Community

Being a volunteer is a good way to get involved in your community life. My language teacher and friends all gave me the same suggestion. About a year ago, I started applying for volunteer positions. These positions were so popular that I was just on the waiting list. Last week, my son’s school had a book fair, and I finally got a volunteer position, even though it was only half a day.

The event was held in the school library. I was responsible for the books that only had one copy left. So I must help students fill out the form to order a new one. At the same time, I worked with other volunteers to keep the books tidy and answer the questions. Some volunteers showed good experience in communicating with children. I learned to talk with every student who approached and encouraged them to check out the books. Some of the students did that.

But once they saw the price, the response was ‘Wow, so expensive.’ The only hotspot was the stationary booth. Different-coloured, shaped pens, cute notebooks, and other fun items attracted most of the girls. Different grades also had different attitudes. It is the last year of Grade 8 students. They are familiar with such an event. So they took this just as their break time, walking around and talking with friends. Younger students had more interests and tried to spend out their budgets.

It was a rewarding experience to observe school life closely. I should cherish such a chance, facing vibrant and curious kids, and learning a great deal from simply being part of their world. Of course, meeting with other parents provided me with new information.

From the websites of local government and some organizations, it is easier to find more volunteer opportunities. In Canada, you can feel the enthusiasm of being a volunteer. You contribute to the community, and in return, you also learn from it. In China, volunteer work is not so popular. Most of such events are organized by governments, and you are assigned some tasks. There will be a long way to go before more people are willing to contribute their time.