Mission
Lighthouse Project Youth Development Association of Guangzhou
Lighthouse Project Youth Development Association of Guangzhou (LP) is dedicated to supporting the development of left-behind rural children and migrant youth. The organization additionally cultivates a spirit of volunteerism among Chinese youth by training them to become mentors and coaches for the vulnerable group. Its core belief is “Guidance that shapes a lifetime”.
Sponsoring P&G Alumni
Sponsoring Alum: Virginia Lu
6 Years in Brand Management in Guangzhou, China
In 2001, Virginia co-founded LP and, since its founding, has played a central leadership role. She is currently Vice Chair.
Her involvement spans across all aspects of organizational development, including program design, leadership training, operational systems, and fundraising. She also served as chief trainer, adapting P&G’s team-building methods to help transform groups of unfamiliar college students into highly effective volunteer teams. Virginia said in her endorsement letter, “What I’m proudest of is the volunteer training system. Using tools and frameworks I learned at P&G, I developed more than 10 modules on leadership, communication, classroom management, and empathy. These allowed us to quickly turn university students into confident, capable volunteers who could deliver high-quality education in rural areas. I personally served as the chief trainer for over 10 years. Today, our volunteer development remains one of our strongest assets.”
The Lighthouse Shimmer Program Camp
In moving, many migrant teenagers are caught between two systems. Having left their hometowns, they are excluded from the rural development policies. Lacking urban residency, they are also ignored by city-based social support. Living in the shadows of urban life, they face limited access to quality education, guidance, or social integration and fall into cycles of low-wage, unstable work, lacking skills and direction to improve their livelihoods – often remaining at the bottom of the society.
Lighthouse aims to break this cycle through tailored career exploration, vocational training, and mentorship. The Shimmer program helps participants discover their interests, build practical job skills, and make informed decisions about their future life. The 3 part program includes a) a Career Exploration Camp, an 8-day immersive camp with career interest profiling, occupational site visits, self-awareness development, financial literacy, and an introduction to AI tools for future career readiness, b) career development in-school courses that strengthen migrant youths’ understanding of academic pathways, basic vocational skills, and encourages parental engagement, and c) six online career planning modules.
2025 Grant
The PGAF grant will mainly help empower 120 migrant youth through the Career Exploration Camp and fund the program costs for venue, volunteer training materials, in-school course supplies, tutor fees, staff costs,modest scholarships and on-line course development. As PGAF will be providing 70% of the requested amount, the impact metrics might be affected, and we will have to manage expectations accordingly.
Success Story
Chen Xiao Mei, a migrant youth from a rural village, relocated to Guangzhou with her parents. After facing academic struggles, family instability, and emotional distress, she joined the Lighthouse Shimmer Camp in 2022. With guidance from mentors and exposure to vocational options. Slowly, Chen Xiao Mei regained confidence, identified her interest in visual media, and successfully enrolled in a relevant vocational program. Her engagement in the camp helped stabilize her behavior, re-align family support, and redirect her academic path.
Mei is just one of thousands of our success stories. Our motto, “Direction Shapes a Lifetime,” lives on through them. And the change isn’t limited to the children—we’ve also transformed the lives of the 3,700 university students who served as volunteers. They left with stronger life skills, a broader sense of purpose, and many returned to build careers in education and public service.
Some now lead Lighthouse into its next generation.
Additional stories will be provided within the Marketing Request form.