The Communist Youth League of China (CYL) is launching a “Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign” this year, according to a notice released by the CYL on February 13. The campaign will involve over 10.5 million volunteers across the country, including four million on university “battlefronts,” who will exemplify “positive energy” in Internet usage, post comments that support Party ideology, and report “unhealthy” online information. The volunteers are expected to participate in “themed online events” throughout the year, and to guide online public opinion through “Operation Sunshine Comments.”
“We are green Internet users. We say ‘bye’ to unhealthy webpages.” (Source: Weibo)
A minimum of 20% of university CYL members are required to join the campaign. Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University has a quota of 9,000 volunteers, the highest of all universities. Sun Yat-sen is one of three elite institutions which have recently pledged to uphold Party ideology and control on campus. Last year, the CYL called for the establishment of Internet propaganda teams at higher education institutions, with province-by-province quotas for “propaganda workers.” This new campaign builds on the infrastructure of the university propaganda teams. The notice is publicly available, as evidenced by Baidu search results. A series of cartoons about “youth Internet civilization volunteers” is pinned to the top of the CYL Weibo account.
CDT has translated the notice and the list of volunteer quotas by province:
Communist Youth League Notice on Building Extensive Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Team and Pushing Internet Civilization Campaign Among Youth
Chinese Communist Youth League 2015 No. 9
Communist Youth League (CYL) committees of all provinces, ethnic autonomous regions and municipalities, the National Railway Youth Corps Committee, the Civil Aviation Administration, departments under direct control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, central government agencies, central financial institutions, central corporations, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps: In order to thoroughly put into practice the important instructions and thoughts of Secretary-General Xi Jinping, to mobilize the vast numbers of CYL members and outstanding young people from all fields to extend their progressiveness and sense of responsibility to the Internet, to strive to be “good netizens of China,” to actively let sound the “Voice of the Youth” on the Internet, and to become the vital force of building a bright Internet community, the CYL Central Committee has come to the researched decision to unite in encouraging members to become registered volunteers, to establish a youth Internet civilization volunteer team across the organization, and to intensively push forward the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign. Related items are as follows.
I. Constituents of the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Team
All levels of the CYL shall mobilize to organize the following personnel to join the youth Internet civilization volunteer team:
1. The mass of CYL members distributed among [government] agencies, enterprises, public institutions, schools, rural areas, urban communities, and the “two new” organizations [new economic and social organizations, i.e. non-state actors from the public and private sectors, organized at the local level];
2. Full-time and part-time CYL cadres and Young Pioneers counselors at all levels;
3. All-China Youth Federation committee members, model youth, members of youth organizations, and core members of self-organized youth associations, connected with all levels of the CYL;
4. Registered volunteers connected with all levels of the CYL.
In principle, the total number of CYL volunteers mobilized by the provincial, municipal and county levels of the CYL to participate in the “Youth Internet Civilization Campaign” should be no less than 20% of total local CYL members; the university battlefront shall cover each and every university. The number of people mobilized by each university shall be no less than 20% of its CYL members and shall cover the CYL branches of every class.
The method of building the youth Internet civilization volunteer team shall reflect the Internet propaganda team and be separated into two systems. First, all provincial, municipal, and county leading organs shall mobilize personnel at their respective level. Strengthen the leadership of the municipal CYL in this work. All grassroots-level work units shall oversee the filling out of the “Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Personal Information Form” (see Appendix 2). All grassroots CYL committees shall possess the name list, fill out and turn in the “Summary of Youth Internet civilization Volunteer Information” (see Appendix 3). The information shall finally be gathered by the CYL Central Propaganda Department. Second, the universities shall organize their own teams. The university CYL committees shall oversee filling out the “Youth Internet civilization Volunteer Personal Information Form” and turn in the “Summary of University Youth Internet civilization Volunteer Information” (see Appendix 4) to the local provincial CYL committee. The CYL Central School Department shall then gather all the information.
All provincial CYL committees shall turn in their “Summary of Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Information” and “Summary of University Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Information” to the CYL Central Committee by April 30 and June 30, respectively.
The building of youth Internet civilization volunteer teams at all levels of the CYL should be basically ready by May 4, 2015 and completed by late June.
II. Main Responsibilities of Youth Internet Civilization Volunteers
1. Actively spread positive energy on the Internet. Actively participate in “Operation Sunshine Comments” initiated by the CYL Central Committee: post on the Internet with civilized language and a rational attitude and build a rational, calm, and ordered atmosphere of Internet public opinion. Actively participate in the “Voice of the Youth” Internet cultural initiative: actively post Weibo, WeChat, BBS posts and videos that spread core socialist values based on the Chinese Dream, advancing reform, advancing rule of law, hard work and entrepreneurship, and social interest.
2. Consciously resist negative energy online. Resolutely resist, proactively debunk, and actively report any incorrect online remarks that violate the Four Cardinal Principles, go against core socialist values, or do not benefit ethnic unity, as well as negative online information about pornography, gambling, and drugs.
3. Consciously strengthen the self-cultivation of Internet civilization. Obey the Internet laws and regulations and standards of online civilization. Take the initiative to use the Internet legally, civilly, and healthily. Do not browse unhealthy web pages. Do not invent, believe, or disseminate rumors.
III. Main Activities in 2015
1. Special Events for China Youth Volunteers Service Day: Around the time of China Youth Volunteers Service Day on March 5, all levels of the CYL, especially at the mass grassroots level, shall through the theme of Youth League activity days and other means centrally launch the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign. Organize and mobilize CYL members to become Internet civilization volunteers. Post content on the “Internet Civilization Volunteer Announcement” to Weibo, WeChat, BBS forums, and other channels. Repost the CYL Central Committee’s “Bright Internet, Youth Power” proposal. Launch offline meetings and Internet civilization talks, sign commitments, and publicize the campaign through mobilization speeches. CYL leaders at all levels shall each attend one special event at a grassroots-level work unit.
2. CYL-Themed Online Events: First, launch themed online events within the CYL on important dates such as Qingming, Youth Day, Party Founding Day, Victory Over Japan Day, National Day, and Nanjing Massacre Memorial Day; second, launch sporadic Internet events such as the “clean plate campaign,” volunteering and public interest campaigns, and outstanding traditional culture inheritance campaigns.
3. Operation Sunshine Comments: The CYL Central Committee and the Chinese Youth New Media Association will launch “Operation Sunshine Comments,” encouraging and directing Internet users, especially the mass of young Internet users, to post online comments in a healthy, positive, optimistic, and friendly manner, striving to create a bright Internet public opinion atmosphere.
4. Local Internet Volunteer Events: All levels of the CYL, in light of local circumstances, shall actively design and plan topics, organize, and mobilize the youth Internet civilization volunteers at local work units to proactively engage in online activities, striving to create a harmonious and orderly Internet public opinion atmosphere for their locales and work units.
In 2015, each youth Internet civilization volunteer shall attend no less than three “Operation Sunshine Comments” and similarly themed online activities. At the same time, direct and encourage youth Internet civilization volunteers to actively propose and attend online activities that spread positive energy, and to actively participate in volunteer activities such as reporting unhealthy online information.
IV. Relevant Requirements
1. Emphasize Importance, Strengthen Leadership: Youth Internet civilization volunteers are important components of of the CYL online propaganda team. The Youth Internet Civilization Campaign concerns the strength and effect of CYL participation in directing online public opinion, and tests the ability of the CYL to execute the Party’s requirements and to act as the assistant and reserve force to the Party under new circumstances. All levels of CYL leadership shall accord great attention to this task and treat it as the most important among the important tasks of 2015. The campaign is to be carefully planned and thoroughly executed.
2. Comprehensively Mobilize, Closely Organize: Drawing on the four sources for youth Internet civilization volunteers enumerated above, broadly mobilize CYL members from local work units and outstanding youth to participate in the campaign. Integrate the building of the youth Internet civilization volunteer team with the registration of volunteers, and especially encourage CYL members to register. Spare no effort to organize and mobilize CYL members from all fields to participate in the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign. The school battlefront must be fully developed as a major force; comprehensively mobilize young students to participate. All levels of CYL cadres and Young Pioneers counselors shall serve as exemplary models and take initiative in participating. All provincial CYL committees shall proportionally and in a timely manner complete the organization and construction of local youth Internet civilization volunteer teams according to the “Provincial Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Team Assignments” form (see Appendix 1).
3. Strengthen Coordination, Join Forces: CYL propaganda departments at all levels shall take full control of team planning, event designs, coordination and advancement, and supervision of tasks. Successfully launch youth Internet civilization volunteer organizational work and the development of all kinds of activities on the battlefronts of CYL organizations, cities, rural areas, schools, the Young Pioneers, the United Front, rights defense, and volunteers, geared towards the needs of CYL cadres, the mass CYL members and the affiliated youth from the administrative organs and public institutions, young staff workers, young peasants, young students, young members of the “two new” organizations, Young Pioneers counselors, committee members of the All-China Youth Federation, young community workers, and young volunteers. The CYL Central Committee will launch a website and mobile site for the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign with topical links on Youth.cn and the custom menu of the CYL Central Committee WeChat account, and will post event information on WeChat and Weibo. All levels of CYL organizations shall actively mobilize CYL cadres, members, and the mass youth Internet civilization volunteers to follow the CYL Central Committee WeChat account (WeChat name: gqtzy2014), Sina Weibo account (http://weibo.com/u/3937348351), and Tencent Weibo account (http://t.qq.com/gqtzy), promoting the integration of organizational mobilization and social mobilization of the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign, urging momentum, and gaining actual results. The CYL Central Committee will hold a teleconference for the Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Campaign on March 2, 2015 to announce plans for this initiative.
Contacts: Zhang Yu, Xu Xingbang
Tel: 010-85212117, 85212129Email: xmtgzc@163.com
Appendices:
- Provincial Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Team Assignments
- Youth Internet civilization Volunteer Personal Information Form
- Summary of Youth Internet Civilization Volunteer Information
- Summary of University Youth Internet civilization Volunteer Information
- CYL Central Committee WeChat and Weibo QR Codes
CYL Central Committee
February 13, 2015 [Chinese]
Appendix 1 (Totals Added by CDT)
Translation by Mengyu Dong.
