Source: School of Philanthropy
Written by: School of Philanthropy
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On November 12, 2014, the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, UK, visited Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), and participated in a dialogue on Community Development in China and the U.K. with researchers of School of Philanthropy of SYSU and representatives of social organizations in Guangdong Province. Prof. Yan Guangmei, Vice President of SYSU, met with the guests.
Prof. Yan Guangmei welcomed Mr. Eric Pickles and introduced SYSU’s main achievements in researches on community development, social organizations and philanthropy. Mr. Eric Pickles extended his warm congratulations on the 90th anniversary of SYSU, and introduced British government’s policy and practice on social construction and community development. Dr. Hu Xiaojun, researcher from School of Philanthropy of SYSU, shared the practical experience and best cases for community construction in the Pearl River Delta Region (PRD). Mr. Eric Pickles highly appreciated the vigor and vitality of social organizations in PRD.

In the following roundtable session, the participants had an effective and heated discussion on related topics such as community integration, community health care model and community welfare services. Both sides expressed their wishes for further cooperation in urban management and community building in the future.

Mr. Alastair Morgan, Consul-General of British Consulate-General Guangzhou; Mr. Peter Schofield, Director-General for Neighbourhoods at Department for Communities and Local Government, UK; Mr. Matthew Perrement, Consul Political of British Consulate-General Guangzhou; Prof. Wu Chongqing from Department of Philosophy of SYSU; Dr. Wang Shuo, Executive Vice Dean of School of Philanthropy of SYSU; Dr. Huang Xiaoxing and Dr. Fang Xiang, Associate Professors from School of Sociology and Anthropology of SYSU, were present in the meeting.