Beijing students head west
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Fifty freshmen and sophomores representing three Beijing universities have decided to make a few trades. Each will swap city life for the countryside, computer labs for classrooms with dirt floors and the role of student for that of teacher.
The students have volunteered to teach elementary school children in poor areas of western China. They will travel from Beijing to work for the Siwei Voluntary Aid and Education Team for the West, a program funded by entrepreneurs to support traditional Chinese culture and classic works.
This trip will be the third time in 18 months that students from this program have gone to western China to teach.
"This program is important because the children don't have a window to see beyond what's in their village," said Li Haoyun, 21, an English major who went to Qinghai with Siwei last summer. "We give them the chance to see more."
Five groups of 10 will build windows for dozens of elementary school children as members of the education team, who come from Beijing Normal, China Agriculture and Beijing Forestry universities. The volunteers will board trains between July 12 and 16 and go to five areas in Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
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At Beijing Forestry University, students celebrate the start of their volunteer work [By Ren Zhongxi/China.org.cn] |
The college students will travel from 1,100 to 1,700 km (680-1,050 miles) from Beijing, depending on where they serve. In the spirit of the Confucian culture, which emphasizes the union of knowledge and culture to enhance lives, they will give lessons to local children in English, the environment, physical education, reading and Chinese history and tradition.
Two verses in a poem written and performed by several students at an assembly Friday illustrate their objectives: "We hope to help the children achieve their dreams." "We know there will be difficulties, but promise to overcome."
The organization understands the volunteers will need more than just an idealistic attitude. That's why each member of the team has undergone 30 days of training. The training has two parts. In the first, previous volunteers share their experiences and skills with the new volunteers. The second consists of management training in which the students learn leadership and teamwork skills.
The skills developed in training, Li said, will help the teachers meet their biggest challenge: keeping their students safe. In the areas where the volunteers serve, most families do not have cars and many students live far away from the classroom.
That won't be the only challenge, though.
"Volunteers must be prepared for poor living conditions and to be healthy and safe," said Lu Jun, a professor at Beijing Forestry University and an adviser to the volunteers.
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