Whenever life doesn’t seem to go as planned, or we encounter a bump in the road, it’s easy to fixate on those problems and let them consume all of our mental energy. However, when this happens, we run the risk of losing sight of all those things that are going well, which, more often than not, are the things we take for granted in the first place. Generally speaking, it’s pretty safe to say that no matter how bad things get, most of us have those basic necessities that provide for a comfortable and secure life; health, love, shelter, financial stability, and food. Unfortunately, though, there are a lot of people in this world — either clear across it or right in our own backyard — who don’t have basic amenities. Thankfully, students at Beijing’s international schools know not only how to count their blessings, but how to share them as well.
A few took time out of their busy schedules to tell us about the organizations they volunteer with, and what it means to them.
British School of Beijing, Shunyi: The Myanmar Project
Founded 2015
Students:
Anna B., 17 Years Old, Year 13, Volunteering for 1 Year
Daniel R., 17 Years Old, Year 13, Volunteering for 1 Year
Julia K., 17 Years Old, Year 13, Volunteering for 2 Years
Luca C., 17 Years Old, Year 13, Volunteering for 1 Year
What is The Myanmar Project’s mission?
“To raise money for a local school in Myanmar and teach the children in the school English.” – Anna B.
“The goal of our project was to travel to Myanmar and teach children English, since they didn’t really have access to any textbooks or other resources. We also donated as much money as we could gather so they could build a new classroom and buy other essential items for education.” – Daniel R.
“To raise money for the children in Myanmar” – Julia K.
“To help educate and raise supplies for children in underfunded schools.” – Luca C.
Why did you get involved?
“I am interested in being a teacher so it seemed like a great experience to get to teach the children.” – Anna B.
“I got involved because firstly I love charity work, and I saw an opportunity to give and help those who are less fortunate than myself.” – Daniel R.
“Actually, my friend Julia K. was part of the founding team of this project and so she invited me to join and took me on board.” – Luca C.
What have you learned from your experience volunteering?
“I really enjoyed volunteering at the school and experiencing the culture of Myanmar. I would like to volunteer more in the future because I enjoyed the experience so much.” – Anna B.
“I learned that teaching takes time and must be done consistently. I’m sure after our trip the children will continue to work very hard to improve their English.” – Daniel R.
“I think it was good to see how other people less fortunate than us are living since it was eye-opening and made us appreciate what we had even more. In addition to that, we were able to see a change happening and I learned that it’s not that hard to make a difference.” – Julia K.
“What to us may seem like not a lot, can actually be life-changing to others.” – Luca C.
Why do you think it’s important to volunteer or give back to the community?
“It’s important because it gives people the opportunities that they would not receive and it allows us to give back and raise money for people who need it more.” – Anna B.
“It’s important to volunteer because not everyone is given the same opportunities, and those who have better circumstances should take time from their everyday lives and help those who are not quite as fortunate.” – Daniel R.
“I have lived a fairly privileged life to be very honest, taking part in Model United Nations (MUN) and other student debating activities, and I believe that the only right thing to do is provide action rather than just talk about, or come up with theoretical solutions to problems.” – Luca C.
Is volunteer work something you will continue to do in the future?
“Yes, I am very interested in it and after university, this will be something that I will be looking at more.” – Anna B.
“Certainly, I believe charity is important in our society for those who are privileged to help those who are less privileged. I think that’s one way we can make our society a better place to live.” – Daniel R.
“I will be doing volunteer work in the future since I think it was eye-opening, and really seeing what was happening, and how people were living, and making a change definitely gave me the motivation to continue doing this again.” – Julia K.
“Yes, next year I am actually taking a gap year where I will work as a social worker back home in Germany with kids in kindergarten or after school.” – Luca C.
Photos: Courtesy of BSB Shunyi
