The number of officially registered young volunteers is expected to increase to 20 million by the end of this year, according to the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL), one of the largest non-government organizations (NGOs) in the country.

The CCYL will step up its efforts to recruit more young people as volunteers engaged in community-based services or big projects such as government poverty-relief programs. Some of the young volunteers work in charitable and environmental programs.

The CCYL plans to improve its assistance and establish a standard procedure for the recruitment of volunteers, to introduce more people into voluntary activities.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2005)