Restorying Futures

About the 2025-2026 Fellowship

As our planet faces escalating ecological crises like climate change and biodiversity loss, we are called to reimagine our relationships with one another and with the living Earth.

Re-Storying Futures is a funded fellowship that brings together changemakers connected to the U.S. and/or China to explore how creative storytelling can open new paths forward.

Rooted in a “head, heart, and hands” approach, the fellowship embraces learning as intellectual, emotional, embodied, and experiential. Fellows will engage with diverse perspectives and pedagogies, drawing wisdom from stories, relationships, local traditions, and the natural world.

Our aim is to strengthen kinship between people, place, and planet and to nurture regenerative collaboration that transcends borders.

Fellowship Overview

Immersion Retreat in South China

Immersion Retreat in South China

From January 4-16 2026, fellows will live together at the Kei Kai Eco-Community located in Guinan Village, Guangdong Province and participate in an experiential learning program exploring creative storytelling methods and how they can inspire environmental action. At the end of the retreat, fellows will produce a small multimedia story that will be featured in a pop-up exhibition in the Kei-Kai Eco-Community.

Economy class travel and local accommodation expenses will be funded. The majority of meals during the retreat will be included in the program at no cost to participants.

Community Projects and Funding Opportunity

Community Projects and Funding Opportunity

From February to April 2026, fellows will work to bring one of the creative storytelling methods they learned to their home institution, school, or community in a manner that promotes both intercultural understanding and environmental regeneration. Examples include:

During this time, fellows will receive additional guidance and support online through workshops, mentorship and peer sharing circles. Additionally, fellows may apply for micro-grants from the fellowship to support the implementation of their project.

Amplification and Impact

Amplification and Impact

In May 2026, fellows will create a small multimedia artifact featuring both their community projects and their reflection on the experience that they had in January at Kei Kai Eco-Community in Guinan Village. These artifacts may then be shared via an online exhibition, video, or webinar, to inspire other educators and changemakers.

About Kei Kai Eco-Community

About Kei Kai Eco-Community

The immersion retreat in January 2026 takes place in Guinan Village near Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, China. It will be co-designed and co-delivered in partnership with Kei Kai Eco-Community—an organically formed and evolving ecological living community. Guinan Village, continuously inhabited since the Qing Dynasty, has traditionally been home to Hakka-speaking farming families sustained by mountain streams that once flowed freely through the settlement. Since 2014, a growing number of urban-to-rural migrants have settled here, gradually creating what is now called an “eco-community” (生态社区 shēngtài shèqū). Today, Guinan Village has about 2,000 registered residents and 6,000 migrants. Within it, Kei Kai Eco-Community counts approximately 70 permanent members alongside more than 30 seasonal members and community partners.

Who We Are

Re-Storying Futures is stewarded by a team of Chinese and Chinese-American educators and practitioners affiliated with:

  • The Kei-Kai Eco-Community, described above
  • The Community-Engaged Learning Office at New York University Shanghai, China’s first Sino-US research university and the third degree-granting campus of the New York University Global Network.
  • The Inclusive Ecology Collective, a Think-and-Act Network based at NYU Shanghai that leverages interdisciplinary research, intergenerational wisdom, and inter-cosmological expertise to foster urgently needed systemic transformations in response to the planetary ecological crisis.


This program is supported by the Cyrus Tang Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization dedicated to empowering passionate problem solvers to drive positive change in education, healthcare, the arts, and community development, especially in underserved areas related to China. Each grant includes a Giving Back Pledge, encouraging teams to find innovative ways to benefit their communities beyond their projects. The content of this fellowship is designed by the program and does not necessarily reflect the Foundation’s views.

Our Mission

Re-Storying Futures’ goal is to foster understanding and collaboration across borders, especially as the world faces escalating ecological crises. Planetary challenges require more than just technical solutions—they demand genuine human connection and understanding. Our mission is to bridge divides, cultivate deep empathy, and inspire collective action for a regenerative future.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do applications open and close?

Applications will open on October 1 and close October 24, 2025.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a connection to the United States and/or mainland China (including but not limited to citizenship, studies, residency, ethnic or cultural heritage, professional ties).

We seek applicants who show a clear interest and active engagement in areas connected to the fellowship, such as climate action and communication, community organizing, environmental studies, sustainability, and multimedia arts or storytelling.

A current affiliation to an institute of higher education is preferred.

What languages do fellows need to speak?

Fluency in both English and Mandarin are highly desired and preferred. Fluency in Cantonese and/or Hakka is an additional strength and warmly welcomed. 

Do I apply with others or alone?

Applicants should apply in a team of 2 or 3 because we strongly believe that going through this journey together will support fellows with integrating their learning and implementing their community projects.

Our ideal applicants will apply in teams of 3 that include at least one student and one mentor.

For example:

  • This could be 3 people connected to the same university, two of whom are undergraduate or postgraduate students and one of whom is a lecturer, professor, or staff.
  • Or this could be 3 people connected to a community (e.g. a non-profit, a city, a common identity or affinity group, etc.) who share a commitment to intercultural understanding and environmental regeneration.

These examples are provided to simply illustrate different possibilities.

What will the living experience at Kei Kai be like?

During the retreat at Kei Kai Eco-Community, fellows will stay in double rooms with shared bathrooms. (Single room accommodations may be requested by application and according to availability.) Clean drinking water and nourishing meals are readily available. We will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions. Some meals will be prepared as a group and others will be provided by local cooks.

Beyond physical amenities, we will collectively cultivate a vibrant social field. While there will be scheduled programming, daily life will also be emergent and co-creative, balancing time for workshops, community building, rest, reflection, and hands-on application.

The aim is to not only provide a safe and welcoming place to stay, but to also foster a real sense of shared living, learning, and belonging.

Are there any costs that fellows will be responsible for?

Roundtrip economy class travel, accommodations during the immersive retreat, and insurance will be covered by the program. Fellows will be responsible for their own visa application costs (if necessary), a few self-organized meals during the immersive retreat, and any additional expenses they deem personally necessary. Visa guidance and support will be offered for international fellows.