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Mark on Operation Void Deck
Thank you, very fascinating to read, you should follow impressive of your blog. I was very reveling to control your contents from prison term to sentence. We are depending forward to your future situations.
Wall Quotes &
Sernhong on re:ACT at 7th mAAN Conference, New Delhi (23-25 Feb)
There were a total of about 80-100 people at the whole conference. Very interesting meeting eveyone.
France on re:ACT at 7th mAAN Conference, New Delhi (23-25 Feb)
Looks very interesting. How many people were there?
Volunteering with CAI in Beijing
nk on Sun, April 26, 2009
The mission of CAI (CAI or “才“ means talent in mandarin) is to transform and empower underprivileged youth in China by instilling in them the Four C’s - confidence, courage, commitment and care. Through its values activities and arts and sports programs, CAI works with teachers and students in under-served communities to promote mental, emotional, and physical health.
About a year ago, Louisa and I learned about this organization from a magazine while dining in a restaurant. Their mission caught our eyes, and we decided to join them in their cause, by volunteering to be art teachers in Yimin School.
The make up of students in Yimin School are mainly children of migrant workers in Beijing. Because they do not belong to Beijing, they can only enrol in schools such as Yimin School, very frequently on the outskirts of the city, and generally in a much less desirable condition, compared to the schools in the city. (in China, due to their extensive population, the citizens are given accounts, or 户口， based on the city they were born in, or based on their parents’ accounts. Only in some exceptional cases can they transfer their accounts from one city to the other) In general, these students are considered the under-privileged, compared to their city counterparts. But we digress.
Volunteering to teach art to this group of children has enriched me in ways more than one. For one, it is a privilege itself, to be empowering others. Looking back, I can see a change in these students compared to when we first came in contact with them. They are now more confident, and more cheerful. In essence, this program is rather similar to what we have been doing in YUP and DMP, except the context is different. What we are trying to do here is also empowering youths, giving them opportunities and helping them develop their interest, to open more doors to them for the future. “Just because you teach them art?” you say. Well, its a long shot, but its a start.
