Symposium highlights importance of youth STEM education

The 2026 Youth Sustainable Development Education Symposium was held June 17 and 18 at the China Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Center for Young People.

The two-day event gathered nearly 300 participants, including leading experts, scholars and educators in science and technology education from schools and other settings.

Under the theme "cultivating future innovators", the symposium featured a rich agenda that included keynote addresses, panel discussions, roundtable dialogues, and an exhibition showcasing the center's educational outcomes.

Discussions centered on three major topics: the transformation of science and technology education in the age of artificial intelligence, strategies for nurturing top-tier innovative talent, and international comparative perspectives on youth STEM education.

Panelists also explored how personalized teaching approaches can help children identify optimal growth pathways, and how science-themed reading can foster both imagination and scientific literacy in young learners.

In his remarks, Guo Xinbao, director of the China Soong Ching Ling Science and Culture Center for Young People, emphasized the importance of embedding science and technology education within a holistic framework for youth development.

"We are committed to integrating curricular resources across science, technology, arts, culture, and sports," Guo stated.

"By designing combined and continuous learning pathways that are responsive to the developmental needs of young people, we aim to guide them in expanding their interests, building well-rounded competencies, and developing strong character through scientific exploration, aesthetic engagement, physical activity, and cultural enrichment."

The exhibition offered a comprehensive overview of the center's ongoing initiatives, including its philosophy on sustainable development education, its systematic approach to building science and technology education infrastructure, the development of innovation laboratories, and its active participation in international competitions and exchange programs.

Looking ahead, the center will build on the momentum of this symposium by further capitalizing on its role as a national-level youth social education platform.

It will continue to rally partners from diverse sectors to co-construct a tiered, full-cycle foundational research cultivation chain, with the ultimate goal of fostering an open, collaborative, pragmatic, and sustainable educational ecosystem that benefits young learners nationwide.