student at Zhejiang University. I did my bachelor's in education at East China Normal University, where I studied how technology can assist people with disabilities and conducted interviews with disabled people. I realized their needs require much more attention.

CNS: How long have you been involved with EYC?

Chen: Just one year, but we've been developing this project for five years.

CNS: Tell us about your project.

Chen: Our project is called Accway. It uses Al to identify accessibility problems in urban environments, such as missing ramps or obstructed sidewalks. We report this data to local governments, helping them respond more quickly and effectively.

We also plan to build an app for disabled individuals. It will use real-time data to guide users along accessible routes and help them avoid obstacles – for example, if someone is on crutches, the app could suggest barrier-free paths. Even though we're from different majors, we share the same dream – to make cities more inclusive.

And now a See & Be Seen Gallery of the Event: