“One Heart, Dedicate Our Love” – University Volunteer Team Heading to Hunan for Voluntary Teaching and Life Experiencing

With the anticipation to cultivate our students to show their love and care in society, our University Volunteers team held a series of activities namely“One Heart, Dedicate Our Love”. Heading to the Yongshun County in Hunan Province on April 13, our students visited poverty families and conducted voluntary teaching in a nine-year schooling in Run Ya rural area, aiding local students with stationeries, as well as daily necessities and subsidies for some poor living conditions families. The event was organized by our Head of the Student Affairs Office Zhou Pin Qiu and our school volunteer team leader Lewis Chao. A total of 60 students participated in the activity, including our volunteer team members, campus journalists, graduate students and students association.

Before they set off, the Volunteer team carried out a one-week campus charity event and raised the donations to subsidies the local primary school teachers and families with difficulties. The campus bazaar kicked off vigorously with active involvement of our teachers and students.

After a long journey to the school, we received a warm welcome from the local teachers and students upon arrival. Head of the Student Affairs Office Zhou and volunteer team leader Chao presented the University pennant to the school after the welcome speech delivered by the local school principal. Teaching allowance was issued for 28 local teachers to express our heartfelt gratitude for their contribution in education. Subsequently, the volunteer team distributed appliance for the local students. The most satisfaction with the children’s smile is the greatest affirmation of the event.

To ensure smooth flow of the voluntary teaching, meanwhile the upright values would be passed to the local children, the five Volunteer teams had long discussion sessions and prepared a wide range of lesson proposals, such as singing “The song of the seven sons”, reciting interesting Cantonese phrases, painting Easter eggs or using ultra-light clay to fabricate their favorite cartoon characters and so on. More surprisingly, the whole process of classroom teaching was on live channel, hitting a total network view of up to more than 800 people. This successful broadcasting raised the great significance brought to the community, let alone the whole school teachers and students.

Many volunteers who participated in the event found the fundamental meaning of voluntary teaching is to pass on their own experience, to inspire children in rural areas to make progress, to fight for their dreams and the life they desired, despite the shortness of time they spent to provide children with knowledge. This opportunity reminds them to cherish everything they own. The local children were excited of the visiting of these big brothers and sisters, as they have never come into contact with many of the classroom materials and content. This unprecedented learning experience is a new encouragement for them to believe in the strength and love emerging from the society wherever they are.

Our volunteer team also visited and condolence some poor students families to send them with supplies and subsidies. Most of the students were raised by elderlies alone, as their parents were away from their hometown for business. The time they can come home to look after the elderlies and children is almost rare. However, it is in this environment, the children are extraordinarily self-reliance, well aware of the hardships of parents and elders, which also turn into an inspiration to the volunteer team: more understanding for their parents, and learn to be independent.

Our volunteer team leader Chao believed that every volunteer has gained life experience and personal growth towards the grand finale of this event, achieving the significance of such activities. We hope that the participants will be able to experience the learning and living conditions of students in the poverty-stricken areas in the Mainland, to play their own strengths and enhance their personal qualities with limited resources, acquiring the motto “Giving is more blissful than Taking” thus facilitating progress of the Cross-Strait. It is believed that the University Volunteer team will become more reinforcing in the community with more rewarding activities coming up.