agency

.

Dream Maker

What a Child Sees Shapes What They Believe Is Possible

Upper-class children grow up with professional role models and rich exposure; others often lack such access, limiting their imagination.

✦ Dream Maker ✦ aims at making opportunities for early exposure and aspiration available to all, not just those at the top.

Inspiration Equity

Ensuring the right to be inspired isn’t a privilege, but a system.

Cultural Capital

Bridging the gap between knowledge hubs and underserved communities.

Cognitive Access

Making complex ideas visible and relatable for all children.

01 | Introduction

The Hidden and Cruel Fact

True inspiration comes from seeing, feeling, and understanding something so vividly that it sparks a new desire to learn, to dream, and to become.

Example

How Children Encounter the Stock Market

Ordinary child
Lower Class

A child from an ordinary background may only encounter the concept of the stock market in a school textbook—described in abstract terms and filled with unfamiliar jargon.

Without further explaination or connect it to real life, it remains distant and unrelatable.

“

It sounds complicated. I don’t really get it.

The idea fades quickly, leaving no impression or desire to explore further.

Middle-class child
Middle Class

A child from a middle-income family might hear about stocks when their parents complain about losing money on an investment.

The idea enters the household, but it’s wrapped in anxiety and caution, not clarity.

“

Investing is risky. It’s for people who can afford to lose.

The child grows curious—but with doubt, and without guidance or understanding.

Privileged child
Upper Class

In 1940, At just 10 years old, Warren Buffett was taken to the New York Stock Exchange by his father—a Congressman and stockbroker. He stood on the trading floor and even met the head of Goldman Sachs.

“

I was fascinated by what I saw... It was a life-shaping moment.

— Warren Buffett, recalling his visit to the NYSE

The experience planted a seed of fascination that grew into lifelong purpose and mastery.

Example

How Children Encounter Cultural Relics

Ordinary child
Lower Class

A child from a modest background hears the name “Houmuwu Ding” in a history class.

Mentioned briefly alongside other ancient artifacts, with no deeper context or imagery.

“

It’s just one of those ancient things, right? Like from a test?

The encounter is passive—there is no emotional resonance, no connection to time, place, or identity.

Middle-class child
Middle Class

Visiting a museum, the child sees the Houmuwu Ding—or a replica—up close.

A guide explains that it was a massive bronze vessel used in Shang dynasty rituals, dedicated to an ancestral queen.

“

Wow... they cast this more than 3,000 years ago?

Curiosity is sparked—but without guidance beyond the display, the meaning fades into novelty.

Privileged child
Upper Class

Speaks directly with a lead archaeologist in private study room.

The conversation doesn’t stop at metallurgy or dynastic rituals. It opens into how historical authority is built: who gets to authenticate the past, whose voices are cited, which stories enter textbooks, and who funds the narratives that shape public memory.

“

Knowledge isn’t just what’s written—it’s who gets to shape the story, and who knows where to look.

The child doesn’t just learn about history—they begin to see the underlying networks of culture, power, and opportunity that define how knowledge is made and used.

02 | Statistic

"Cultural Capital" Shapes the New Privileged Class

Many empirical research suggests that such insider knowledge plays a critical role in shaping one’s awareness of opportunity and ability to act on it—long before formal choices like university majors or job applications are made.
Below are key statistics that illustrate how cultural capital quietly influences lifelong outcomes:

0
Higher Odds of Entering Politics

If a parent is a politician[1]

0
More Likely to Become Doctors

If a parent is in medicine[2]

0
More Likely to Become Lawyers

If a parent is in law[2]

0
of UK Doctors

Are children of professionals or managers[2]

0
of Female Fortune 500 CEOs

Came from upper-middle/upper-class families[3]

0
of Latino Fortune 500 CEOs

Have upper-class family backgrounds[3]

[1] Siddharth George, "Why Political Dynasties Cause Reversals of Fortune," World Bank Blog, 2022.
[2] Laurison, D. & Friedman, S. “The Class Pay Gap in Higher Professional Occupations.” American Sociological Review, 2016.
[3] Zweigenhaft, R. L., & Domhoff, G. W. The New CEOs. Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.

Although the internet and AI have significantly expanded access to general information, they do not necessarily open the door to insider knowledge, such as the personal insights, experiences, nuanced interpretations, and unwritten norms shared by leading figures. This form of knowledge is typically transmitted informally, through direct conversations and long-term exposure within elite networks.

Young individuals embedded in such elite networks are more likely to encounter thought-provoking discussions, contextualized advice, and timely mentorship, which can catalyze early goal formation by helping them develop interests, aspirations, and direction at an early stage.

03 | GYDA Actions

GYDA Facilitates Equal Access

Not only through programs for young individuals, but also by advancing the "education of educators"—we organize high-level workshops for leaders in education.