Nokia and CYDF "Make a Connection" China program launch

Today, Nokia and the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) jointly announced a program aimed at supporting and developing the life skills of China`s youth. Shanghai`s `Little Master Newspaper` was delighted to be the first beneficiary of Nokia`s and the International Youth Foundation`s (IYF) `Make a Connection` program.

This follows the agreement between Nokia and the International Youth Foundation (IYF) on April 12, 2000, to build a global partnership aimed at improving the lives of young people worldwide through education. During the first year of "Make a Connection," Nokia will invest 2.5 million Euros and focus on four countries: China, Mexico, South Africa and the U.K. as part of their global initiative to support young people to develop their life skills. The programs in these countries will address the specific needs facing the youth in each community. As part of the program, Nokia and IYF will also create volunteer opportunities for Nokia employees worldwide.

As an exclusive partner of IYF in China, China Youth Development Foundation has selected four programs out of 15 candidates for further development. As the first program, the `Little Masters Newspaper` will receive funding for a new initiative that will support creativity among young people and connect them to their communities.

Founded in 1983, the Little Master Newspaper was China`s first national newspaper produced and edited solely by young people under the age of 15. It is based in Shanghai with more than 1,000 young reporters. It has nearly 10,000 young reporters and correspondents nationwide in more than 40 branches. The donations from Nokia will be focused on cultivating creativity in the children and youth in general.

Mr. David Hartley, the vice president of Nokia (China) Investment Corporation said, " It is a great honour for us to co-operate with CYDF in sponsoring this remarkable youth project. The project concentrates on the key areas in youth development, that is, leadership, creativity and responsibility across a range of activities such as culture, education, sports and arts. We felt that `Little Master Newspaper` encompasses the ideals of all these. Nokia believes that "Wisdom comes from creativity". We hope this project can fulfill that belief and emulate the success of Nokia`s creativity workshop series which, since last year, has now been delivered to 12 universities in China."

Mr. Xu Yongguang, the Standing Vice Chairman and Secretary General of CYDF commented," CYDF has been devoting to the promotion of the ability of Chinese Youth, especially in the fields of leadership, adaptation to the society, creativity and decision-making ability, which are also the theme of `Make a Connection` China Program."