Group Volunteer in July and August, 2009

Proposed Activity

The aim for students coming to China is to learn about a different culture, and also to contribute to the society they will be living in. The community projects we would like to organise are varied and to contribute to different parts of society. We would like to organise projects involving local schools, including asking volunteer groups to organise a “Dutch Day” for younger students and a debating session with older students. This will allow students to share ideas and learn about each other's culture. We would also like to organise projects such as working with kids in a disabled children centre. To understand Chinese culture, we organize local family visits and Karaoke parties.

Upon arrival, students are likely to be very intimidated by their lack of spoken Chinese. Therefore, the first three days of the program will focus heavily on developing basic Chinese spoken language skills as well as a better appreciation for Chinese culture. The language lessons will enable students to communicate on a basic level with their home-stay families and all the other people they meet while they are in China. The program will offer an induction (general orientation) on the first morning and local Shanghai sightseeing on the first afternoon. On the second and thirds days, Mandarin lessons will be offered in the morning and culture courses in the afternoons.

In order to see more of China, we will take students to the beautiful towns of Xi Tang and Hang Zhou on their first weekend. The following Tuesday, as part of their community work and as a way of getting to meet and know Chinese kids their own age, we would ask them to put together a debating activity with university students. A Karaoke party, volunteering help at a local disabled children centre, local family visiting, and development of a cultural “Dutch day” for students in Shanghai will also be held during the second week.

In the third and fourth weeks, volunteers will work in a summer camp in Mian Yang, Si Chuan province. In the camp, the local students are eager to learn English and western culture. There are not many foreigners in MianYang: most of students never talked with foreigners. Therefore, this activity is a wonderful way to contribute to the local community, helping children in need.

During the time in Si Chuan Province, we will organize a trip to the world-renowned Panda Breeding Research Base, where pandas of all ages can be seen. We will also organize a two-day excursion to see some of the local sights in beautiful Si Chuan province.

Throughout the volunteer's stay, we will take advantage of the opporutnity to introduce them to various restaurants and cuisines around Shanghai and Si Chuan Province.

Itinerary of Group Volunteer Program

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Week 1	Arrival	9:00am Induction course at office, 2:00pm sightseeing in Shanghai	9:00am Mandarin course, 1:30pm cultural course	9:00am mandarin course, 1:30pm cultural course	9:00am mandarin course, Afternoon: leave for Xi Tang	A trip to ancient Xitang, return to Shanghai in afternoon	Hang Zhou Trip
Week 2	Hang Zhou Trip	Debating activity with University Students in Shanghai	Morning: group volunteering in disabled children centre, Afternoon: Karaoke party	Organise Dutch Day in kindergarten or school	Visit local family for first-hand look at Chinese life style	Leave Shanghai for Cheng Du, Si Chuan Province	Trip to Panda Breeding Research Base
Week 3	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Excursion in Si Chuan Province	Excursion in Si Chuan Province
Week 4	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Participate in Mian Yang schools' summer camp	Return to Shanghai	To Pudong International Airport

Activity Details

Mandarin Course

Our experienced teachers will be teaching Mandarin to volunteers on their arrival, and will teach your students an intensive course. This will mean, they will be able to communicate with people, and get around Shanghai by themselves. Our staff also have experience in being in a culture very different from their own since many of them have traveling experience. We also have a support team in Shanghai who are used to helping volunteers in Shanghai.

Culture Courses

We offer a variety of culture courses for our volunteers, which have proved very popular. The two afternoon culture courses shown on the itinerary will be Chinese Painting and Chinese Calligraphy.


Xi Tang Trip

Xi Tang is level, densely distributed with rivers and has a very quiet natural environment. Nine rivers converge in this town, dividing it into 8 sections, but many bridges link this water town together (anciently called as “nine dragon old pearl” and “wind from eight sides”). Inside the town, there are many well-preserved architectural groups constructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which boast a higher artistry and study value, thus being highlighted by the experts at home and abroad studying antique buildings. To see a video of a recent Xu Bo outing to Xi Tang taken by one of our former overseas volunteers click here.

Learn More

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