Volunteer Opportunities Help in Youngsters' Growth
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This file photo shows Li Huizhu working as a volunteer at the Tian'anmen Square tourist attraction in downtown Beijing. [Photo: agencies]

Anchor: Over the years, there have been a number of Chinese films praising the work of volunteers in society. One of the best known perhaps is "Zhi Yuan Zhe" - literally translated as Volunteer - which hit screens about eight years ago.

Directed by Anzi Pan, it told the story of a Chinese musician who travels to the countryside in order to make money by pretending to be a volunteer teacher, but instead is touched by the innocence, sincerity and dedication of the people he meets, comes to see the true meaning of life and eventually decides to change his ways.

The film not only touched the hearts of audiences, but has also inspired many to become volunteers themselves. It's also recognised that volunteers carry a positive message through society, and can also become a valuable spur to motivate and inspire a great number of people to positive action. Xu Fei has more.

Those who saw the film "Volunteer" may recall, and have been struck by the following piece of dialogue: 'If a person lives 70 years, one idea for cultivating a more meaningful life is to spend one year working as a volunteer, then his or her life would become better.'

Zhang Bin was born in 1979 and has more than ten years experience of working as a volunteer. He says the film made a lasting impression on him.

"The film enabled me to understand how disadvantaged groups of people are in need of our care and assistance. I think we can afford to give volunteer help as soon as we are able to strike a balance in our lives between our family, our work and volunteer opportunities. It is important to fill society - and all members who live in it - with love."

Over the past decade, Zhang Bin has been helping out at a welfare home, with a local marathon, a mast-climbing race, and a number of other NGO projects.

But for him, an unprecedentedly exciting experience came just recently when he was working as a volunteer for China's military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, as Zhang explains:

"We gathered at dawn and had worked overnight making preparations. I remember guests started arriving between five and six a.m. This was my first experience of work overnight as a volunteer, and despite long hours without sleep, all of us were in high morale."

Although she is still quite young - she was born in 1989 - Li Huizhu is already an experienced volunteer. In her six years of helping here and there, Li says her volunteer experiences at a welfare home in Beijing's Fengtai district were hugely rewarding.

"As soon as I arrived at the welfare home, a child who suffers from hydrocephalus came up to me to hug me, and asking my name. The voluntary work at the welfare home initially involved accompanying the children, and then helping them live on their own, dispelling their sense of fear towards others. Hopefully that would make it easier for them to be adopted by a family. Within two years of arriving to help them, about 20 children have already been adopted."

However, volunteers in China also face many challenges, just as they do elsewhere in the world.

For instance, sometimes previously active volunteers slowly became inactive. This has been Li Huizhu's finding too.

"The teachers at the welfare home told us that very few volunteers were able to sustain their involvement, offering assistance like us who pay a visit on a weekly basis. So giving constant help poses a challenge not only for us but for many other volunteers."

Today, Li Huizhu still continues her voluntary service even though she's occupied with all sorts of other work. She believes her single-parent family background maybe helps her understand better the importance of love than others:

"When I was still in primary school, my mom passed away. I live in a big family with several aunts and uncles. When my mom left, other members of the family began giving me more care and love, which enabled me to understand that love could be carried forward. In order to convey my love, I became a volunteer, and since then I've felt that I'm a useful person, and my self-esteem has been boosted. Working as a volunteer enables a person like me, who used to feel inferior, to gain confidence."

Both Li Huizhu and Zhang Bin now work in a Beijing-based volunteer association, established in 2003 with the help of the Amway Charity Foundation. The association, which now has over 3500 volunteers, recently convened a meeting in Beijing to review the performance of their volunteers in 2015.

One of the most notable examples in their volunteer services took place last September, as the Amway Beijing volunteer association organised a total of 57 volunteers to work for 48 hours, round the clock, in the run up to China's Second World War commemorations and military parade.

According to the Beijing Morning Post, the number of volunteers in China has now grown to over 100 million, and their services cover 31 provinces and cities across the nation.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan