SHANGHAI, 18 April 2024 – A group of primary and secondary school students, who won Student Voices – an English Speech Competition in Shanghai, China – were given the opportunity to share their sustainable living ideas with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton during a special meet and greet session held ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Themed “Driving Towards a Green Future, Powering the Voices of Youth”, the session showcased the works of three winning teams from this year’s edition of the competition centred on sustainable ideas and practices for the future, in line with one of PETRONAS’ social impact pillars – Planting Tomorrow – which focuses on educating young minds on the importance of biodiversity conservation and sustainable living.
Chief Representative of PETRONAS Beijing Representative Office, Lisy Lee said, "At PETRONAS, we are passionate about driving progress towards a better future for all, and this includes preparing communities to be more adaptive, resilient and contribute towards a healthier planet. Not only has our collaboration with Student Voices played a vital role in attracting young minds to deepen their understanding and awareness of sustainable development for the future, but it serves as a platform for us to foster a shared understanding of our collective responsibility.”
Held in conjunction with the return of Formula One to Shanghai after a five-year hiatus and also to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix, this year’s competition introduced a special format that encouraged team collaboration amongst the students as well as a chance for them to engage in an in-depth dialogue on their transformation ideas with Lewis.
Lewis said, “It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and passion these young students have towards sustainable living. Similar to a Formula One race, teamwork is the key to performance, and seeing how well the three groups worked with and supported each other was great to see.”
PETRONAS will continue to commit to low-carbon and sustainable development, to integrate it into its strategies and daily operations, whilst actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibilities focused on three positive social impact pillars – Powering Knowledge, Uplifting Lives and Planting Tomorrow.
About Student Voices
The Student Voices English Speech Competition, an annual event jointly organized by Xinmin Evening News Community Edition, Shanghai Family, Parents & Kids, and HuMaNiuWa, has seen participation from nearly 3,000 young speakers across approximately 80 schools over five years. These schools encompass international schools, bilingual schools, international high schools, and public schools in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region.
For the third consecutive year, PETRONAS has continued to support the Student Voices English Speech Competition as an official partner and won a series of awards including the Golden Flag Award for the Best Corporate Social Responsibility, the CSR China Education Award for CSR China Top 100 Rank, SDG Special Award and Public Recognition Special Award.
