Volunteers enrich lives of migrants, elderly
Print Edition
YOUNG people today are often criticized for being too self-centered, but some of the youth in Songjiang are smashing that stereotype by volunteering their services to help their communities.
Volunteers give lessons to migrant children, chat with lonely senior citizens, promote safety practices in local communities and serve as tour guides in local parks and botanic gardens.
Each Wednesday afternoon, migrant children at Xinye Primary School take drawing lessons from a pool of 40 students from East China University of Politics and Law.
“Most of the kids have never been to downtown Shanghai,” said team leader Zheng Chen. “But they are as smart as city kids. They just lack opportunities. They are very eager to learn. We add an extra hour to tell them about Shanghai’s culture, history and landmarks.”
Volunteers from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts are always surrounded by enthusiastic children when they go to Liujia Primary Migrant School each Wednesday afternoon.
“They tell us things we didn’t know about before,” said third grader Yang Juncheng. “They are our friends. Every time they come, I am so happy to see them.”
The volunteers have designed a full course for the children, including handicrafts, exercise and social behavior.
“At first, I thought the volunteers were just a bit of a novelty,” said school headmaster Peng Guohua. “But I see them consulting our teachers on course preparation, so I know they are serious.”
The students said volunteer work enriches them.
“I’m the one who actually experiences the joy,” said sophomore Yan Xinyi. “The children often give us small handmade gifts. It’s very touching.”
Songjiang University Town has set up permanent volunteer teams for migrant children, drawing from Shanghai International Studies University, Donghua University, the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.
According to the Yangzhi Social Works Association, university students are now doing volunteer work in Songjiang’s eight migrant schools.
Young white-collar workers are also lending a helping hand. Lu Wei, who works for a Songjiang gas company, goes out into schools and neighborhoods to promote safe use of gas. She also collects old newspapers, used batteries, empty water bottles and waste cardboard on her rounds.
“These are little things that I can do easily but matter,” Lu said.
Office worker Guo Luting devotes her free time to helping autistic children. In spring, she accompanied some of them on a visit to the district’s Sheshan Hill Forest Park.
“I performed conjuring tricks, and the children laughed, sang and danced for us,” she said. “I was so touched. It was the first time I realized that there is no line dividing helpers and those helped.”
Zhou Jie from the Youth League in the Yueyang Community organizes young people to visit old people who live alone.
The volunteers listen to the tales of the elderly, help them with physical exercise and encourage them to get out of their homes and join social activities.
Last summer, Zhou led a team of students from Shanghai Normal University to operate a six-week summer camp for Songjiang children.
“They made new friends and learned new things, like the value of teamwork,” Zhou said. “It’s good to see more young people getting involved in volunteer work.”
“Many young people now consider volunteering a cool thing to do,” said Xu Tianmeng, director of the district’s social works association. “I am glad to see them reaping the rewards of giving.”
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