介绍:
For millions of young Chinese people like new college graduate Chen Yuhang, volunteering is cool and trendy.
He and three friends self-supported a teaching trip to Nepal last summer and then wrote a book about it.
Nepal's consul to China Ram Prasad Subedi wrote the preface for the book that has been published ahead of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Nepal next year. He says the experiences in Nepal shared by these young volunteers are really encouraging.
Chen Yuhang says that at the beginning, his volunteering was in return for the good deeds they have witnessed.
"Three of us are from Sichuan, where we witnessed help coming after the major earthquake in 2008. We felt warmth instead of fear after that disaster. So I believe all the people who have been through that have a seed of gratitude planted in their minds. We benefit from society, and we want to give back to society by helping others."
It is noteworthy that 2008 was a turning point when the country realized that the stereotype of the only-child generation may be too biased as young people showed enormous sympathy and Samaritanism after the 8-magnitude earthquake in Wenchuan.
Chen Yuhang and his friends taught English and painting at Sungabha English School, a private primary school in the beautiful mountainous village of Thaiba.
Chen says in his book that although the students do not have enough stationary, and most of what they do have are donated, they are not short of curiosity and creativity.
It is without doubt that this kind of self-organized volunteering requires strong self-management abilities and a sense of direction, especially for young people. Chen says volunteering is all about strong commitment.
"The key to make it to the end - how to put it - is not being distracted. Frankly speaking, there are many distractions there, like you want to spend more time traveling or something. I believe commitment is important to finish what you want to do at the beginning."
Chen Yuhang is also encouraging others to follow their heart when it comes to volunteering, as many people may start to ask "can I do it too" - and his answer is "you can if you want to".
"I used to be easily distracted and tended to overthink things. What I witnessed during those days with the children in Nepal was simplicity. They seemed to be without worry. They just pursued any dreams they wanted to."
Opening a window in life is one of the reasons young people want to volunteer in the first place and that is exactly what they have done and what they have achieved.
"Simply speaking, before I went there, I was just a normal student and even a little nerdy. After experiencing all those things, I will never be like that again. I have learnt how to share and how to be part of something."
Thousands of similar stories are taking place in China everyday, where young people are willing to going outside, explore the unknown, take risks and most importantly - give and share. That is business as usual for some, but without a doubt an emerging phenomenon for the only-child generation in China.
The latest government figures suggest that 65 million Chinese people volunteer regularly and there are almost 130-thosuand volunteering organizations around the country.
Experts say although China is a latecomer when it comes to volunteering and participation among young people still lags behind those of developed economies, numerous young volunteers like Chen Yuhang are proving that the country is catching up quickly.
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