USA: will.i.am secures $100k for China study

Entertainer will.i.am has secured a grant from the 100,000 Strong Foundation to enable underserved students from Los Angeles to learn Mandarin and study in China. $100,000 will be made available to his i.am.boyle heights charity (part of the i.am.angel Foundation), which supports youngsters from the Boyle Heights neighbourhood.
Will.i.am said: “Learning Mandarin and studying in China can be transformative. I am so grateful to the 100,000 Strong Foundation for helping open doors for these bright and talented young people.”
Over the next two summers, the grant will see at least 10 students from Theodore Roosevelt High School study in the People’s Republic.

An after-school Mandarin language programme will also be launched with the help of The Confucius Institute. Students will also get help to access existing scholarships to study in China.

will.i.am is a figurehead of the 100,000 Strong initiative, which was launched in 2010 to enable 100,000 Americans to study in China over four years. The 100,000 Strong Foundation, launched last month by outgoing secretary of state Hillary Clinton, will expand on its work.

“We are thrilled to be working with will.i.am and the i.am.angel Foundation to create new opportunities for Boyle Heights students,” said Carola McGiffert, president of the 100,000 Strong Foundation. “The future of the US-China relationship rests with our students.”