About Us
Our History
ACYA was founded in 2008 by three Australian university students - Henry Makeham, Huw Pohlner and Dom Delany - whilst they were studying at Peking, Renmin and Tsinghua University.
Over the next ten years ACYA dramatically grew across Australia and China, establishing dozens of chapters and building initiatives like the Australia-China Emerging Leaders Summit (ACELS), the leading conference organised by youth for youth in the Asia-Pacific, and the ACYA Women’s Network which was established in 2019 by Yifan Wang to open doors for women in the Australia-China space.
Covid would mark a new chapter for ACYA, as travel restrictions and lockdowns saw us build our online presence with webinars, publications and the first online-only ACELS. Once restrictions lifted though ACYA returned in a big way,
Since its inception, ACYA has grown into a vibrant community of its own, with chapters across Australia and China. Through its extensive network, ACYA has hosted a plethora of events, and offered unique internship, scholarship, and professional opportunities to its diverse member base.
Our Mission
ACYA is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive community for young people interested in the Australia-China space, and seeks to highlight youth voices through its various initiatives and publications. Through its ever-growing membership base, ACYA seeks to promote bilateral relations at both a grassroots and public advocacy level, and support the wellbeing and development of students and young professionals in Australia and China.Our engagement is centred upon three organisational pillars: Careers, Education, and People-to-People Exchange (P2P Exchange). From language exchange events, to social dinners, to networking evenings, we aim to cater to individuals from a range of educational, sectoral, cultural and geographical backgrounds.
The people-to-people connections between Australia and China are the real strength of the relationship … we need young leaders to have full exposure to each other in China and Australia to keep improving these networks.
Jan Adams AO,
Former Australian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China